Barnhart & Klein Co.
Council Bluffs , IA
Enterprise Brewing Co.
Fall River, MA
M.K. Goetz Brewing Co.
St Joseph, MO
Casper Heil Brewing Co.
Burlington, IA
Kiewel Brewing Co
Crookston, MN
Jos. Lieberman's Sons Brewers & Bottlers
Allentown, PA
Port Washington Brewing Co.
Port Washington, WI
Ruff Brewing Co.
Quincy, IL
Phil. Schneider Brewing Co.
Trinidad, CO
Travers City Brewing Co.
Travers City, MI
Val Blatz
Milwaukee, WI
Walkerville Brewing Co., Limited
Walkerville, Ontario, Canada
Walter Brewing Co.
Menasha, WI
Cone Bros.
New Ulm, MN
Thurston & Kingsury
Bangor, ME
E.D. Keyes & Co. Coffee
Rutland, VT
E.D. Keyes & Co. Coffee
Tutland, VT
Thurston & Kingsbury
Bangor, ME
Thurston & Kingsbury
Bangor, ME
Stock
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Aurora Brewing Co.
Aurora, IL
Hamilton Watch Co.
Landcaster, PA
Henry & Johnsons Linament
Unknown
Quincy Belle Whiskey
Quincy, IL
Schwarzenbach Brewing Co.
Hornell, NY
A.D. Weinstein Footware
Stubenville, OH
The 'Stock' Exchange
The Meek Co.: No. 57 "A Lady of Quality"
The Meek Co.: No. 57 "A Lady of Quality"
Date: 1905 - 1908
Size: 13.5" x 16.5"
Type: Inverted Pie
Scarcity: Fairly Common
Value: $$$ to $$$$
Condition & Brewer Dependent
Size: 13.5" x 16.5"
Type: Inverted Pie
Scarcity: Fairly Common
Value: $$$ to $$$$
Condition & Brewer Dependent
General
This design, featuring a young girl playing dress-up in fancy clothes, was surprisingly popular with brewers and associated trades, like bottlers and distributors. That it was popular with non-brewers such as small retailers, specialty food companies, banks, and equipment dealers is no great surprise, especially coming after so many more adult-themed trays in the 40s range. This design is titled “A Lady of Quality” on the tray itself.
We have not been able to find any specific artwork that this might have been based on, but it is possible that it is meant to represent Clorinda, the main character, from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Lady of Quality, a very popular novel published in the mid-1890s. Burnett was a very popular writer best known for her children’s novels, particularly The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy. The plot of the novel explores virtues in human character, such as transformation in becoming a lady of quality over the course of a young lifetime, loyalty to friends and loved ones, discretion in personal action, self-control of emotions, speech and behavior, personal sacrifice and giving selflessly to others. The characters in the story and plot also delineate clear distinction between right and wrong. One can understand advertisers wanting to associate themselves with these qualities, especially in the pre-regulatory era in which caveat emptor prevailed.
Shape & Rim & Ad Text
Like No. 56, known tray examples are all oval with the low pie shaped rim and rolled edge and sport a plain red rim without any additional embellishments beyond advertising text; however, unlike No. 56 there are examples with gold print, in addition to the more typical black print. Also like No. 56 there are almost as many examples of TOC sign versions of this design, all of which feature an oval image surrounded by faux woodgrain usually with gold advertising text, although we’ve seen at least one example with red print.
Hager & Price
Hager includes her in his catalog, but like No. 56 she is not discussed in his article. Unlike No. 56 there are a fair number of brewery examples for which prices are stronger than non-breweries (generally speaking), but not as strong compared with other designs of the period featuring brewery advertising.
This design, featuring a young girl playing dress-up in fancy clothes, was surprisingly popular with brewers and associated trades, like bottlers and distributors. That it was popular with non-brewers such as small retailers, specialty food companies, banks, and equipment dealers is no great surprise, especially coming after so many more adult-themed trays in the 40s range. This design is titled “A Lady of Quality” on the tray itself.
We have not been able to find any specific artwork that this might have been based on, but it is possible that it is meant to represent Clorinda, the main character, from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Lady of Quality, a very popular novel published in the mid-1890s. Burnett was a very popular writer best known for her children’s novels, particularly The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy. The plot of the novel explores virtues in human character, such as transformation in becoming a lady of quality over the course of a young lifetime, loyalty to friends and loved ones, discretion in personal action, self-control of emotions, speech and behavior, personal sacrifice and giving selflessly to others. The characters in the story and plot also delineate clear distinction between right and wrong. One can understand advertisers wanting to associate themselves with these qualities, especially in the pre-regulatory era in which caveat emptor prevailed.
Shape & Rim & Ad Text
Like No. 56, known tray examples are all oval with the low pie shaped rim and rolled edge and sport a plain red rim without any additional embellishments beyond advertising text; however, unlike No. 56 there are examples with gold print, in addition to the more typical black print. Also like No. 56 there are almost as many examples of TOC sign versions of this design, all of which feature an oval image surrounded by faux woodgrain usually with gold advertising text, although we’ve seen at least one example with red print.
Hager & Price
Hager includes her in his catalog, but like No. 56 she is not discussed in his article. Unlike No. 56 there are a fair number of brewery examples for which prices are stronger than non-breweries (generally speaking), but not as strong compared with other designs of the period featuring brewery advertising.
Confirmed Brewer used Stock Trays
Non-Beer Related & Non-Tray Uses
Click the Picture to Return to Meek & Beach Stock Catalog Page
