The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-13
CALENDAR MAKERS RTSY.
Wan! Millions Are Published -ItIgh.PrIceal
Pictures In Some Of Them.

bIt american patent medicine nrm alone
iSsues 1000 600 a.endarr year nearly one
III ten to the population Of the L nited States
That lis the record order ,ibut ISSUES mil
non 'r So are not few, and one big Insurance.
company senus on, netween 5000 900 and
1000 600 annually.
What becomes Of them all. | wonder?"
SAID the head OF II large lithographing con-
Germ, Il he Il her 0av saw il est iInated that
hundred million calendars are issued in he
United States annually. That 8 an absurdly
low figure. The total must be at least
enough to give every man, woman and
child in the United States three or four
calendars"
This is the busy season of the calendar
makers. =, me II the orders Tor 1904 cal
, endars We're pao ed las year 1t is nee
essary 10 order early, because he orders
are SO gigantic,
HAs a general rule manufacturers and
merchants who send out calendars to their
customers wish to advertise their business
directly But this is by no means an invar-
liable rule.
Some calendar buyers like to get the
pretiest and most artistic signs pro-
durable, and they only print their names
upon the calendar in small and inconspc-
uous type, perhaps on the back.
Big corporations, especially, do this.
They argue that an obvious advert isement
will be thrown into the waste paper bas.ie,
by nine out Of len persons who receive il ,
while an attractive calendar will be used
to dec crate the office or the home all the
year through, and thus insidiollsly produce
its advertising effect.
TT idea of calendars is being accepted
more and more every year, and the direct
advert isemeuts are bee omng fewer and
fewer One railroad company, which
ISSUES a fine arr calandar, charges twenty
five cents for it and sells many thousands
of copies, even ,hougi, il is AN ADVERTISE
ment of the company business
That is clever move. Obviously
man will value the calendar he has bought
much more than the calendar which has
been given to him. But. of course, this
calendar has to reach the top notch Of at
traCtivenesS.
The making of calendars is a profitable
business for artists who know how 10 hit
upon popular ideas and subjects. An
effective design will fetch anything from
the calendar business where az much as
$500 or $500 has been paid Even the best
known American artists do not scorn the
work, although they will not always sign
their names to their calendar pictures
Sometimes, said publisher, "a cllsto-
mer will come to us and say that he wants
a calendar designed by famous artist
whose work he happens especially to ad-
mire. He will take nothing else, and even
if the artist ia willing to do the work, which
is not always the case, the cost is frghtful
Il heard Of rich Chicago manufacturer
who paid 81 900 a sketch to a well known
French artist for very ordinary calendar
which made no impression at all on the
public. Another man went to rival OF
mine and demanded calendar illustrated
! by Leighton, the former president OF the
Royal Academy.
1T was impossible to get it. A repre-
| sentative was sent to England to See Leigh
TN of
| too much on hand and refused the COM
| mission.
Il remember receiving a visit from
ell-known millionaire who does great
business among the farming population IN
the Middle Western States. He was good
customer and was anxious to please him.
He had execrably bad taste, and the ca EN-
dars he had selected in former years had
not been popular.
chose one Of the prettest designs | showed
| him-a pastoral scene with Vatican
| shepherdess holding her court as Queen
| Of Love But just as was congratulating
myself he nearly hoored me by taking half
dozen photographs out of his pocket
! and saying:
-I1l take 100000. and perhaps more
but want you to fix up the design bit
! first m thinking of combining business
and pleasure. These are my girls pictures,
and | want EN- worked into the calendar
in place of those shepherdesseS.
1T will be pleasant surprise for them
sort of delicate compliment, don't you
think? James the eldest, so make her
the Queen of Love, and the Others can be
her maids of honor
Il looked at the photographs, and saw
that all the girls We're homely. Jane was
positively ugly. If the calendar went out
in that shape it would certainly be failure
and the man would blame us.
$50 | temporiZed, admired the photo
graphs and advised him to get the girls
consent before he published them. He
didn't like it-said lie war ted to give the
girls nice surprisy but last he agreed
As | expected, the girls were sensible
enough TO turn down his scheme"