arabensburg
Member
The Premise: Even though Rabensburg holsters made during the 1950s carried the A. W. Brill maker mark, N. J. Rabensburg advertised his belts and holsters to the public using his own personal name and not "A. W. Brill".
In the summer of 1950, N. J. Rabensburg opened his workshop in the garage of his home located at 1903 N. Lamar Blvd. in Austin, Texas. In the panorama of the attached two photos, N. J. and Lillian surveyed the newly installed sign advertising "N. J. Rabensburg" belts and holsters to the passing traffic below.
It is interesting to note that Rabensburg used his own name and not "A. W. Brill" to market his holsters to the public even though he continued to use the A. W. Brill maker stamp until his death.
Can this be verified? Yes, look at the April 14, 1959 article in the Austin American newspaper on the holster career of N. J. Rabensburg written and photographed by columnist Anita Brewer. The photograph shows Rabensburg standing before an array of holsters and belts. When enlarged, one or possibly two of these holsters bear the "Brill" name.
More importantly, N. J. Rabensburg held in his possession the A. W. Brill maker stamp, which continues to remain within the Rabensburg family to this date but is slated for donation to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas.
We know the year of the panorama photo by the license plate of the car in the driveway. Lillian has her back to it while she stares apprehensively at the sign, which has just invaded her landscaped side yard and garden.
The car is a 1950 Chevrolet "hardtop convertible" and owned by Newton Joseph Rabensburg, Junior, who has just arrived with his family from San Angelo. It is actually a 2-door coupe and not a convertible but had no structural support between the front and rear windshields. The roof appeared to float over the passenger compartment, hence the name, hardtop convertible.
The license plate (see attached photo with Rabensburg, Jr.) when enlarged reflects a 1950 issue date, which probably means this is the summer of 1950, and the car is brand new.
The Rabensburg family is gathering at this time for the family photo marking the middle of the 20th Century.
By Neale Rabensburg
In the summer of 1950, N. J. Rabensburg opened his workshop in the garage of his home located at 1903 N. Lamar Blvd. in Austin, Texas. In the panorama of the attached two photos, N. J. and Lillian surveyed the newly installed sign advertising "N. J. Rabensburg" belts and holsters to the passing traffic below.
It is interesting to note that Rabensburg used his own name and not "A. W. Brill" to market his holsters to the public even though he continued to use the A. W. Brill maker stamp until his death.
Can this be verified? Yes, look at the April 14, 1959 article in the Austin American newspaper on the holster career of N. J. Rabensburg written and photographed by columnist Anita Brewer. The photograph shows Rabensburg standing before an array of holsters and belts. When enlarged, one or possibly two of these holsters bear the "Brill" name.
More importantly, N. J. Rabensburg held in his possession the A. W. Brill maker stamp, which continues to remain within the Rabensburg family to this date but is slated for donation to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas.
We know the year of the panorama photo by the license plate of the car in the driveway. Lillian has her back to it while she stares apprehensively at the sign, which has just invaded her landscaped side yard and garden.
The car is a 1950 Chevrolet "hardtop convertible" and owned by Newton Joseph Rabensburg, Junior, who has just arrived with his family from San Angelo. It is actually a 2-door coupe and not a convertible but had no structural support between the front and rear windshields. The roof appeared to float over the passenger compartment, hence the name, hardtop convertible.
The license plate (see attached photo with Rabensburg, Jr.) when enlarged reflects a 1950 issue date, which probably means this is the summer of 1950, and the car is brand new.
The Rabensburg family is gathering at this time for the family photo marking the middle of the 20th Century.
By Neale Rabensburg
Attachments
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20230403_062612 (2).jpg93 KB · Views: 44
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N J Rabensburg Jr 1950 1903 N Lamar Austin Texas 1950 Chevrolet (2).jpg56.6 KB · Views: 41
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Rabensburg in shop (5).jpg67.3 KB · Views: 43
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Rabensburg in shop with holsters (4).jpg68.8 KB · Views: 44
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Rabensburgchildren& grandchildren (4).jpg138.1 KB · Views: 47
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