Long ago, while perusing the publication "Through You I Live Forever!"
/ A Nostalgic Look At Reproducing Player Piano Advertising, edited
by Tom Becket of items selected from the Mark D. Zahm Collection,
one page impressed itself onto my mind especially. It was the one
titled "Admit One Undecided Gift-Seeker To The Following Piano
Recital."

What struck me so about it, was the wash portrait accompanying of
that referenced gift-seeker, she being of the-then most elegant
of upper-class types as might have been seen at theater and opera.
She wore furs and a scarlet dress with a sort of pinned, wrap
headdress favored at that time. Her presence was made as perfected
by strung pearls and a refined lady's pose of concentration,
punctuating with subtle, aloof interest. Her perfume was almost
scentable, as given the fineness of the unknown artist's most
deft execution.

Since the binding of my copy of the Becket/Zahm publication had long
ago fallen-to-pieces, I cannot say now upon which page it was then,
for their having not been numbered. Later, I was to find an original
page dated December 1928, as extracted from "The World's Work,"
a monthly publication of wide distribution. I have included first
a mono-chromed image of it, as once fronted the AMICA Bulletin for
May/June of 1988. (Ref. 1)

Somewhat earlier I'd read within my own trusty AMICA Bulletin of
October 1969 (of which association I was then a member), an interview
of Ampico's Adam Carroll, conducted by AMICA's then Bulletin editor
and ace reporter, Jim Elfers. (For access to this, the key search
phrase for use is "Adam, never let the Ampico die.") It was and is
quite a work, and reveals things not found in the later Barden one.
That later more extensive version to-be of a few years hence, is
available presently online at 

http://www.amica.org/files/Adam%20_Carroll.pdf 
 [ "The Ampico Kid"
 [ Adam Carroll's Recollections - Edited by Richard J. Howe,
 [ appeared as a serial in several 1988 AMICA Bulletins.

Both are well-worth the considerable time that will be required to
do them due-justice. (About these two remarkable revelatory efforts,
at another time and place, I'll have more to say.)

Only recently, while searching for 'Twenties recordings for hearing on
YouTube, along with a selection found and enjoyed, among others was an
accompanying graphic of a striking pair of chic New York Boulevardiers
all worked-up in ultra-Deco. The lady of the pair reminded me
instantly of the gift-seeking one of earlier, and immediately
I envisioned "AMPICO" as flashing madly all over it!

At that very instant, I knew exactly the outlines of what to do and
why. Yes!

Because of having had no natural ability to resist, impulsively, the
entire thing I redrew as-found, though with some very minor adjustments
to Madame's eyes but, in all respects done as fully faithful to the
unknown artist's original. Necessary, too, to the composition (this so
as to rightly and properly commercialize it AMPICO-style, naturally),
is an added frame complete with authentic Ampico redrawn lettering --
all fine-points of the resulting whole, so I believe, comporting to
this era perfectly. The result, all-in-all, I think turned out actually
"... not too terrible!" (A Josef Hofmann quote describing his own
playing of something-or-other, naturally past-wondrous.)

With all that as preface, as having now been laid-out -- the rest will
suffice as self-explanatory and so finally, might be viewed at (Ref. 3)

Along with it (Ref. 4) I've included a legend attempting a description
of the details of the dramatic, visually-stressed scene. I discarded
the idea of including it along with the graphic, fearing that it's
impact might be seriously diluted by such close proximity. And finally,
I've included the original too for comparison at (Ref. 5)

License for reproduction sans any changes, for personal non-commercial
use by readers/contributors of/to The MMD, I hereby grant.

The present supplied image resolution will suffer well enlargements up
to about 12" square. For any larger, such as two or four or more feet,
I can supply appropriately higher ones gratis, on request.

Additionally, for added touches of Ampican mystery and fascination,
I envision too that Madame's eyes could be made as movable by simple
means -- they first gazing upon we the viewers and then to the right,
onto the Ampico catch-phrase.

And also, as might be printed as a transparency complete with
back-lighting, all mounted within a nifty box-type frame. This might
even be placed upon a stand of Deco style, lighting only when the
Ampico is about to Re-Enact an artist.

For ordinary framing of any reproductions, I would recommend thinner,
plain-type dark steel-blue/purple or black metallic frames.

If made large enough for impact to-the-max (we are talking here
at-minimum two-feet square), any visiting guests happening upon it
would be found as helplessly beguiled to the point of insisting (and
very un-guest-like, as if in the throes of delirium fits), upon
hearing-over several of Ampico renditions until finally recovered --
these to be rendered preferably of course (because so very
effectively), by popular master Adam Carroll himself.

I hope and trust that The MMD readership might find this little
effort of mine, to be at least of some minimal interest, if not actual
utility.

(It is respectfully dedicated to the splendid piano art and fond memory
of Adam Carroll.)

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 [   Ref. 1 An Undecided Gift-Seeker
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/20/12/19/201219_150729_GiftSeekerForAmpico.png 
 [   Ref. 3 "His mind is on one thing ... hers on another!"
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/20/12/19/201219_150729_Ampico-All.png 
 [   Ref. 4 Interpretive Legend
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/20/12/19/201219_150729_Ampico-All-Legend.png 
 [   Ref. 5 Original Unattributed Image
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/20/12/19/201219_150729_(1929)DECO%20IMAGE.png