My Life In Postcards

Come Dancing! At the Prom Ballroom St Paul Minnesota linen postcard

2011-08-13T05:30:00.002-05:00

Prom Ballroom in St Paul Minnesota linen postcard, circa 1940s. Click image for larger view

Time to trip the light fantastic at the Prom Ballroom in St Paul Minnesota.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Route 66 - Zuni Motor Lodge Albuquerque New Mexicod

2011-08-12T05:24:00.001-05:00

Zuni Motor Lodge Route 66 Albuquerque New Mexico linen postcard

Click image for larger view

Heading west on Route 66 we hit Albuquerque's Zuni Motor Lodge with its adobe-inspired architecture and a restaurant offering fried chicken, filet mignon, and Baked Virginia ham, with no mention of South-west cuisine. Some things have changed for the better.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Route 66 - Rock Village Court Springfield Missouri postcard

2011-08-10T05:20:00.002-05:00

Rock Village Court Route 66 Springfield MO linen postcard

click image for larger view.

Get your kicks on Route 66... more linen postcards from the highway.

Heard on the Street - Town Crier Provincetown Massachusetts 1909 postcard

2011-08-09T04:33:00.007-05:00

Town Crier Provincetown Massachusetts 1909 postcard

click on image for larger view

Keep up to date with all the local news worth hearing. Switch off the internet, cell phone, and so forth, hear it from the town crier instead.

On second thoughts, who needs all that hand bell ringing this early in the morning? Besides, Mrs Grundy next door has got all the local gossip worth knowing.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Lake Arrowhead Topographic Map California postcard

2011-08-08T04:26:00.002-05:00

Lake Arrowhead California Topographic linen postcard, circa 1950s

Click image for larger view

For a twist on the road map postcards, perhaps topography is important on your map postcards. Maybe you need to know what kind of hill climbing your automobile may need to endure - the radiator might boil over. And worse still you might have to get out and walk or climb a hill.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Martha's Vineyard Road Map, MA postcard

2011-08-06T04:18:00.006-05:00

Martha's Vineyard Road Map linen postcard

click image for larger view

Did one of the well-to-do invite you over to "the island"? Here's a road map postcard to show you the way to their compound. Actually, it may be best just to leave the automobile at home. It's difficult to get around the island in the summer months, or so I am told. Besides, perhaps your host is sending the helicopter for you...

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Roadside Map Wisconsin postcard

2011-08-05T01:14:00.002-05:00

Road Map of Wisconsin linen postcard, circa 1950sclick image for larger view

Looking for that special fishing spot that no one else knows about? Visit the Fisherman's Paradise of Wisconsin as this state road map advises.

Railside America linen - Las Vegas NV Train Depot & Streamliner postcard

2011-08-04T15:41:00.006-05:00

Union Pacific Tailroad Streamliner train at Las Vegas Nevada depot linen postcard, circa 1950s

Click image for larger view.

All this traveling by automobile may have made you road weary. Perhaps it's time to ditch your traveling companions; they were getting on your nerves anyway. Step over to the Las Vegas train depot and wait a while in the Art Deco style waiting room until the Union Pacific pulls into the platform ready to take you homeward bound.

Happy Coast Guard Day - to the Men & Women of the USCG Service!

2011-08-04T08:44:00.000-05:00

USCG WTR-379 Cutter Unimak. Click image for larger view.

Semper Paratus! Always Prepared.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Large Letter Linen Las Vegas Nevada postcard

2011-08-04T05:02:00.002-05:00

Large Letter Linen Las Vegas Nevada postcard, circa 1950

click image for larger view

Viva Las Vegas - for all those who like a little flutter or a "game of skill" at the poker tables.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Large Letter Linen Flagstaff Arizona

2011-08-03T02:52:00.006-05:00

Large letter Flagstaff Arizona linen postcard

click image for larger view

Evoking Western romanticism of wagon trains and cowboys and Indians this large letter linen postcard is a very good example of another sub category of Roadside America linen postcards.

