A reverse-painted silhouette of a lady training her terrier, ringed in foil, advertises Cliff's Inn of Los Angeles — a glimpse of the city before anyone knew what it would become.
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Advertiser: Cliff's Inn
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Maker: Newton Manufacturing Co.
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Materials: Metal frame, glass, paper, foil art, mercury thermometer
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Dimensions: 5.0" × 4.0"
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Origin: Newton, Iowa, USA
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Era: Vintage, 1920s–1930s
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Condition: Vintage, used — Good; cardboard backing has dark staining and the frame has corrosion. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.
The silhouette shows a lady training her wire terrier, while a color lithograph of a clifftop house sits within a circle bordered in foil, with matching foil detailing on the lady's dress — a touch of glamour in a small object. Set in a metal frame with a mercury thermometer and an improvised hanging hook. The back may conceal a calendar; we left it undisturbed rather than risk damage. A true original — not a reproduction.
A wonderful piece for the advertising collectibles enthusiast, the dog lover, or anyone captivated by the forgotten corners of early Los Angeles. An unusual and evocative gift.
Advertising thermometers were the branded gifts of their era — kept because they were useful, loved because they were beautiful. They first appeared in the 1900s and were widespread across the United States by the 1920s. Cliff's Inn was a Los Angeles establishment we could find no records of; the business is long gone, and a bar has occupied the address since 1961, which makes this small survivor all the more intriguing. We dated it to the 1920s–30s because no telephone number is listed, in a time when telephones were still a luxury.
The thermometer was made by Newton Manufacturing Co. of Newton, Iowa, a promotional products company that traces its start to 1909, in a town that grew into a center of the advertising specialty trade — a maker well versed in turning everyday objects into small, hardworking billboards for businesses like this one.
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