File:International Magazine No. 03 (circa 1910) ("The Island Of Lost Men," Part 3, of 3) (IA internationalmagazineno.03).pdf

International Magazine No. 03 [circa 1910].

"The Island Of Lost Men," Part 3 (of 3).

About The International Magazine:
The International Magazine (subtitled "The International Tales Of Mystery") wasn't actually a magazine but was a promotional tool distributed by the International Tailoring Co. of New York and Chicago (the "International" in the title refers to the company). Three "issues" were published, containing a mixture of stories, jokes, cartoons, puzzles, etc.

The name of one of the International Tailoring Co.'s retailers was preprinted on the back cover of each issue and they were then shipped to the retailer, who would mail them out to their customers.

No dates or any other form of identification appears in the "issues" but

they are believed to date from the early 1910s, from the style of 

clothing in the advertisements on the back covers and the type of airplanes depicted in the cover art of the third "issue."

The main feature in each "issue" was an installment of a three-part serial by an anonymous author in which Agent John Merrill from the "Government Detective Service" is sent out from Washington, D.C. to solve a series of mysterious murders on a remote island off the Virginia coast. The story strays into science fiction territory when the culprit is revealed to be a mad scientist who has been testing out a radium death ray on random victims that he had mounted in an airplane.

About The International Tailoring Company:
The International Tailoring Company was a large men’s clothing supplier with major offices and production facilities in Chicago and New York.

Established in 1896, the International Tailoring Company and its founder

and president Jacob L. Reiss (1874-1955) rode the wave of clothing 

factory production from humble origins to great prosperity. Reiss incorporated the International Tailoring Company with $5,000 in capital,

raised in part through investment from  E. E. Barrett and William T. 

Hapeman, two Chicago lawyers. By the 1920s Reiss's company had sales of $2,000,000 per year and employed 1,300 people in its Chicago and New York plants.

The company did not sell directly to customers. Instead, it provided department stores and tailors with large swatch/sample books. After customers picked out styles and fabrics, on-site tailors would take measurements and forward them to the company where the clothing was made. The company provided its retailers with elaborate pre-cancelled advertisements to mail to their local customers.

Both of the International Tailoring Company buildings are still standing. The ten-story Chicago headquarters/factory on Jackson Boulevard (also known as the White Tower Building) was a truly remarkable facility when it opened in 1916. Instead of the usual dark, dirty, cramped and unsafe sweatshops where most clothes were made, the building was clean, spacious, safe, and brightly illuminated with natural lighting. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Today the building is shared by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and “The Tailor at Jackson” condominium complex.

The company's New York building on 4th Avenue has been converted into residential condos.

Subjects: Magazine; Periodical; International Magazine; Mystery; Science Fiction; Advertising; Virginia