“Lady! You have a perfectly good suit that is somewhat out of style—color somewhat faded,” reads a 1911 newspaper ad for R. S. Palmer’s Steam and Dry Cleaning Works. “We will dye the suit to color of your liking, alter the coat to prevailing style, and—Presto! you have a new suite from your old one at moderate cost.”
Palmer, a local tailor, bought a French steam cleaning system in 1908. He moved into this building at 1314 Platte Street (today’s 26th Avenue) the following year. By 1911 his marketing strategy was thoroughly up-to-date. This photograph may have been made shortly after Palmer hired a painter to transform his building into a colorful billboard.
(Photo: NSHS RG2405-1-44)
-David L. Bristow, Editor
