The Ephemeral State
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1930s Paul Pendarvis Orchestra Christmas Card Big Band Members Patricia Norman — photo 1 of 3

Photo 1 of 3

About this piece

Vintage Christmas greeting card from the Paul Pendarvis orchestra, the 1930s swing band. The front reads "In Chinese" with the Chinese characters for a Merry Christmas greeting. Inside, "In Music" shows the band members' names on a musical staff: Paul Pendarvis, Patricia Norman, Arthur Park, William Collins, Jimmie Stewart, Eddie Scope, George Kohler, Bill Miller, Len Layson, Wesley Anderson, Paul Love, Robert Stewart, Charles Pickerhoff and Art Rogers. About 5.1 x 4.6 inches folded. Used; the card appears to be missing its final panel and has a torn strip of paper on the back edge.

Printed in teal and black in a bold Art Deco style. The front art is a period caricature of a Chinese figure with a queue, typical of 1930s commercial graphics and shown here as a historical artifact.

Pendarvis led a Kansas City territory band that played the Congress Hotel in Chicago and recorded for Columbia in the mid-1930s; Patricia Norman, Eddie Scope and Jimmie Stewart were his vocalists. A scarce piece of band ephemera for big band and swing-era collectors.