Firecrackers are essentially un-American, even though we associate them our most deeply patriotic celebration, the Fourth of July. The fact is that firecrackers are foreign-born novelties, and have been as long as Americans have lit them for a noisy salute to the nationâ??s birth. As it turns out, firecracker history is as colorful and complicated as the lithographed artwork used to sell them. Warren Dotz, a pop-culture historian, collector, and author of many books, including a pair on cat and dog food labels, spoke with us about their story, while the photos of firecracker labels above and below come from Mike McHenryâ??s Mr. Brick Label Flicker page.
Dotz says that, growing up in New York City, he and his friends were obsessed with firecrackers. In a 2009 interview with Marty Weill at Ephemera, he explained, â??The day after the Fourth of July my friends and I would search to salvage the gunpowder in those firecracker â??dudsâ?? that hadnâ??t exploded. I also went looking for the black and yellow Black Cat brand and the sky-blue Anchor brand labels that hadnâ??t been blown to smithereens. Years later, I would see these labels, as well as even more spectacular labels, at collectible fairs and flea markets and decided that I would tell their story.â?
Here are 10 things we learned about firecrackers and their labels from talking to Dotz and reading his Ten Speed Press trade book Firecrackers: The Art & History, published in 2000 and co-authored by Jack Mingo and George Moyer.
Read Full Article »