http://questionableadvice.tumblr.com/

~ The Character of The Gentleman, by Francis Lieber, 1864

starfishpaws — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:16:44 -0400

~ The Character of The Gentleman, by Francis Lieber, 1864

~ The Spinster Book, by Myrtle Reed, 1901

starfishpaws — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:19:00 -0400

~ The Spinster Book, by Myrtle Reed, 1901

~ Scott Tissues, May 1930 (Good Housekeeping)via Vintage Ads...

starfishpaws — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:55:31 -0400

~ Scott Tissues, May 1930 (Good Housekeeping)
via Vintage Ads Live Journal

“At least 15 painful diseases can be caused or aggravated by improper tissue, warns a prominent New York hospital specialist.”

~ Sausalito News, January 11, 1913via California Digital...

starfishpaws — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:05:57 -0400

~ Sausalito News, January 11, 1913
via California Digital Newspaper Collection

~ The College Freshman’s Don’t Book, by George...

starfishpaws — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:31:56 -0400

~ The College Freshman’s Don’t Book, by George Fullerton Evans, 1910
via Internet Archive

~ The Bicycling World, November 1887

starfishpaws — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:27:04 -0400

~ The Bicycling World, November 1887

~ The Mentor: A Little Book for the Guidance of Such Men and...

starfishpaws — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:07:58 -0400

~ The Mentor: A Little Book for the Guidance of Such Men and Boys as would Appear to Advantage in the Society of Persons of the Better Sort, by Alfred Ayres, 1884
via Hathi Trust Digital Library

~ Don’ts for Girls, A Manual of Mistakes, Minna Thomas...

starfishpaws — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:29:04 -0400

~ Don’ts for Girls, A Manual of Mistakes, Minna Thomas Antrim, 1902

vintascope: ~ Seagram Distillers Corporation, 1937“We...

starfishpaws — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:11:29 -0400

vintascope:

~ Seagram Distillers Corporation, 1937

“We don’t want to sell whiskey to anyone who buys it at a sacrifice of the necessities or decencies.”

~ Gold Shield Coffee, Cupid’s Book of Good Counsel,...

starfishpaws — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:05:00 -0400

~ Gold Shield Coffee, Cupid’s Book of Good Counsel, 1918
(click to enlarge)

“How the taste tickles palates and drowns the petty memories of the things that may have happened the night before! Don’t ever be without it in the house. Something awful might happen if you were forced to disappoint him with ordinary coffee.”

~ The American Pictorial Home Book, or Housekeeper’s...

starfishpaws — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:27:28 -0400

~ The American Pictorial Home Book, or Housekeeper’s Encyclopedia, by Mrs. Harriet Almaria Baker Suddoth, 1883
via Internet Archive

~ Executive Etiquette, by Chester Burger, 1969via Open Library

starfishpaws — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:27:13 -0400

~ Executive Etiquette, by Chester Burger, 1969
via Open Library

~ The Pittsburgh Press, January 9, 1911“Uneeda Biscuit are...

starfishpaws — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:18:00 -0400

~ The Pittsburgh Press, January 9, 1911

“Uneeda Biscuit are touched only once by human hands - when the pretty girls pack them - That makes them CLEAN”

~ Etiquette For Ladies: A Manual Of The Most Approved Rules Of...

starfishpaws — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:41:32 -0400

~ Etiquette For Ladies: A Manual Of The Most Approved Rules Of Conduct In Polished Society For Married And Unmarried Ladies, by a Lady of New York, 1845

~ Highland Linen Writing Paper, c. 1920’svia Vintage Ads...

starfishpaws — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:32:46 -0400

~ Highland Linen Writing Paper, c. 1920’s
via Vintage Ads Live Journal

“Your Self-Respect will not allow you to receive friends in a kimono. But do you ever send your friends letters that are inappropriately dressed?”

~ Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1922via Flickr

starfishpaws — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:32:08 -0400

~ Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1922
via Flickr

~ The Mentor: A Little Book for the Guidance of Such Men and...

starfishpaws — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:24:05 -0400

~ Clothes with Character, 1941via Vixen Vintage

starfishpaws — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:08:49 -0400

~ Clothes with Character, 1941
via Vixen Vintage

~ Hygiene for the Worker, by William H. Tolman, Ph.D. and...

starfishpaws — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:53:00 -0400

~ Hygiene for the Worker, by William H. Tolman, Ph.D. and Adelaide Wood Guthrie, 1912

Do You Have the Right Personality to Become a Secretary in 1959?...

starfishpaws — Sun, 12 May 2013 10:51:00 -0400

Do You Have the Right Personality to Become a Secretary in 1959? Take This Quiz

~ Brooke’s Your Reflector Number I (Personality) Quiz from the Secretarial Training Program in Waco, Texas, January 1959 to June 1959
via National Archives (h/t to Slate Vault)

My score: 32. And I spent several years as a secretary *cough* Administrative Assistant.