Albany Institute Mechanical Drawing

Trying to solve one mystery always turns up at least three more. Searching around for something else, we came upon an advertisement in an old Boys’ Life magazine, of all things (the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America, for those who don’t know). It was for something we had never heard of before, a mail order instruction operation going by the moniker of “Albany Institute Mechanical Drawing.” Not “Institute of Mechanical Drawing.” Perhaps intended to give the impression of some connection to the venerable Albany Institute? We found several ads for it ranging from 1916 to 1922, in Boys’ Life, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science Monthly, and Everyday Engineering. All pretty much along the same lines, always to a post office box. No other mention do we find, so we have no idea whether this was really a going concern, an actual correspondence course or an out-and-out scam. A sideline for a local drafting instructor or bored architect? We can’t find a name associated with it anywhere.