In 1900, James Phelan, then Mayor of San Francisco, suggested that the city adopt a flag and motto. He personally sponsored a design competition with an award of $50. Over 100 designs were submitted and after careful review the mayor’s flag committee chose Impressionist painter John M. Gamble's design. The approved design depicted a black phoenix (a symbol of immortality) rising from yellow flames. Below the phoenix, lies a banner held by its talons with the motto “Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra,” which, translated from Spanish, reads, “Gold in Peace, Iron in War.” The motto references aren't certain - some say that it refers to San Francisco’s role in sending troops to the Philippines as San Francisco was the embarkation point at the height of the Spanish-American War. Others suggest that the Phoenix symbolized San Francisco's recovery from multiple fires and earthquakes in the 19th century. The Flag committee wanted a more refined design, so they contracted Robert Ingersoll Aitken, a local designer and artist, to add a few finishing touches.
San Francisco is a resilient city having been through multiple fires, earthquakes and now a global pandemic. We felt it was the right time to launch this new series of tees - our homage to the original San Francisco Municipal Flag featuring the Phoenix Rising. Find 'em here.
We will arise from the ashes as we’ve done before because San Francisco is after all “The City that Knows How”.
]]>If you lived in the Bay Area in the 1970’s, chances are you got a glimpse of Roller Derby while flipping through the channels on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Roller Derby matches at Kezar Pavilion and the Cow Palace were televised locally on KTVU Channel 2 and nationally to over 30 million living rooms in America.
Capitalizing on the popularity of roller skating, Chicago entrepreneur Leo Seltzer conceived of Roller Derby in 1935. A contest of two teams with 5 skaters each, circling around a banked oval track, scoring points when a “jammer” would skate a lap past opposing players. Leo’s son Jerry Seltzer took over the reigns in the late 50’s and created the Bay Bombers, a formidable squad that went on to become America's home team, selling out arenas coast to coast.
The Bay Bombers were America’s beloved home team. Ardent fans cheered for their heroes as they slammed their rivals against the rail. Bay Bombers stars Joanie Weston, the “Golden Girl”, Charlie O’Connell, “Mr. Roller Derby” and arch-villainess Ann “Banana Nose” Calvello became well known household names.
You can find our Honour Brand Bay Bomber tees here.
]]>Meeting our customers in person at local events is one of the most rewarding aspects of our business. We really enjoy sharing with folks the historical nuggets we discover along the way in researching designs for our tees.
Stay safe everyone. Until our paths cross again!
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From 1887 to 1947 there were no contracts with African American players on teams in baseball's major leagues. Jackie Robinson broke that barrier in 1947 when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In California at the turn of the century, winter league baseball was flourishing and African American teams played in the integrated league. Interest and respect for African American players in the California Winter League grew and in 1946 the West Coast Baseball Association was created.
Berkeley fireman Ed Harris spearheaded the idea for the WCBA and was the Business Manager for the Oakland Larks. Harlem Globetrotters founder Abe Saperstein was President of the WCBA and Olympian Jessie Owens served as Vice President. Owens was also the owner of the Portland Rosebuds.
The league consisted of six teams; the San Francisco Sea Lions, the Seattle Steelheads, the Portland Rosebuds, the Oakland Larks, the San Diego Tigers, and the Los Angeles White Sox.
The season opener was a game between the Oakland Larks and the San Diego Tigers on May 12, 1946 at Fresno Midget Auto Racing Park. The league only played one season, disbanding after the final game in July, 1946. The Larks were the 1946 West Coast League Champions and continued to play as a barnstorming club all over the United States through 1947. In November 1946 to a crowd several hundred fans, the Larks defeated Jackie Robinson’s All Stars in an exhibition game at Perris Hill Park in Los Angeles.
Former Oakland Mayor Lionel "Lefty" Wilson pitched for the Larks along with teammate Marion "Sugar" Cain who went on to play professionally in Canada from 1950-1957.
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We were approached by the folks at the Cookie Bar in Alameda a couple of months ago asking if we might be interested in displaying some of our art on their walls. We were super excited and very humbled. Got us to thinking about making up some Honour Brand posters. We really like the silkscreening process and found Nat at Bloom Press. He helped us produce a limited edition run of 4 of our designs silkscreened onto beautiful quality paper. We are really proud of these posters and hope that you like them! You can find them here on our website.
