Frankoma Old Man Shakers
1942-1944
Frankoma made the the Old Man series sometime after the fire of late 1938 and before the end of World War II. I have developed no way yet of being more precise about the date. The time span indicated above is my best guess. The famous Bretton Woods international finance conference generated a lot of interest in the area in 1944. While that may have triggered the Old Man series, by guess is that Frankoma had finished the series well before that.
The White Mountains of New Hampshire cover the middle of the state and are a well known tourist retreat. The "Old Man" was a famous natural "face" image jutting from the side of Cannon Mountain. I say "was" because in 2003 the image collapsed and fell off the mountain. Anyway, as with any tourist spot souvenirs were a hot commodity and Frankoma was willing to help. A profile of the "Old Man" appears on the reverse of the New Hampshire state quarter dollar.
But why would New Englanders look to Oklahoma for souvenirs? I have not put this story all together, but I know the White Mountain area has a town named "Frankonia." I am guessing that is the connection.
Old of the Old Man items are glazed prairie green and Ada clay was in use in that era. The hole sets used on these are erratic, but generally are in the S/P shape.
Frankoma produced not only Old Man shakers, but also several other Old Man miniatures. I have shown a couple of these here. Be ready to pay when you find an Old Man. The price is easily double that of a non-souvenired item!