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Hanna Importer New York Wilmette

Discussion in 'PUBLIC Vintage Fashion - Ask Questions Get Answers' started by gossamer, Dec 5, 2018.

  1. gossamer

    gossamer Registered Guest

    Picked up this jacket today - based on the style (large shoulder pads!), stitching, and my guess on the fabric, I'm thinking it's sometime from the 1940s but I'd be happy to hear from the experts here.

    [​IMG]

    The label is proving a mystery. Googling "Hanna Importer" and the locations gives me one result from the Chicago area and linked to a hat that must have also had this sort of label (which isn't pictured), but otherwise I have nothing to go on.

    [​IMG]

    Has anyone seen this label before? What does it mean?

    I am considering reaching out to Wilmette's (a super fancy Chicago suburb) historical society to see if they have any records of a shop by that name, at the very least.
     
  2. 196t's

    196t's Registered Guest

    The jacket definitely has a 1940s feel to me. Couldn't find anything about Hanna Importes, though. :(
    Edit: I searched in the NY Times Archive... How silly of me! That's a remarkable amount of information, Lynn. Thanks for sharing.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2018
  3. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

    I found a couple of references to N.A. Hanna Inc. of Wilmette and a bit of additional information (see below these images)...

    NAHanna1944ClassifAd.jpg

    NAHanna1956Ad.jpg

    Also, a 1970 ad referred to "...Mrs. Nellie Hanna, owner of N.A. Hanna, Inc. in Wilmette" and a 1968 article about Mrs. Hanna's bridal shop stated "She admits her Wilmette dress shop has been in existence 38 years."
     
  4. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

    Nellie A. Hanna was born in England ca. 1891 and in the 1930 US Census she is listed as the president of a women's wear business.
     
  5. gossamer

    gossamer Registered Guest

    lkranier, thank you so much! This is really informative and gives me a lot more to go on. Wilmette is one of the suburbs where I always love to go thrifting when I visit Chicago, so finding this jacket locally (1000 miles away, roughly), was just such a delightful surprise. I really appreciate your help finding more info on it!
     
    lkranieri likes this.
  6. gossamer

    gossamer Registered Guest

    I'm going to reach out to the Wilmette library to see if they'll send me this profile: http://news.wilmettelibrary.info/3326208/data

    Edited to add: Spanish Court is now called Plaza del Lago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_del_Lago

    Image added below is from the Jan 6, 1938 edition of the local paper(http://news.wilmettelibrary.info/1639498/data?n=165). It looks like N. A. Hanna had her daughter-in-law working for her too? I am going to have to stop myself from going down this research rabbit hole today, I have so much other research to do for my real job!
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 6, 2018
    lkranieri likes this.
  7. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

    Not silly at all, as they had a New York address, too!
     
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  8. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

  9. gossamer

    gossamer Registered Guest

    If they send it, I'll add this label and my writeup of the shop to the label resource here. :)
     
    lkranieri likes this.
  10. Midge

    Midge Super Moderator Staff Member

  11. Kacie223

    Kacie223 Registered Guest

    Nellie Alcock Hanna was born in 1886 and she passed away March 17, 1980. She ran her business until 1975 when she retired and moved to Florida.
     
  12. Kacie223

    Kacie223 Registered Guest

    Nellie Hanna had no children. She had one nephew - William A. Johnston - whom she helped to raise as his mother, her younger sister, passed away when he was about 7 or 8. His wife did do some modeling for her ads. J. H. Horn was her mother and her second husband's last name was Horn. She had a younger half brother named Joseph who was quite the ladies man.
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2018
    gossamer likes this.
  13. Kacie223

    Kacie223 Registered Guest

    I'd like to see your write up of the shop. The Wilmette Historical Society does have information on Nellie Hanna and the article about the Grande Dame of fashion appears to have been written at about the same time my mother was meeting with them regarding her. My mother donated her wedding dress, which came from the shop in the 60s, to the historical society.
     
  14. gossamer

    gossamer Registered Guest

    Thank you for all these details!

    Yesterday, I went through the spam folder on my email and discovered that my email to the Wilmette Library was returned to me because I'd used the wrong email for their reference desk. I just looked up the correct email and sent it off again today. I love that it's likely the article they wrote after interviewing your mother! What a small world this is!
     
  15. Candi Petersen

    Candi Petersen Registered Guest

    s
     
  16. Candi Petersen

    Candi Petersen Registered Guest

    My name is Candi Johnston Petersen . My great aunt was Nellie Alcock Hanna . She was born Nov 26 1886 and came America in 1890 with her sister Gertrude and parents john and Frances, She came yo Wilmette in about 1912 and worked in a hat shop next to Lymans drugs and one day hung a dress in the window . The beginning of N A Hanna , she moved to Spanish crt and was there over 50 years she retired at 90 . she is in the Wilmette historical society and the Chicago history museum any questions email me at [email protected]
     
  17. Candi Petersen

    Candi Petersen Registered Guest

    N A Hanna was my great aunt her business was at 952 Spanish crt Wilmette for 50 plus years this was her label she retired at 90 . ahe was famous for her weddings she was born Nov 26 1886 in England and died March 17 1980 in Largo Fl she is buried in Memorial Park with her husband Walter Hanna
     
    themerchantsofvintage likes this.
  18. Candi Petersen

    Candi Petersen Registered Guest

    the label was nellie hanna s label it was sewed into almost every piece of clothing ,he atore had a bridal dept, dresses and suits, hats and there was a childrens dept .which made my parents happy as they had four daughters . Nellie Hanna was my great aunt she helped raise my father
     
  19. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Board Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    Candi, can you post the photos of your aunt here for us...that would be lovely.
     
  20. Attirelyvintage

    Attirelyvintage Registered Guest

    There is 3 boxes on the right bottom of your reply box. One says Upload a file. Click there to post a picture!
     

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