Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

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kwakster
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Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#1

Post by kwakster »

The links below lead to several downloadable PDF's of old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs on the website of Pennsylvania's Electronic library.

A&F 1909 catalog: http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary. ... 1835/rec/4

A&F 1913 catalog: http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary. ... 7845/rec/4

A&F 1915 catalog: http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary. ... 8248/rec/1

A&F 1916 catalog: https://archive.org/details/abercrombiefitch00aber

A&F 1916 Christmas catalog: https://archive.org/details/abercrombiefitch00aber_0

A&F 1950 catalog: http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary. ... 8079/rec/5

Some background info: https://www.acontinuouslean.com/2014/01 ... bie-fitch/
Last edited by kwakster on Thu Jun 10, 2021 7:00 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Abercrombie and Fitch 1909 catalog

#2

Post by bearrowland »

Thanks for posting this!
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#3

Post by RustyIron »

When I first read the title of your post, I thought you were sharing catalogs from the modern company that got into hot water for featuring underaged kids cavorting in their underwear. I had no idea that they originally sold outdoor gear. People back then had to be really tough. We're spoiled with our high-tech fabrics, plastics, and titanium equipment.
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#4

Post by rangefinder »

RustyIron wrote:
Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:13 pm
When I first read the title of your post, I thought you were sharing catalogs from the modern company that got into hot water for featuring underaged kids cavorting in their underwear. I had no idea that they originally sold outdoor gear. People back then had to be really tough. We're spoiled with our high-tech fabrics, plastics, and titanium equipment.

A&F was a famous outfitting company for many years. Willis & Geiger supplied "safari" clothing to them, Griffin & Howe was a gunsmith that provided guns to them.

Willis & Geiger is best known for the "Hemingway" bush jacket (designed by Ernest Hemingway) among other things. W&G went out of business years ago, but apparently some Japanese company now owns the name and is making the old products: http://willis-and-geiger.com/

Griffin & Howe are still in business: http://griffinhowe.com/

Just like A&F stores of today have no connection to the past company, does anyone remember when Banana Republic sold actual surplus military clothing? Back then all their mall stores had a Jeep prop in the front and other "safari" themed decor. The catalog was fantastic, it was kind of like the "J. Peterman" catalog (an actual company, parodied by Seinfeld). At some point Banana Republic was bought by the company that owns GAP and Old Navy, and they eventually turned BR into an upscale clothing company. The stores today bear no resemblance to the old stores.

https://www.seamwork.com/magazine/2018/ ... a-republic

https://www.secretfanbase.com/banana/
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#5

Post by bearrowland »

I do! It's hard to believe it's the same store, at least in name.
Barry

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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#6

Post by p_atrick »

The Mark of the Maker podcast did a show or two on old Randall knives. I think they were sold exclusively through A&F (or they were the first retailer).
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#7

Post by The Deacon »

Thanks for the links, kwakster. These catalogs are great! :)

rangefinder wrote:
Thu Jan 21, 2021 7:11 pm
RustyIron wrote:
Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:13 pm
When I first read the title of your post, I thought you were sharing catalogs from the modern company that got into hot water for featuring underaged kids cavorting in their underwear. I had no idea that they originally sold outdoor gear. People back then had to be really tough. We're spoiled with our high-tech fabrics, plastics, and titanium equipment.

A&F was a famous outfitting company for many years. Willis & Geiger supplied "safari" clothing to them, Griffin & Howe was a gunsmith that provided guns to them.

Willis & Geiger is best known for the "Hemingway" bush jacket (designed by Ernest Hemingway) among other things. W&G went out of business years ago, but apparently some Japanese company now owns the name and is making the old products: http://willis-and-geiger.com/

Griffin & Howe are still in business: http://griffinhowe.com/

Just like A&F stores of today have no connection to the past company, does anyone remember when Banana Republic sold actual surplus military clothing? Back then all their mall stores had a Jeep prop in the front and other "safari" themed decor. The catalog was fantastic, it was kind of like the "J. Peterman" catalog (an actual company, parodied by Seinfeld). At some point Banana Republic was bought by the company that owns GAP and Old Navy, and they eventually turned BR into an upscale clothing company. The stores today bear no resemblance to the old stores.

https://www.seamwork.com/magazine/2018/ ... a-republic

https://www.secretfanbase.com/banana/

Yep, I'm more than old enough to remember the original Banana Republic and what A&F was like back in the 60's.
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#8

Post by kwakster »

Added the 1916 catalog and the 1916 Christmas catalog,
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#9

Post by kwakster »

Image

Abercrombie & Fitch, New York, 1912
In the center of the photo is a ski-lift chair and a display rack with ski apparati hanging from it.
Also, there are skis and snow shoes to the right and left of the ski lift chair, repectively and men conducting transactions at the far left and center of photo.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Abercrombie & Fitch, New York, 1913
Sporting Goods, Interiors of Salesroom with Customers.

Image

Abercrombie & Fitch, New York, 1915, Madison Avenue and 45th Street.

Image

Abercrombie and Fitch store, New York, ca.1910, 44th Street and Madison Avenue
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#10

Post by Doc Dan »

I had forgotten all of that about AF and BR as well. It has been a very long time since they had products like those. It is nice to see New York when it was still a manly town back in the days of Teddy Roosevelt.
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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#11

Post by kwakster »

Doc Dan wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 8:38 pm
It is nice to see New York when it was still a manly town back in the days of Teddy Roosevelt.

In that case you might also like this upscaled & colored footage from New York in 1911 as well:



Or this footage of New York in the mid 1930's:

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Re: Old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs in PDF

#12

Post by Doc Dan »

Thanks! It was a different world, then.

I am one of those who wishes men still wore hats.
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Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the King--
Else, wherefore born?" (Tennyson)



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