Featured Mock-up for vintage sewing pattern cover?

Not sure "mock-up" is the right word. Wax paper cover. Each page has a different color indicated, bottom right hand corner. I don't know much about printing methods from the 1960's, but I think this is how cover art was submitted. Do you think a student project, or actually something more professional? The piece is signed lower right on the wax paper cover, and someone has penciled in a note on the same sheet, "This tape will tear your board", followed by either a single initial or (possibly an "A-", or could be a single initial from someone.) This comment got me thinking maybe it was a student's work. Curious if anyone has run into these, thoughts, etc. Thanks!

 

There are people who collect vintage patterns. I wonder if they have a site where you could check the image.

I'm also wondering if they had a fashion show based on their seasonal patterns

 

I would think student work, and the notation is the teacher's comment plus the grade.

I think actual submissions to a printer would likely be on larger paper, with cross hairs in the corners for alignment.

 

Yup - now that you mention it, the A in the words is the same. A-

 

That looks like a printer's piece for making the pattern envelopes. I think it's the real deal. There are collectors out there for this sort of thing.

 

Doing a Google search for vintage Butterick patterns, they don't look at all like the artwork to me, plus the Butterick font used in the mockup doesn't look like the different fonts I see in their old pattern envelopes.

It would be great if they were the real deal, but I honestly don't think they are.

 

That covering paper is probably glassine - not waxed.

 

I agree, not waxed paper. It looks like artist's tracing paper.

 

Now that I think of it, it looks more like a mock-up of a seasonal or monthly catalog rather than a pattern envelope.

 

Thanks, everyone! Glad to have some additional eyes on this. Also, thanks for the word "glassine" -- waxed paper was all that came to mind, lol!

It could be something for a catalog, or a student practice work for that.

Maybe will have some small value on Ebay, although people might not be looking for this kind of thing as it probably doesn't come up too often. Also if definitely a student work, who knows. Can always give it a shot.

Thanks!

 

For some reason it looks like the real deal? Where someone wrote,"this blade will eventually tear your board" and I see a pic of an Xacto blade not an A to the right.
My 1st late husband was a printer and I saw similar layered work on special orders,also used the Xacto blades when doing paste up.

 

I need glasses, it DOES say tape.

 

I don't think that's student work; looking more closely I think that's for offset lithography. Each sheet would be a different color in the final product. It just doesn't "smell" like classwork.

 

I take back what I said about the font used for "Butterick"... it did look like the font in this piece in the 1960s. I also take back what I said about the registration marks, since the little x's in a circle were probably used for that purpose.

But that said, the main reason I think it's a student's work is the quality and style of the drawing, which is kind of stiff and personality-less, with much simpler drawings than Butterick used. It has almost no shading or contouring and the woman looks frozen in time... compared with the fashion illustration style popular at the time that had a sense of movement and women with personality. My take, anyway!

Here are examples of Butterick's artwork from circa 1960...










I took a Saturday fashion illustration course at Pratt Institute in 1961 or 1962, and the mockup reminds me of the work I did, which was decent for my experience level but far from professional.

 

Thanks everyone so much, this has helped clarify my own thoughts! It may have been someone in training -- hoping some pattern person will think it is unique enough to pick up. Appreciate the help!

 

Good luck with it!

 

http://gvshp.org/blog/2013/09/04/behind-the-seams-of-the-butterick-building/

Sparing no expense, when built, the interiors of the Butterick Building were designed by Tiffany. The building, marketed as “The Home of the Delineator Family,” operated 86 printing presses that produced Butterick’s 32 periodicals, which made it one of the largest magazine publishing companies in the country. With such a large floor area, the building accommodated a large range of activities, from seamstresses making sample garments to {{{workers printing and shipping sewing pattern envelopes.}}}

 

I found a Butterick Fashion News but its 1934 to 1952,but maybe thats what your design was going to go into but was rejected? I was looking for pattern envelopes but then I came across this.

https://witness2fashion.wordpress.com/tag/butterick-fashion-news/

 

oops my PC keeps freezing

 

For me, the critique / comments and the A- written at the bottom point to a student piece. It's good that Pat has some experience from that same era, and that this was the type of thing that might be submitted by students.

I also wonder whether it might have been done a little later. Not sure, though. The style of the lapels on the jacket looks wrong to me for 1960. Every pattern or fashion illustration that I can find online from that era has jackets with no lapels or collar... or if there are lapels they are the notched, pointed type. I found nothing with lapels with rounded corners from that time... She is wearing those little white gloves, though - which is of the period.

My mother was a seamstress (still is) and she always sewed a lot when we were young. I've seen tons of clothing patterns because of that. The pictures on Butterick's patterns always seemed a little more detailed and articulated than the pictures on patterns of the other companies. If I remember correctly, my mother told me that the patterns themselves were also more complicated than those of some of the other companies.