OK, so every once in a while I pull out things I own and spend hours trying to 'research' them, ostensibly for Ebay purposes. What happens, though, is that if I am successful in finding out a history to whatever it is I have, and if that history is even marginally interesting, I usually decide that I don't want to part with said object.
Anyhoo, so I've owned this photo for a little over a year.
Paid 2 bucks for it (including the cool reverse-painted glass art deco frame it came in). It is a glossy photo, autographed in dark blue ink.
This much I know: Mei-Mei was the second ever LIVE giant panda brought to the United States. Smuggled out by a wealthy fashion designer/socialite-cum-panda-smuggling-adventuress named Ruth Harkness.
(And if that is Mrs. Harkness in the car next to Mei-Mei, let's assume she wasn't as enamored of leopards. Living ones, anyway.)
So...the first panda, named Su-Lin, was sold to the Brookfield Zoo, where he choked to death on a stick (and now resides at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History).
Mei-Mei also came to the Brookfield Zoo in 1938 (and died there in 1942).
Interestingly both pandas were thought to be female, which was not the case.
(Hey, I made that mistake with a cat once.)
OK, so I know who Mei-Mei was. This also dates the pic to 1938-ish.
But who the fuck is Ted?? Besides looking way too much like Bobby DeNiro, I'm fairly stumped. The only 'Ted' who comes up with any frequency in searches about pandas is Teddy Roosevelt Jr., who actually liked to shoot them. (Although I did read that after he met a living one who wasn't at the end of his rifle he decided he liked 'em and thereafter swore off pandacide.)
So is this Teddy Jr. risking panda poop on his cashmere coat? Comparing pictures, I'm thinking not--but am not 100% on that. Ted Jr. was a pretty weird looking guy. The man in this photo is kinda sexy, in that 'Is that a panda on your lap or you just happy to see me?' kind of way.
I was hoping it WAS the Junior Roosevelt, for obvious historical (and monetarily-rewarding reasons). But alas, after this morning's comparison of handwriting samples, I am even less convinced of it.
Panda poo!!
So I am asking you, my antique-, history-, and research-saavy friends and blogviewers, for your help, advice, research tips, etc. in this matter.
Help me figure out who Ted is.
Or even Audrey.
Help me solve the mystery of the Giant Panda Stick-up.
Anyhoo, so I've owned this photo for a little over a year.
Paid 2 bucks for it (including the cool reverse-painted glass art deco frame it came in). It is a glossy photo, autographed in dark blue ink.
This much I know: Mei-Mei was the second ever LIVE giant panda brought to the United States. Smuggled out by a wealthy fashion designer/socialite-cum-panda-smuggling-adventuress named Ruth Harkness.
(And if that is Mrs. Harkness in the car next to Mei-Mei, let's assume she wasn't as enamored of leopards. Living ones, anyway.)
So...the first panda, named Su-Lin, was sold to the Brookfield Zoo, where he choked to death on a stick (and now resides at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History).
Mei-Mei also came to the Brookfield Zoo in 1938 (and died there in 1942).
Interestingly both pandas were thought to be female, which was not the case.
(Hey, I made that mistake with a cat once.)
OK, so I know who Mei-Mei was. This also dates the pic to 1938-ish.
But who the fuck is Ted?? Besides looking way too much like Bobby DeNiro, I'm fairly stumped. The only 'Ted' who comes up with any frequency in searches about pandas is Teddy Roosevelt Jr., who actually liked to shoot them. (Although I did read that after he met a living one who wasn't at the end of his rifle he decided he liked 'em and thereafter swore off pandacide.)
So is this Teddy Jr. risking panda poop on his cashmere coat? Comparing pictures, I'm thinking not--but am not 100% on that. Ted Jr. was a pretty weird looking guy. The man in this photo is kinda sexy, in that 'Is that a panda on your lap or you just happy to see me?' kind of way.
I was hoping it WAS the Junior Roosevelt, for obvious historical (and monetarily-rewarding reasons). But alas, after this morning's comparison of handwriting samples, I am even less convinced of it.
Panda poo!!
So I am asking you, my antique-, history-, and research-saavy friends and blogviewers, for your help, advice, research tips, etc. in this matter.
Help me figure out who Ted is.
Or even Audrey.
Help me solve the mystery of the Giant Panda Stick-up.
7 comments:
Ted Williams?
been checking out pics and autographs--closer...possibly???
(or perhaps i'm being swayed by wishful thinking...)
i'll post some soon--let y'all chime in.
Oh that chap in the hat is sexy whoever he is...
I got the book 'The Lady and the Panda' from the library today--just in the quick skim I've done so far, they talk about Mei Mei being taken by Ruth Harkness, who was wearing a leopard skin coat, in an open-air car to the Brookfield Zoo on February 18, 1938. So that's HER (too bad she's not looking this way!!) No mention of anyone named Ted accompanying them, though. Another section I skimmed over mentioned Teddy Roosevelt Jr. sitting with a baby panda on his lap one day--but I think it was the first panda--and that was the day he swore he'd never shoot another one.
Next thought--'Ted' is some zoo or city government bigwhig or something. Not nearly as glamorous (or lucrative) but must find out how to get the info from the zoo archives. Any advice, Cletus?
This is going to sound "duh-esque", but just call the Zoo's Administration Department (or whatever number you can find for them) and just start asking questions about how to get the info you want (frame it more toward just wanting to find out about the photo for curiosity's sake than sussing ebay value).
Someone will be able to tell you if they even have an archive or how their records are kept. They could have a nice well organized archive or all their shit could just be in boxes in a storage shed somewhere. It's always a crapshoot as to how institutions treat their history, but I'd venture that they have a fairly well organized one.
If they don't have anything resembling an archive (also a possibility- someone may have made the decision to throw all the shit out at some point) you can check libraries right around there (maybe Hinsdale?) in the area to see if any of them have an archive/collection related to the Zoo.
Also, you can check any good local library for newspaper accounts of that parade. Start a couple days before the date and work forward (paying particular attention to the Society pages).
If Ruth was a society muckymuck, then that dude sitting next to her is probably her love toy de jour, and may have been somewhat well-known at the time himself. At least you'll be able to find out whether his name is Ted and eliminate him as a suspect.
If you still can't find anything out, then start checking around the area for whoever is the biggest geek about the Brookfield Zoo. There's almost certainly some weird old dork somewhere (kind of like me, just obsessed with the Zoo and not the Colex) with a vast collection of materials and knowledge about the Brookfield Zoo who would love to have some MILFy hottie come round and ask him questions about his life's quest (just make sure you have an escort when you visit his shed/basement). In fact, this theoretical person may work for the Zoo itself and you might be directed to him (could very well be a "her" of course) when you call them.
Local Historical Societies in the area might also be of help.
There, that should keep you busy for awhile, let me know if you still can't find out anything from all those sources and I'll ponder this a bit more.
PS-Does that book you got have a bibliography or a list of sources? You've probably already checked that, but I'm just trying to be thorough and all.
PPS- Deirdre's thought about the cop possibly being Ted is a very good one. Unfortunately it would be a huge chore to find out more about him if that's the case, so save that possibility as an absolute last resort. I have ideas as to what you might do but let's save that babbling for when/if it's needed (one pompous posting at a time and all).
Thank you, doll!!
You are a wealth of information.
And I appreciate your willingness to share it with me.
Talk soon??
'Tis been many months...
Hey, I'm a Gnostic, hon. Sharing knowledge is what we're all about.
Send me an email as I don't have your number.
Post a Comment