40s/50s elephant brand turkey red cotton bandana - trunk down, fast color

a genuinely early elephant brand bandana in turkey red, printed fast color with the maker's little elephant logo. the center is unusually open, scattered with small paisley and dot clusters, and the wide border carries scrolling paisley in black and cream. the elephant's trunk points down, the detail collectors use to date the oldest elephant brand pieces, generally to before 1950, and there is no country-of-origin mark, which agrees with that early read. elephant brand (davis and catterall) is among the most sought names in vintage bandanas, and a trunk-down example like this is the harder one to find. one woven selvage edge remains with three narrow hems.

please note: one corner has been cut out and the raw edge there is now soft and frayed. it is sold as-is for the beautiful early cloth and print, and the flaw is shown in the photos.

all bandanas are gently cleaned and pressed. beyond that we let them be, so any fading, softening, or small marks of use stay exactly as they came to us.

dating: no RN or country-of-origin mark is present, consistent with an early piece (the US RN series began only in 1959 — FTC RN database). note: the "trunk-down" Elephant Brand dating is a collector convention rather than a documented source.

details

• era: 1940s
• designer: elephant brand
• origin: usa
• design: square cotton bandana in turkey red with a black and cream print. open center field scattered with small paisley and dot clusters, framed by a wide scrolling paisley border. printed corner mark reads fast color with the elephant brand elephant logo, trunk down, and no country-of-origin line. one true woven selvage edge, the other three narrow hems, and one corner cut out with the raw edge now worn. materials and percentages - not fiber-tagged; corner mark reads fast color, consistent with the all-cotton cloth of elephant brand bandanas of the era
• condition: as-is: one corner has been cut out and the raw edge there is now soft and frayed. elsewhere the cloth is soft and well loved with light overall wear and a deep, aged red. sold as-is for the early cloth and print; please see photos.
• size & fit: one size. a standard square bandana that ties easily at the neck, head, or wrist, and works as a pocket square or bag tie. note the cut corner if tying.
• flat measurements: width 20 in, length 20 in