Roadside America Postcards - Street Scene Show Low Arizona

2011-08-02T05:37:00.002-05:00

Main Street Show Low Arizona 1950s chrome postcard

click image for larger view

This card might not win any photography competition awards but it nicely illustrates several topical areas of interest to different collectors. First there is the interest to Roadside America collectors then notice the Shell gas sign and gas pumps on the left in foreground. On the front right is a drugstore sign for the Show Low Drug Co, of interest to collectors of drugstore items. Further down the street on the right (click image for larger view) can be seen the sign for a bank. On the left, a motor lodge and of course there are cars for those you collect auto postcards. To round things out, Western or local town collectors may be interested in a card like this.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Route 66 - Longchamp Diner Amarillo Texas

2011-08-01T05:25:00.003-05:00

Longchamps Diner Amarillo Texas linen postcard

click on image for larger view

Time for a spot of lunch. Let's pull into Longchamp's Diner in Amarillo Texas on the famed Route 66 a subcategory of Roadside America postcards keenly sought after by collectors.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Green Parrot Restaurant Houston Texas

2011-07-31T00:16:00.003-05:00

Green Parrot Restaurant Houston Texas linen postcard

(click image for larger view)

Getting a little peckish on your road trip? How about a chicken dinner at the Green Parrot in Houston, Texas? Let's hope it is chicken and not Polly Parrot...

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Paul's Tourist Hotel Court Chattanooga Tennessee

2011-07-30T05:14:00.002-05:00

Paul's Tourist Hotel Court Chattanooga Tennessee linen postcard, circa 1950s

A multi view postcard might give the traveler a fuller picture of what they might expect if they pulled off US 41 on their way into Chattanooga.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Bel-Air Motel, New Orleans, Louisiana

2011-07-29T04:52:00.000-05:00

Bel-Air Motel, New Orleans, Louisiana linen postcard (click on image for larger view)

In town for Mardi Gras? Then perhaps we can put you up at the Bel-Air motel on Gentilly Highway, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Colonial Cottages Gulfport Mississippi

2011-07-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

Colonial Cottages, Gulfport Mississippi linen postcad. Click on image for larger view

Why not sit awhile at the entrance to the Colonial Cottages motel in Gulfport Mississippi, watching the travelers arrive and depart? Heat and humidity getting to you? Why, then, you can amble inside and recline near one of the electric fans so prominently advertised on the sign overhanging the motel entrance.

Roadside America Linen Postcards - Maple Motel Nashville Tennessee

2011-07-27T04:34:00.001-05:00

Maple Motel Nashville Tennessee linen postcard, circa 1950s (click on image for larger view)

Roadside America linen postcards are a popular collecting category. The vivid colors and sharp details of the linen cards certainly catch the eye. Seeing this view of the Maple Motel outside Nashville might have tempted one to stay there overnight. Of course, most guests would see the card once they'd checked into their room, rested awhile, and thought about sending a postcard to family or friends to advise of their journey's progress. Today, postcards are not much considered as a means of communication with a text message, cell call, or email being the preferred line of communication for the roadside traveler.

Golf Widow Fantasy 1910c postcard

2011-07-26T16:12:00.000-05:00

Guys, this is what she wants to hear. Not "I'm going golfing. Have a nice day. See ya later."

Hawaiian Woman Orchids Hawaii 1952 postcard

2011-07-22T15:54:00.001-05:00

Another in the "who is that on the postcard" vein:

"Had to have this postcard...the woman is my great aunt! :)"

Chinese Girls Chinatown San Francisco CA 1932 postcard

2011-07-20T15:42:00.003-05:00

Another story behind - or in this case "on" the card:

I received a message thanking me for "the postcard of my grandmother". So, curiosity getting the better of me, I replied asking which one she was.

In response: "My grandmother is the one sitting down. She is on other postcards, too. I always keep an eye out for her."

