lump Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 I love this very-cool forum. Great enjoyment for a long-time car guy. Thanks to all of you for that. I grew up in the 1950's and 60's, with my parents being members of AACA, Southern Ohio Chapter. My mom started collecting hood ornaments way back when. Once in a while, as a gag joke at a party, friends would present Mom with some lame oddball chrome figure, pretending it was a genuine hood ornament. She got tops from bowling trophies, flag pole tips, and plastic toy soldiers painted silver. But one time she got a nickel-plated statue of a flapper girl in a bathing outfit, striking a pose. Everyone enjoyed the joke, but Mom actually really liked this one. She loved the roaring 20's era, and often made flapper costumes, antique swim suits, etc, etc, for use in our old car tours. So the flapper girl hood ornament was perfect, and she added it to her modest collection of "real" hood ornaments. In order to make it stand up, my dad bolted it on top of a New Old Stock Hupmobile winged "dogbone" cap, where it still resides today. Following in my parents' footsteps, I became a car collector, and kept that flapper girl hood ornament. Then one day I found it in a book about hood ornaments. I couldn't believe that it really WAS a hood ornament, and apparently was a pretty good one too. The book I was reading mentioned that the flapper girl was actually standing on a leering man's face. When I looked closely, I was shocked to see that this was true of the one I had in my hand. I had never noticed that before. But since that time, I have never been able to find that book again, or to ID this ornament any other way. I would love to figure out what book I saw it in before, as none of the books I have on my shelf show this ornament. I know that it is not for any specific brand of car, but rather is an artistic rendering by some famous artist, or such. Any ideas? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted October 4, 2016 Author Share Posted October 4, 2016 view from the backside. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1909schacht Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 sure looks like the cap is from a 1926 Hupmobile, if not fitted with a motometer there would be an acorn shaped nut plugging the hole, the deco dancer is a nice touch ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted October 4, 2016 Author Share Posted October 4, 2016 Yes, Schacht, it is a NOS Hupmobile cap underneath the flapper girl. My parents Had several Hupp items, probably from the Hupp factory in Auburn. I remember going there with them more than once as a kid. They owned this one for about 20 years, and I've had it for nearly 40 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 I am dying to find out what book or website which I once found this old ornament in. I never realized that her foot is standing on the face of a leering man, until I read that description. But now I cannot find it anywhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 That is a way cool hood ornament. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Hey, gang. I just thought I would bump this thread again, in the hopes that someone would see it and help me find the book which featured this old hood ornament in it. I KNOW I saw it in a book, because that is the way I first came to realized that the dancer is standing on a leering man's face. I had always overlooked that until I read about it in a photo caption about this ornament. Help me if you can, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 I am DYING to find the book in which I saw this ornament described in detail. If any of the experts here have any books on hood ornaments, please check through them to see if you can find this one. I'll gladly buy my own copy of that book, whenever I discover the name and title of it. Happy holidays, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwells Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Lump, I've been intrigued by this mascot as well and I would be embarrassed to tell you how much time I've wasted searching the web to see if I could determine who made it and when. It's pretty darn rare, that's for certain. And I think it almost has to be an accessory mascot, as opposed to a factory piece. The book you saw it in: where were you and when was this, if you recall? Swap meet, someone's house, a museum, a bookstore, a library... If you can remember the year, it will set a date before which the book had to have been published. There simply aren't that many books on automotive mascots. Has anyone who owns a copy of W. C. Williams' "Motoring Mascots of the World" checked to see if this mascot is shown within? One other possibility is that this was not originally made as an automotive mascot but rather adopted for that use, although that's probably unlikely. Have you ever separated the cap from the mascot? Can you post a picture of the bottom of the cap, showing how the mascot and cap are joined? The leering face base looks a bit off-center in the cap to me in the pics. Time to get serious here... LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 Just getting ready to leave town, Gwells. Thanks for your response. I'll get back to you Sunday or Monday. But quickly, YES, I do have a copy of MOTORING MASCOTS OF THE WORLD. It has similar style hood ornaments, but not this one. I found this in a book or on a website, or SOMETHING like that about 10 years ago. Yes, I have taken it off the Hupmobile wing cap many times. We got those two items at different times. We simply put it on the Hupp cap because that was an easy way to display it. I definitely saw this ornament in a listing of ornaments, which even told who made it. That's when I found out about the leering face that she is standing upon. I'll take more photos when I return. I'm pretty darn certain that it was an automotive aftermarket accessory, and apparently it was fairly exclusive and high-end...sorta like Lalique ornaments were. Thanks so much for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 19, 2017 Author Share Posted January 19, 2017 I am very grateful for everyone's help with this so far. I am bumping it back to the top, in hopes that someone can help me find the book (or whatever) that I saw it in before, which told about this aftermarket accessory hood ornament. Thanks again, in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 Please allow me