Obscurist
New in Town
- Messages
- 6
- Location
- Asheville, NC
I suppose the gloves I am looking for are most identified with Mickey Mouse nowadays...
I noticed something interesting in connection with a long-standing Asheville, NC myth; that of Walt Disney's early residence here in town (not proven, not even likely, but it won't die simply because it was repeated by so many old-timers for so many years and "We know grandpa would never lie!").
Chester Munroe from Providence, RI was a childhood friend and fellow amateur journalist of H.P. Lovecraft. He relocated to Asheville to work as a clerk at a new hotel in 1912, the iconic Grove Park Inn.
Now, I've got a couple of photos of Chester from around the time Disney was allegedly here. Further, it is recently reported that A.D. (alleged Disney) era he was a clerk in an office on the square downtown in the same block Walt has reportedly worked.
In several poses Chester does bear a striking resemblance to Disney.
Here are a couple of photos of Chester. The first at Grove Park Inn circa 1915 with those trademark gloves.
The next, with wife Doris sporting similar striped-back gloves, a few years later and looking a lot like Uncle Walt, circa early 1920s.
My question: Were these gloves in vogue? Common? How would you describe them or even begin to look for a pair?
Some additional digging shows that Mickey never wore gloves in his first appearances, only donning them circa 1928 or 1929.
Another hole thus shot in the Asheville Disney myth, as accounts reported unmistakable scribbling on blueprints and drafts allegedly prepared by Disney here... showing the iconic hand of Mickey pointing the way of the compass. Hogwash. At the supposed time, circa 1922-1924, Walt had already developed his Mickey ancestor Oswald Rabbit, but Oswald never wore gloves and, as demonstrated, Mickey would go without for his first few appearances.
So, just maybe Chester Munroe with his "Mickey Mitts" had been misidentified around town in retrospect.
Where can I get some of these gloves, or will I just have to get some white parade gloves and blacken the external seams myself?
I noticed something interesting in connection with a long-standing Asheville, NC myth; that of Walt Disney's early residence here in town (not proven, not even likely, but it won't die simply because it was repeated by so many old-timers for so many years and "We know grandpa would never lie!").
Chester Munroe from Providence, RI was a childhood friend and fellow amateur journalist of H.P. Lovecraft. He relocated to Asheville to work as a clerk at a new hotel in 1912, the iconic Grove Park Inn.
Now, I've got a couple of photos of Chester from around the time Disney was allegedly here. Further, it is recently reported that A.D. (alleged Disney) era he was a clerk in an office on the square downtown in the same block Walt has reportedly worked.
In several poses Chester does bear a striking resemblance to Disney.
Here are a couple of photos of Chester. The first at Grove Park Inn circa 1915 with those trademark gloves.
The next, with wife Doris sporting similar striped-back gloves, a few years later and looking a lot like Uncle Walt, circa early 1920s.
My question: Were these gloves in vogue? Common? How would you describe them or even begin to look for a pair?
Some additional digging shows that Mickey never wore gloves in his first appearances, only donning them circa 1928 or 1929.
Another hole thus shot in the Asheville Disney myth, as accounts reported unmistakable scribbling on blueprints and drafts allegedly prepared by Disney here... showing the iconic hand of Mickey pointing the way of the compass. Hogwash. At the supposed time, circa 1922-1924, Walt had already developed his Mickey ancestor Oswald Rabbit, but Oswald never wore gloves and, as demonstrated, Mickey would go without for his first few appearances.
So, just maybe Chester Munroe with his "Mickey Mitts" had been misidentified around town in retrospect.
Where can I get some of these gloves, or will I just have to get some white parade gloves and blacken the external seams myself?
