Weston's Mexican Art Shop Retail Catalog

THOMAS G. WESTON

Publication: Souligny & Schmidt Sugr, n d (ca 1925), N P

First edition. 16mo. 6 3/4" x 9 1/4" oblong, pictorial wrappers, 68 pp., illustrated with pricing of goods and novelties including leather goods of all types, sarapes, blankets, pillow tops, silver and jewelry goods, onyx goods, straw goods, baskets, inlaid boxes, and much more. This very scarce sales catalogue illustrates and describes the thriving Mexican Art & Souvenir market in Mexico City in the early 20th Century. Established originally in the 1880's by Thomas Gardner Weston (1867-1933), Weston’s was located on Avenida Francisco I. Madero, considered by many to be the most Americanized of the Capital streets, with the Art Deco Hotel Ritz nearby, as well as travel agencies including Wells Fargo and Thomas Cook. For antiquities, jewelry, firearms, Mexican curios, genuine Aztec jewelry and artifacts, Weston’s Mexican Art Shop not only offered an exceptional stock, but also shipping services anywhere in the world for those who liked to shop for items priced in U.S. Dollars. Weston opens this catalog with an explanation of his influence on developing the idea of applying Mexican hand carved leather (cuero cincelado) goods to everyday articles, such as handbags, purses, wallets, hat bands, letter cases, and ornate photo albums. Also included within are listings for Mexican sarapes, Native American blankets, Aztec Indian feather work, Cholula Indian baskets, Mexican pottery, baskets, and much more. No copies in Worldcat; See: Patrice Olsen, Artifacts of Revolution: Architecture, Society, and Politics in Mexico City, p. 241; Paul Janke, Guns From Below the Mexican Border, American Society of Arms Collectors Bulletin, Vol. 58, pp. 35-43.

Inventory Number: 49369