One of the Victorian-era photos of our house shows a long-gone outbuilding (possibly a cider mill) featuring a large advertisement for Comstock Brothers Clothiers painted across the roof. The side of the structure features a complementary painted banner with Comstock Brothers' locations in "Norwalk & South Norwalk". In fact, it was the location banner that made it clear that the magical photo album in which my parents found this and other pictures really was related to my house.
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| Comstock Bros. Clothiers Advertisement at Enos Kellogg Homestead |
Not to be confused with the Comstock Brothers Nursery that operated on our property as late as 1886, Comstock Bros. Clothiers was a manufacturer and purveyor of clothing. In addition to having been a major local retailer, the company manufactured uniform hats (called kepis) for the Union army during the Civil War.
While I don't know the exact relationship between the branches of the Comstock family (and being too lazy to figure it out), I have to assume that the country Comstocks from my house must have been doing a favor for their city cousins, allowing them to advertise the clothing operation on the buildings of their nursery.
Over the years, I have picked up a few pieces of Comstock Bros. Clothiers ephemera, including this handbill.
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| Comstock Bros. Handbill |
I also have a couple of Victorian era trade cards for the clothing operation, which I will scan and post at some point.