- Hand Silkscreened
- 18" x 24"
- Printed on 100lb archival paper
- Shipped in heavy duty tubes and shipped priority USPS
With our Panama Pacific International Exposition tees we pay homage to the 100th Anniversary of the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, which ran for nearly 10 months from February 20 to December 4, 1915. It was one of the most extravagant and memorable world's fairs on record. The Exposition spanned 635 acres of San Francisco's waterfront in today's Marina District. There were grand boulevards, innovative landscapes and an amusement section called the Joy Zone. Exhibit halls showcased the Fine Arts, Education and the Transportation of the day. Standing 43 stories tall, the Tower of Jewels was considered the centerpiece of the exposition. It was decorated with over 100,000 Novagems, which sparkled in an impressive array of colors.
Auto racing enthusiasts were in for a treat at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition where two of the premiere auto racing events of the year - The American Grand Prize and The Vanderbilt Cup - were held. The races were run on a unique 3.8 mile course winding its way around a 1 mile trotting track and through the streets of the exposition’s palatial buildings. Crowds of over 100,000 thronged to the exposition grounds to witness the daring speedsters navigate the course. British Italian driver, Dario Resta won both races in his Class E non-stock Peugeot.
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On November 22, 1935, 20,000 spectators including hundreds of schoolchildren cheered as the 25-ton Clipper taxied from its anchorage and lifted off gracefully from the water. Loaded with almost two tons of first class and official mail, the majestic China Clipper dipped under the San Francisco Bay Bridge cables and thundered westward on it’s 7,982 mile voyage to the Phillipines. Piloted by Pan American’s No. 1 pilot, Edward Musik, the trailblazing trip went from Alameda to Honolulu to Midway and Wake Islands, on to Guam then Manila. Flying at top speeds of 179 miles per hour, the silver winged sky queen was the biggest airship built at the time. Cutting the distance between the West Coast and the Orient from three weeks to three days, the China Clipper blazed a trail in international relations and charted a new course in aviation history.
Coined the “Coney Island of the West Coast", you could enter Neptune Beach Park for a mere 10¢ and take a dip in the largest open air swimming tank in the world, sample the first “sno-cones” and dare a roller coaster ride on the Whoopee! Patrons attended gypsy balls, séances, boxing matches, swimming competitions, and watched hair raising aerial stunts of dare-devils on high wires. The 87 acre resort included a long sandy beach that was home to bathers, jolly picnickers and merry makers.
How fun would it be to spend a day at Neptune Beach?!
]]>That was the headline in 1939 when the J.J. Krieg women’s softball teamwon back-to-back national softball championships. “One of the best feminine outfits ever to be assembled in California,” the Alameda team won more than 100 games in a row (some against men’s teams). They were the first women’s softball team west of the Mississippi to win the title, and performed in front of a crowd of over 35,000 fans in the 1938 championship game at Soldier Field. Team members included Alameda High alums Tillie Souza and Aloha Knoblich, pitcher Wilda “Willie” Mae Turner, one of the best hurlers of all time, and Olympic javelin thrower Gloria Russell Hillenbrand.
When you see the Alameda Girls Softball League on the diamond today, know that they are carrying on a tradition of champions!
We tip our caps to these great athletes.
In 1912, nineteen year-old Alamedan, Nell Schmidt set a record for speed and endurance by swimming across San Francisco Bay
in 3 hours and 6 minutes. Later that same year, she swam around all 4 of the Seal Rocks near the Cliffhouse, a feat never before performed by man or woman. Nicknamed, The Alameda Mermaid, she competed in Swimming events at Neptune Beach and forever changed women’s swimsuit fashion by swimming in men’s abbreviated, one-piece silk suits. In 2011 the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame recognized Nell as one of the early pioneers of open water swimming.
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We are so thrilled to be included in the current Jan/Feb 2014 issue of the Alameda Magazine! You can find the online version here..
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We're two Bay Area natives who have been in the design business for over 20 years. Chris specializes in apparel graphics and Tara is an art director focusing mostly on print design and photography. We always joked around about starting our own company, and the time finally seemed right. In 2013 we launched Honour Brand.
Tara is a mom with two boys and lives in Alameda, so it seemed fitting that our first series of tees was focused on Alameda Heritage. We had so much fun researching the history of Alameda - it was hard to pare down the designs we created... there are so many great stories to be told! We hope you enjoy all of the stories and of course the tees!
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