Give Dad a Tie for Father’s Day

B. Altman & Co, 1948

Was there ever a 20th-century gift more associated with fathers than a tie? It was the “go-to” gift for dad, when nothing else came to mind. Groucho Marx even sang a little song about it. 

B. Altman certainly had nice colorful ties, and prices to match. (For 1948, these aren't cheap.) From their start in 1865 to their sudden decline in the late 1980s, they were one of New York's finer, more upscale department stores, known for their restraint and good taste.

So what are these socks doing here?