1122 Jennings Avenue Fort Worth Texas 1916 postcard

2011-07-16T15:15:00.023-05:00

One of the joys of postcarding is the stories that one happens to come across that connect the past to the present. This often happens in quite unexpected ways.

The postcard above is a limited run privately-produced postcard that was sent by the family at 1122 Jennings Avenue in Fort Worth Texas as a Christmas greeting in 1916. I came across the card in an antique mall in southwestern Indiana a couple of months ago. I listed it on eBay and it sold within a few hours of going onsale.

The buyer, a Fort Worth local historian, sent me this follow-up message:

" "I told a friend, a landscaper, about this card and he replied:

"...Oh MY God... OMG... I remember that house and EXACTLY where it was because guess what!!??? My swinging door between the dining room and kitchen was the front door to that house! I picked it up off the curb in 1985 when I was redoing my house the first time around and used it between the two rooms because of the glass in it and it has all this cool applied carving. AND, before the house burned and was torn down several years later, a poor kid that rented there worked for me for about three months. I remember the window hood (the decorative "roof" over the front window) very well. How about THAT?!..."

Small world, huh?"

Small world, indeed.

Stop Horsing Around - Cherrelyn Horse Streetcar Denver Colorado 1910c postcard

2011-07-08T17:42:00.002-05:00

Horse Drawn Streetcar with Horse as Passenger, Denver, Colorado 1910c postcard (click image for larger view)

According to the caption on similar cards of the Cherrelyn horse drawn streetcar, the horse would pull the streetcar up an incline slope in Denver and would be placed on the platform at the end of the car for the ride back down on the return journey.

If the horse were a reflective sort, it might have wondered why it couldn't just ride up the slope like everyone else since that was the toughest leg of the journey for it.

Cuban Cigar Seller, circa 1910

2011-06-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

Cuban Tobacco Cigar Street Seller, Havana, Cuba, circa 1910.

Daily Bread Delivered By Head - Cuban Bread Seller 1916

2011-06-19T05:39:00.000-05:00

Cuban Bread Vendor, postmarked 1916

Harris Bros. Co, Havana, publishers.

Great Lakes Rail Ferry Steamers in Ice Ludington Michigan postcard

2011-06-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Great Lakes Steamer Railroad Ferries in Ice, Ludington Michigan, circa 1920s.

White border postcard. Click on image for larger view.

Great Lakes Steamer Islander, St Ignace Michigan postcard

2011-06-17T04:57:00.000-05:00

Steamer "Islander", St Ignace, Michigan postcard. Albertype Co.

Car Ferry Steamers at St Ignace Michigan postcard

2011-06-16T05:49:00.001-05:00

Michigan State Auto Ferries at St Ignace Michigain. Albertype Co.

One Great Lakes car steamer not enough for you and your entourage? Here's two to be going on with till others arrive.

Car Ferry Steamer St Ignace Michigan postcard

2011-06-15T05:43:00.000-05:00

Michigan State Auto Ferry Steamer "Sainte Ignace", St Ignace Michigan postcard. Albertype Co.

Don't have the time to drive around the Great Lakes on your vacation? Shorten the journey and relax by catching one of the Michigan State auto ferries.

Boating Canoeing Cass Lake Pontiac Michigan postcard

2011-06-14T04:38:00.000-05:00

Boating & Canoeing on Cass Lake, Pontiac, Michigan undivided back postcard. Albertype Co.

If you prefer to put your oar in rather than rely on the wind in your sails try to boating or canoeing on Cass Lake, Michigan in this circa 1905 postcard.

Yachting Portage Lake Onekama Michigan postcard

2011-06-13T05:36:00.000-05:00

Yachting Portage Lake Portage Point Inn Michigan postcard. Hand colored. Albertype.

Sailing in Small Boats Onekama Michigan postcard

2011-06-12T05:01:00.001-05:00

Yacht Racing, Twice A Week, Portage Point Inn, Michigan. Albertype Co.

