More Label Humor

Hats off to whoever is responsible for this next set of hilarious extraneous container labels. While I can't know who or what drove them to type out such wonderful absurdities, I can enjoy the results and definitely appreciate being jerked out of the sometime mundane work of the survey.

I came across the following silly label on box 3 of a collection of documents relating to missions in New Mexico, circa 1605-1720 (BANC MSS M-A 4:1).  While the box itself was labeled as a box, the library MARC record described all the containers as cartons; apparently this discrepancy didn't sit well with the label's creator.

This next label defies description. It is located on box 1 of a collection of documents reflecting relations of Indians and Spaniards over tribute, wool mills, treatment of the natives, and government regulations, 1544-1608 (BANC MSS M-A 7). What any of those subjects could have to do with bologna sandwiches or chocolate cake is beyond my ability to figure out. The incongruity kills me.

--E. Van Lith

Labels We Have Loved (and Feared)

Fisher-Merriam Family papers (BANC MSS 2004/112)

Friends of the Earth records (BANC MSS 82/98)

---M. Bryer

Label Humor

Some creative container labeling has happened at The Bancroft, as these three labels from the 1960s and 1970s clearly show. But before we go further, let me dispel any worries about labeling standards at Bancroft by saying that all the containers had appropriate labels as well. Whew!

The first two labels come from the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown papers (BANC MSS 68/90 c), a 1,029 carton behemoth of a collection of the papers of Pat Brown who served as Governor of California from 1959 to 1967. Despite the interesting material and the importance of the collection, while we were surveying the collection I sometimes felt we would never see the end and I imagine the archivist tasked with creating all the carton labels felt the same way, possibly typing these two labels to alleviate the monotony.
The first label is funny on its own, but makes more sense when you realize that there are nearly 100 cartons of Senate and Assembly bills in the Brown collection. After 80 or 90 cartons of legislative bills, wouldn't you want them to rest in peace too?

I can't remember exactly where the second label was found so it will just have to speak for itself.

And now the best for last. This third label was found stuck on a carton in the Papers on European and American printers (BANC MSS 74/150 c). I'm not sure if the person typing the label was commenting on their feelings about the subject matter of the collection or possibly aspects of the archival profession, but I'm sure all archivists can relate.


--E. Van Lith

Good News for Elephants

We have come across many cartons of unsorted newspaper clippings during the survey so far. Unfortunately, this is not a rare sight:










Normally I wouldn't look too closely at them and would just make note in our database that there were loose and bundled clippings in this carton. However, these are clippings that Hubert Howe Bancroft collected and there was one bundle in particular that caught my eye:

[labeled "Useful Items"]

I was intrigued to say the least. I decided to spend some extra time to look at this small bundle and see what Hubert Howe Bancroft thought was useful in the late 1800s. The topics ranged from new patents, scientific discoveries, and funny items. My favorite clipping is one that describes the use of the meat of potatoes as a substitute for ivory - which, as the author points out, is excellent news for elephants!


I also enjoyed reading about a trio of traveling rats....







...and I learned about the beneficial effects of wearing flannel (actually pretty relevant for the surveyors given our chilly work environment!)





Here are some others that I liked:



From Banc MSS B-C 14: Bancroft miscellaneous newspaper clippings, 1860-1890.

--A. Croft

Oh, Bancroft, brave Bancroft!

Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School in Los Angeles, Calif., the "home of the cougars," was named after our very own founding father, H.H.B. And the school honors its namesake in its school song, the lyrics for which Amy and I came across when surveying the Hubert Howe Bancroft family papers, BANC MSS, 73/64. Just how the lyrics came to the Bancroft family we'll never know, but we can all be thankful they did.


It's a toss-up for my favorite lines.
After all, what archivist could resist the following lyric?:

"He collected many manuscripts and worked without delay.
To preserve for posterity.
To preserve for posterity."

But the chorus does tug at my heartstrings:

"Oh, Bancroft, brave Bancroft,
'Twas a name known to fame in days of yore;
May it ever be glorious
Till the sun shall climb in the heavens no more."

A note at the bottom of the sheet says the song should be sung to the tune of "Lord Jeffrey Amherst" the fight song of Amherst College. In case you have the irrepressible urge to honor H.H.B. in song, you can get the tune by listening to "Lord Jeffrey" at http://www.amherst57.org/members/lyrics.htm. Just click on the button on the left for "Lord Jeffrey."

Enjoy!

--E. Van Lith

Archival Toilet Paper

Here is a quickie, but it's an amusing one.

Today we were surveying the papers of the Crown Zellerbach Corporation, a very large paper company operating in the Pacific Northwest that was a parent company to 184 other paper companies.

The company even had its own Crown Zellerbach History Committee, recognizing the importance of its own history in a new executive policy order as early as 1954. They obviously took their charge seriously and saved a lot of materials.

We saw the records of dozens of paper, pulp, lumber, transportation, and mill companies, but were a bit surprised by what we found in carton 43, pictured here:


The finding aid described it as: "Roll of 'Spring Notch Toilet Tissue' recovered from a wall of the Sequoia Hotel, Fresno, California. ca.1920s"

Thus, we were looking at what is soon to be a 100 year old roll of toilet paper! And it's only Monday...

(See Crown Zellerbach Corporation records, BANC MSS 88/215 cp)

--D. Miller

Ode to My Old Stocking!

Journals offer glimpses into people's lives and personalities. Many of the journals that we've surveyed so far are not illustrated and I always look forward to coming across ones with sketches.

Here is an example of a poem and drawing of a sock found in the journal of Isaac W. Baker. It was written on the ship John Q. Adams while he was on a voyage from Boston to California in 1852.

The poem shows his sense of humor and I think his use of the pun 'darn' is great!

The poem says:

Ode to my old stocking!

Heeless and toeless work of art

Alas! thou'st getting old.

So worn and torn I scarcely know

The relics I behold!

Thy foot, sore scratch'd by many a nail

In many a place worn thin,

Indeed 'twould be a darned hard task

To make you whole again!

From the Isaac W. Baker journals, BANC MSS C-F 53

--A. Croft