Ad Says, $6,500 Per Year. That Was A Good Salary?
It Was.
When?
Bad Timing, Just a Few Months Before the The Crash Of 1929
This ad appeared in the 1929 World Almanac
Here is the snappy, convincing text form the ad.
I used to know him when he was a kid—we went to grammar school together. Then his father died and he had to go to work, Got a job with Brooks & Co., but couldn’t seem to get ahead. Then something seemed to wake him up. We could all see that he was doing better work.
“Then Old Man Brooks became interested—wanted to know how Ned happened to know so much about the business, Ned told him he’d been studying through the International Correspondence Schools. ‘H’m,’ said Mr. Brooks, ‘I’ll remember that.’ .
“We did too. Put Ned out on the road as a salesman for a year or so and then brought him into the main office as sales manager.
“He’s getting $6500 a year now and everybody calls him ‘the new Ned Tyson.’ I’ve never seen such a change in a man in my life.”
An International Correspondence Schools course will help you just as it helped Ned Tyson. It will help you to have the happy home—the bigger salary—the comforts you’d like to have.
At least find out how before the priceless years go by and it is too late.
Mail the coupon for the free booklet.
$6,500.
In 1929 it was a grand salary.
This advertisement is similar to what online colleges do today. Just take courses through a correspondence school. The inference is that you too could be making $6,500 per year. That may not sound like a lot of money now. Adjusted for inflation by the consumer price index that’s the equivalent of $97,464 in 2019 dollars.
The problem with Ned’s job and millions like it, is the stock market crash would occur just months after this ad ran. Continue reading →
Hollywood, Calif: Roger Noble Burnham, noted sculptor last night presented his latest work, “Spirit of Hollywood,” to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the women’s division. Miss Betty Grable, actress was present last night and was chosen by Burnham as his model because in “Spirit of Hollywood,” he sought to depict youth, beauty and energy moving forward and looking upward, but with “both feet on the ground.” The sculptor said he felt Miss Grable exemplified this, as she worked her way upward through childhood in Hollywood. The life size plaque will be on display in the Chamber’s auditorium. Photo shows: Roger Noble Burnham, noted sculptor, completing his plaque of Miss Betty Grable, actress, shown posing for Burnham. photo: Wide World Photos 11/9/1937
Among Roger Noble Burnham’s (1876-1962) most enduring works is the sculpture on the campus of The University of Southern California (1930) called Trojan Shrine aka Tommy Trojan. Continue reading 