Boys in small boats, a summer idyll. At the Portage Point Inn on Portage Lake and Lake Michigan, Onekama, Michigan. "One of The Most Complete Vacation Set Ups in the Midwest".

Someone's Going to Get Something Unexpected -Twelvetrees postcard

2011-06-11T04:53:00.000-05:00

Someone's Going to Get Something They Don't Expect, artist signed Charles Twelvetrees, postcard

As mother used to say, "don't be so full of yourself". You may be riding for a fall. Keep your eyes peeled and that ego of yours under control.

Road Trip Find #2 - Decorated Car House of David postcard

2011-06-10T05:20:00.000-05:00

Decorated House of David Car, Benton Harbor, Michigan postcard, circa 1920s

Road trip find #2: The House of David, a religious community in Benton Harbor, Michigan had a range of activities that attracted many visitors including miniature train, a brass band, and it's own baseball team. Here community members proudly display their decorated car that took first place in parade.

Road Trip Find #1 - Hotel Noel Nashville Tennessee linen postcard

2011-06-09T05:13:00.000-05:00

Noel Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee linen postcard

Found on the end of May postcard buying road trip: a nice clean, crisp linen postcard of the Noel Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee circa the 1940s. Love the clean lines and perspective of this card. Who wouldn't want to stay here?

Fishing from the Jetty, Freeport Texas postcard

2011-06-08T05:47:00.002-05:00

Fishing from the Jetty, Freeport, Texas postcard. Albertype Co.

Looks a mite uncomfortable sitting out on the jetty under the beating sun in Freeport, Texas.

Surf Fishing Asbury Park New Jersey postcard

2011-06-07T05:41:00.004-05:00

Surf Fishing, Asbury Park, New Jersey postcard. Albertype Co.

Don't snag any swimmers, you fishers! Move on down the beach, please...

Children at Play - Asbury Park Beach, New Jersey postcard

2011-06-06T04:35:00.004-05:00

Children at Play, Asbury Park, New Jersey postcard. Albertype Co

If human pyramids aren't your thing, perhaps a sand castle, moat or paddling pool are more to your style and better suited to your engineering skills.

Human Pyramid on the Beach at Asbury Park New Jersey postcard

2011-06-05T05:21:00.000-05:00

Human Pyramid at Asbury Park, New Jersey postcard, postmarked 1909

Soaking up the rays got you bored? Gentlemen, please flex your muscles for the human pyramid...

Need Some Beach Time... Asbury Park, New Jersey postcard

2011-06-04T05:08:00.002-05:00

Beach Crowd, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Albertype Co publisher.

Click on image for larger view.

Time to head for the beach.... don't forget sun block, hat, sunglasses, and plenty of fresh water.

Greetings from Asbury Park Large Letter postcard

2011-06-03T05:42:00.001-05:00

Large Letter linen postcard, Asbury Park

Tichnor Bros. circa 1940s

The popular large letter linen format with multiple views within the letters depicting all the seaside activities to be enjoyed at Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Swan Ride Anyone?

2011-06-02T05:44:00.004-05:00

Swan Ride on Wesley Lake, Ocean Grove - Asbury Park, New Jersey

Tichnor linen postcard, circa 1940s.

With the beginning of summer upon us, anyone for a Swan ride during summer vacation? Pack the bags for Asbury Park - Ocean Grove, New Jersey, circa 1940s. This may be a bit too sedate for today's thrill seekers. Perhaps bungee jumping instead.

Optical Allusions, circa 1910

2011-06-01T06:21:00.006-05:00

"Optical Allusions", circa 1910s, real photo postcard

undisclosed location, Azo stamp box. Click image for larger view.

While no illusions are involved, the man and woman in the middle of this real photo postcard appear to be checking each other out by use of early twentieth century "looking glasses". He feigns viewing her through his telescope while she appears to have reversed the binoculars, looking through the large lens end of the instrument thus giving him that "far away look", no doubt. The woman at right stands at attention, shaded by her broad rim hat, observing these country shenanigans.