to bring this back to the top. It represents one of my most enduring mysteries of my decades as a car collector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aacalifeer Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 hI LUMP......Give me a couple of days. I have a Hood Ornament book that I just found at an estate. I think I saw that in the book that I have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted April 14, 2017 Author Share Posted April 14, 2017 Anyone have any luck on this one? I need to at least find some other mascot books than the two that I already have. I know for a fact that I saw this ornament featured, and I'm really anxious to find it listed again. Thanks in advance, everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aacalifeer Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Did not find it in the xerox copy of a book that I have. Sorry I could not help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Did you get in touch with the Gilmore Museum in Michigan? They have quite an extensive ornament collection and may have some information. http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted October 18, 2017 Author Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) I am still trying to find out more about this interesting old hood ornament. I KNOW I saw her in a book on hood ornaments, but it is not in the book, "MOTORING MASCOTS OF THE WORLD" by Williams. I have that book, and have checked it 10,000 times. Please help me find the book which features this ornament, or tell me something about the hood ornament itself. (PS: I am aware that the winged base is an NOS Hupmobile unit. I just want to know about the dancing lady. Edited October 18, 2017 by lump (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) A similar, but different, radiator mascot is on p. 15 of Great Cars and Grand Marques by Automobile Quarterly, 1976, in a 10 pg. chapter called ¨Mascots¨*. That one, from the Allen R. Thurn Collection is described: ``a very French and very stylized mascot from the late Twenties´´. It is shiny metal, and has a lass balanced on her right foot, her left knee bent, holding her long hair in her left hand, her right arm forward, and a bunched-up piece of cloth goes from her chest down her back to her left ankle. Not the same design, maybe not from the same maker, but one could be derivative of the other. *Based on an earlier AQ article by W.C. Williams, ¨Mascots, the Automobile´s Grand Afterthought¨, VOL 13, No. 3 Edited October 20, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Great piece. I don't want to muddy the waters here but I came across this early hood ornament that has a similar design to yours. It is called "Butterfly Girl" by Mady, French, 1920's. It could possibly lead you in the direction of the artist who made your ornament, or it could be a complete red herring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hello again, everyone. I couldn't help myself, and just had to bump this one back to the top. SOME DAY, I'm going to find someone who has a copy of that book which featured this hood ornament. Identifying this awesome old ornament is on my bucket list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted September 6, 2018 Author Share Posted September 6, 2018 I hope you all won't mind if I bump this again. Please help if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 Folks, I'm trying not to be a pest with this, so I've waited several months before bumping it again. I'm still looking for that book which featured my old hood ornament, and told who the maker was, etc. I have a couple, and it's not in there. Yet I'm SURE I found it in a book one time. Can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 I think it's time to try this one again, so here is my "bump" of this old post: Decades ago my Mom was gifted an old "hood ornament" as a gag gift from friends in our chapter of AACA. After Mom passed, it became mine. Then one day I found it in a book about hood ornaments. I couldn't believe that it really WAS a hood ornament, and apparently was a pretty good one too. The book I was reading mentioned that the flapper girl was actually standing on a leering man's face. When I looked closely, I was shocked to see that this was true! I had never noticed that before. But since that time, I have never been able to find that book again, or to ID this ornament any other way. I would love to figure out what book I saw it in before, as none of the books I have on my shelf show this ornament. Please folks, if you have a library of books with photos of old hood ornaments, would you please be kind enough to check it out and see if you can find this one featured? I will be deeply grateful. And, Happy Holidays, everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doozer Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 The mans face looks like many depictions of “ the man in the moon “ from the 20’s. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 Trying again to bring this to the top. SO hopeful that someone may be able to help me find that book (or magazine article, maybe?) listing exotic hood ornaments, in which I once found this exact hood ornament described. Thanks everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted November 16, 2022 Author Share Posted November 16, 2022 I've respectfully waited well over a year before bumping this back to the top. I really, really want to figure what book or website I found this ornament in years ago. Kindly read my original post for details. Thanks again for allowing me to continue trying to solve this mystery. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted November 17, 2022 Share Posted November 17, 2022 Good luck! Keep hoping. I remember reading your original posting years ago. But I had no answers then, and nothing more now. I do know that there was a good book on the subject a couple decades ago. But I never had a copy, and do not recall the title or author. Sorry. I would have expected somebody to remember the book and have a copy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roysboystoys Posted November 17, 2022 Share Posted November 17, 2022 Unless you find an original catalog listing it as a hood ornament , I think you are guessing. There are many, many similar pieces in google images , most not hood ornaments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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