J C Penney Jubilee pattern silverware 1953

J C Penney started his chain of department stores in Kemmerer, Wyoming. When the Jubilee Anniversary of the business neared in 1953, the chain commissioned a silverplate pattern called Jubilee for the occasion. It was, of course, available in all the J C Penney stores and catalogs.
Julilee is a fancy Art Deco pattern that looks more like a 1930s offering that a 1950s one. The motif reminds one of the decor of an Art Deco cinema. This pattern is enjoying a renaissance in popularity, as many whose parents were married in the early and mid 1950s, and who chose this as their wedding pattern, are leaving sets to their children and grandchildren.
I once worked for J C Penney in the early 1970s. I was working in Interior Design at the time, and I went out to people's homes to sell custom window treatments, carpet, and furniture, as well as accessories. I considered myself lucky to have a job that took me out of the depressing, windowless, and rule-bound store itself. I met a lot of people, many of them very interesting, such as one of the first transgendered persons from Denmark, or the former silent film actress, who had her condo done up in 1920s Hollywood style. I also met a lot of people who were perfect candidates for the Ideal Loon Exhibit. None of them was as difficult to tolerate, however, as the higher ups in the store, who seemed to be totally lacking in spirit, imagination, and initiative. I was very happy when my 2 years there ended, and I went back to having a life again.
I did enjoy going to the anchor store in Wyoming when it was still a going concern. Originally, many of the stores had a complicated system of baskets that would carry cash from the customer up to the tills in the office, and send change back. Other stores used a more common practice of employing boys as young as 7 or 8 to run back and forth with money. The sales clerk, having collected money from the customer, would yell, "CASH!", and the child would run forward, take the money, and return the change with great speed.
I heard many a story about old J C Penney when I worked there. The most interesting was that he would, when hiring for his first store, take a prospective employee out to lunch. If the person salted his/her food without tasting it first, the individual was automatically a no hire!
If you want to know more about the working conditions in department stores in the 19th and early 20th centuries, I recommend the novels of Horatio Alger. Many are about the struggles experienced by youngsters in this harsh environment.