Road Trip: Fisk Tires Will Not Skid 1913 postcard

2011-05-23T05:58:00.006-05:00

Fisk Tire Co advertising postcard, postmarked 1913

Off on a postcard buying road trip for the rest of the week. While Fisk tires may have protected the motorist in 1913, I'm hoping the anti-skid brakes, air bags, seat belts etc are all in tip top condition.

Let's see what finds I bring back.

Budgerigars Parakeets Budgies on Postcards

2011-05-22T06:33:00.043-05:00

Budgies up close & personal

Barneys New York, rack card, 2000

As a kid I had a series of budgies as pets. Easy to train, gregarious, talkative, amusing, easy to care for - a great companion for kids. Sadly they tended to have relatively short lives, but that was one of life's early lessons too: living life and coping with loss.

Two that stand out in my memory are Sean and William. Sean was a completely yellow budgie - I'd never seen one this color before - and he was not only a good talker, he was a really good table soccer player, could fly well, and worked out regularly on his gym equipment.

Somewhere there's a photo of Sean putting his head inside a young boy's mouth - I imagined the newspaper headline reading "Brave budgie puts head inside boy's mouth - and lives". If there is such a thing as reincarnation, Sean is probably a dentist in Topeka, Kansas.

William was a budgie of a different feather, but a budgie to the core. Blue like the budgie in the card above, I remember him as a great talker and, as with Sean, always delighted to see you.

Memory clouds a bit as to which one of these intrepid small souls was the one who developed the habit, but as a teenager whenever I drove my car up the driveway beside the family home if the back door of the house was open there would be a torrent of "Where's Jim, where's Jim?", some exciting whistling, accompanied by running back & forth along his perch. (note - "Jim" inserted to represent my name). The budgie in question had a good ear - he was never fooled by the engines of the two other vehicles that used that driveway or those of visitors' cars.

And, of course, my little feathered friend had to be the first to be greeted when I entered the house.

Here's to you, my budgie buddies - extra seed & a nibble of cuttlefish too!

Everybody's Sending Postcards

2011-05-21T06:28:00.004-05:00

Everybody's Sending Postcards...

1968 World's Fair HemisFair San Antonio, Texas.

continental size.

Everybody's sending postcards... so why aren't you?

Land Sharks on Postcards

2011-05-20T07:02:00.000-05:00

The International Land and Investment Co's enticement, 1911

The invitation to join the excursion to the Gulf Coast Country

Or perhaps a piece of rice land in Jennings, Louisiana is more to your liking...

Land companies used postcards as a marketing tool in the early 1900s to promote land sales, typically in the Gulf Coast states. The International Land and Investment Co,. promotes an excursion for punters to the Gulf Coast in its 1911 postcard (top two views). If International Land's deal is not sweet enough for you, perhaps some nice rice land in Jennings, Louisiana may attract your dollars to start your investment in agricultural real estate. The Jennings card is a little earlier, postmarked 1907 and is not a land company promotion card. Little did they know Federal subsidies would be along in a couple of decades to be capitalized into the land's value.

Word On The Street - Chinatown San Francisco early 1900s

2011-05-16T05:50:00.011-05:00

Reading the Bulletin Boards, China Town, San Francisco, circa 1910s

Published by F W Woolworth, San Francisco

Some say the days of the newspaper are numbered but in this postcard view from the 1910s there are plenty of readers of the Chinese news bulletins on the streets of San Francisco's China Town.

While today's news reader may not be as thorough in reading from cover to cover two or three different newspapers a day, technology has made it possible to sample a wider range of papers.

The jury is still out on the question whether the quality of journalism has improved over the past 100 years.

