J.F. Ingalls - Listing of Publications

I have summarized a listing of publications I have documented what the J.F. Ingalls' company of Lynn, Mass. published. I have several of these (but not all) in my collection.

J.F.Ingalls, 67 Whiting Street, Lynn, Mass.
Publisher J.F.Ingalls of Lynn, Massachusetts established a mail order business in 1878. Shortly afterwards, J.F. Ingalls published “Briggs' Patent Transferring Designs (patented for the United States of America),” a book of transfer patterns available from Briggs, a UK company founded in 1874. Today, the William Briggs Company is part of Coats Craft UK.

J.F. Ingalls published several how-to instructions booklets, such as:

Ingalls Manual of Fancy Work (1882), 37 pages.

Ingalls Hand Book of Crochet and Knitted Lace (1883), 48 pages, 5.5 x 4.25 inches. Directions and illustrations for an assortment of lace edgings, both knitted and crocheted.

Instructions for Patchwork (1884), 34 pages, 5.817 x 4.125 inches, 15 cents. "It is Very Popular to Make Tidies, Mats, Sofa Pillows, Afghans, Bed Spreads, etc., of Small Pieces of Silk and Satin."

The Jenny June Series of Manuals for Ladies. Knitting and Crochet. A Guide to the Use of The Needle and the Hook. 200 Illustrations. Edited by Jenny June (1885), 144 pages.

Kensington Embroidery and the Colors of Flowers (1885), 72 pages, 35 cents

Instructions for Kensington, Lustra and Hand Painting (1886), 48 pages.

Brush Studies (1886), by Lida Clarkson, J. F. Ingalls, Publisher, 104 pages, 5.4 x 7.8 inches. 1886 New Edition, Revised and enlarged, with additional notes and suggestions; 1885, originally published in Ladies' Home Journal. 1888 and later version of this were also published.


Perforated Stamping Patterns
In the mid-1880’s, Ingalls published a catalog listing of available perforated patterns, plus an illustrated version of the designs. Later on, the catalogs were given to magazine subscribers as premiums for ordering or starting an embroidery club.

Catalogue and price list of our perforated parchment stamping patterns, (undated)

New Sample Book of Our Artistic Perforated Parchment Stamping Patterns (1886), 254 pages, 25 cents. (Note this is the catalog John Governale posted on his blog Exceedingly Curious at http://exceedinglycurious.com/2007/07/redwork-in-blue/)

Ingalls’ Home Magazine
In November of 1887, J.F. Ingalls began publishing the Ingalls’ Home Magazine, a monthly publication devoted to art and fancy work. Subscriptions were $1.00 for the year. Each issue had illustrations for stamping patterns to be used for tidies, splashers, aprons, household linens, etc. Tidies were used on the backs of chairs to protect furniture or to cover up laundry. Spashers were tacked on the walls behind wash basins to protect them from water damage. Many splashers had water related scenes – cranes, swans, fishing, water lilies, etc.

After three years, the magazine changed its name to Ingall's Home and Art Magazine. They continued to sell stamping patterns – their own and Briggs’. They also published instruction booklets on how to use the stamping patterns.

Ingalls' Instruction Book (1889), 16 pages, 6 x 4 inches. Directions for Stamping with Perforated Parchment Patterns, Hand-Painting, Lustra Painting, Kensington Painting, advertisement for Catalogue of Stamping Patterns.

The Ingalls’ Home and Art Magazine continued until at least March 1893, and maybe until July 1894.

According to The Writer: A Monthly Magazine for Literary Workers, Volume VIII, Boston, June, 1895, No. 6, Page 90: The Ingalls’ Home Magazine, published by J. Fred Ingalls, and the Modern Priscilla, published by T.E. Parker, both of Lynn, have been sold to W.N. Hartshorn, of Boston, publisher of the Household. They will be combined, and issued in the future from Boston, under Priscilla name.


Other J.F. Ingalls Publications
In December of 1898, J. F. Ingalls is listed as the publisher of The Needleworker, "A Monthly Magazine Devoted To Fancy Work," with Anna Thomas Roberts as editor and designer, 9 x 11.5 inch format.

Ingalls’ Fancy Work Book (1911), a 16 page mail order catalog from "Ingalls' Mail Order Business--established in 1878." At the top it says "we have been in the mail order business selling goods by mail for thirty-three years." The address “67 Whiting Street, Lynn, Mass." is listed on the bottom.

Series Quilts – Newspapers and Magazines

In 1916, Ruby Short published the first (at least that I know of) series quilt pattern called Quaddy Quiltie, see image on right. It is also known as the Bedtime Stories Quilt, and was based on the animal characters from Thornton Burgess’ Bedtime Stories. Ruby married in 1917, and became Ruby Short McKim. Her patterns, along with the Nancy Page Quilt Club, were syndicated in newspapers throughout the country. Several newspapers had their own staff design the quilt patterns, for example, Margaret Techy for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Throughout the 20’s and 30’s newspapers used the series quilts to boost their circulation. Many ran contests for the completed quilts. The popularity of the series patterns began to wane in the early 1940’s, as did the outline-embroidery needlework. Here is a listing of the various series quilts I have found over the years. I have many of these, not always complete – either the original clippings or a photocopy.

Ruby Short McKim (McKim Studios)
Quaddy Quiltie, Mother Goose Quiltie, Nursery Rhyme, Rhyme Land Quilt, Roly-Poly Circus, Fruit Basket, Flower Basket, A Jolly Circus, Child Life Quilt, Alice in Wonderland Quiltie, Flower Garden, Bird Life or Audubon Quilt, Three Little Pigs, Colonial History, Bible History, Farm Life, Peter Pan, State Flowers, Wild Flowers, Toy Shop Window, Patchwork Sampler, Patchwork Parade of States*, American Ships

*A series of 48 individual quilt patterns representing the 48 states

Nancy Page (Florence LaGanke / Ann Kerven)
ABC Quilt, Snowflake Quilt, French Bouquet, Garden Bouquet, Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Magic Vine, Buckle My Shoe, Laurel Wreath, Calendar, Zodiac Quilt, Falling Leaves, Many Stars, Quilt of Birds, Brother Sister Quilt, Wreath Series, Ships at Sea

Margaret Techy (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Old English, Ohio Flower, Fruit Quilt, Medieval Quilt, All-Sports

Eveline Foland (Kansas City Star)
Santa’s Parade, Memory Bouquet, Horn of Plenty

C. Mullen
Nursery Rhyme Quilt, Modernistic Flower

Aileen Bullard/Cox Features
Happy Childhood

Nadine Bradley (Omaha World Herald)
State Birds and Flower Quilt

Mary Erckenbrack
Golden West (Seattle Star), Old Glory; plus a Vanity Table Runner

Laverne Bartos (Omaha World Herald)
Nursery Rhyme, Costumes of Nationalities

Harry Rasmussen (Omaha World Herald)
Big Top Circus

John F. Dille Co.
Flower Basket

Lois Clayton DeRaine (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Flowers of Ft. Worth Texas 

Misc – Designer Unknown
Noah’s Ark (Seattle Star), Covered Wagon States (Omaha World Herald), Mother Goose (Detroit News), All American Quilt (The Record)