The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

 

[drawing] The Gerlach-Barklow Co.
Art Calendars DeLuxe
For Advertising
Exclusive Copyrighted Subjects
Canadian Plant, Toronto, Canada
Officers.
John Lambert, Prest.
Theo. R. Gerlach, V. Prest.
H. L. Thompson, Secy.
J. C. Flowers, Treas.
E. J. Barklow, Gen. Mgr.
In Answering Refer to File No.

Joliet. Illinois August 10, 1915.

Mr. J. H. Tait,

Sells-Floto & Buffalo Bill's Show,

General Delivery,

Columbia, Mo.

Dear Mr. Tait:

Since you were in Joliet and I was talking to you about the changing of the post cards so that you would be able to use them, I have done considerable experimenting with them, or would have taken the matter up with you at an earlier date, and I am enclosing with this letter four of the Buffalo Bill pictures and four of the pictures, "The Career of the Cowboy."

You will note on the Buffalo Bill pictures that I have merely stamped out the Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill imprint at the lower left corner of the picture. On the other ones I printed out the wording as shown and in its place printed the words "The Greatest Wild West Aggregation in the Universe." These were merely used to fill in and show what possibilities there were for the reprinting of the cards.

I am mighty sorry to advise you that we will not be able ourselves to reprint these cards owing to the fact that it would bring the cost up to where I believe you would feel you could not pay it. I have gone very carefully into the cost of it, and with the class of men that we have to employ in the art calendar business, their wages are so high and so far above the average job printer, that it would, I am afraid, make the price prohibitive.

However, in view of the fact that you people and you alone are the only ones who can use the cards at all, we will make you even a more attractive price than the one I made the day you were in Joliet, and the difference will help to have them printed any way you see fit by any printer that you may designate. We will be glad to bill the entire batch of approximately 175,000 post cards to you at the ridiculous price of $40.00, practically half the price I   quoted you a few days ago. This certainly should make a bargain offer that you cannot well resist taking hold of, and you would undoubtedly be able to have them printed at a very fair figure, and I hope sincerely that we may hear from you at an early date, and that you will advise us just where you wish the cards shipped.

Very truly yours,

H. R. Doughty
Director of Sales
Direct Advertising Division

HRD/LM

Banner image: Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming, U.S.A.; Original Buffalo Bill Museum Collection, P.69.118