I'm Picking Up.... Burglar postcard

2011-05-14T15:26:00.001-05:00

I'm picking up burglar postcard, circa 1905

I'm picking up... where you left off. Secure your valuables! Brought to you by Postcard Neighborhood Watch.

Dubuque Iowa's "Famous Market" - 16 blocks long

2011-05-13T20:43:00.000-05:00

"Dubuque's Famous Market 16 Blocks Like This"

postmarked 1915

Dubuque, Iowa clearly had a vibrant outdoor market in the early 20th century stretching some 16 blocks through downtown. The tradition survives in the form of a regular farmers' market today.

Every day scene at the Dubuque Famous Market

postmarked 1915

USS Kearsarge, US Battleship - The Great White Fleet

2011-05-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

USS Battleship Kearsarge postcard, circa 1910.

The USS Kearsarge, BB-5, showing the ship as she appeared when first completed in 1900. Launched in 1898, the Kearsarge was commissioned in 1900 and served as a battleship in the North Atlantic fleet.

The Kearsarge, named after the Union's Civil War sloop of the same name, was the lead ship of her class of battleships. Between late 1907 to 1909, the Kearsarge was part of the round-the-world goodwill tour of the US navy dubbed the Great White Fleet.

After being refitted for Atlantic coastal service and transporting marines to Veracruz, Mexico in World War I, the Kearsarge wasconverted to a crane ship in 1920 and used in the Philadelphia Naval Yard. She was scrapped in 1955.

Displacement 11,525 Tons, Dimensions, 375' 4" (oa) x 72' 3" x 25' 10" (Max), Armament 4 x 13"/35 4 x 8"/35, 14 x 5"/40 4 x 18" tt, Armor, 16 1/2" Belt, 17" Turrets, 5" Decks, 10" Conning Tower, Machinery, 10,000 IHP; 2 vertical triple expansion engines, 2 screws, Speed, 16 Knots, Crew 553.

The Kearsarge converted to a huge floating crane. Source: Wikipedia

The Postcard Store in 1910 - What Would You Buy?

2011-05-05T05:51:00.007-05:00

Brooks Postcard Store

Washington Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

circa 1910

Imagine the field day the modern postcard collector would have if transported by time machine back to Brooks' postcard store in 1910?

What would you stock up on if you had the chance to walk through that front door?

Outrageous Radio - The New Generation Listens, 1920s

2011-05-03T05:43:00.001-05:00

Das ist ja unerhört!

"This is Unheard of!"

artist signed Wally Fialkowski, Germany, mailed 1925

AMV, no. 1197

Another of Wally Fialkowksi's series of postcard portraits of small children listening to the new technology of the 1920s: wireless radio.

That's Funny! Radio Worth Listening To

2011-05-02T05:37:00.002-05:00

Der ist drollig!

"That's Funny!"

artist signed Wally Fialkowski, Germany, circa 1920s

AMV, no. 1196

Radio opened up new experiences to old and young alike in the 1920s.

What A Laugh!

2011-04-29T12:36:00.000-05:00

Zum Totlachen!

"What A Laugh!"

artist signed Wally Fialkowski, Germany, circa 1920s

AMV, no. 1198

Radio worth listening to for this youngster in the early days of wireless radio in the 1920s. What on your MP3 player today makes you laugh as heartily?

Light Houses, Lighthouses!

2011-04-26T06:12:00.001-05:00

Light Houses, Lighthouses, who likes them?! Some recent acquisitions:

click on image for larger view

ANZAC Day, 2011 - Postcards

2011-04-25T06:18:00.011-05:00

ANZAC - Australia New Zealand Army Corps, formed World War I.

ANZAC Day - In remembrance of all those who fell and all those who served...

click on image for larger view

By the late 19th century, pakeha New Zealanders saw themselves as establishing a "Better Britain" in the South Pacific, people of British stock who saw themselves as building something better than back "Home" but who were but a generation or two at most away from "Home". It's no surprise then that in the patriotic war imagery above the English Bulldog, the symbol of the Britain, has become the War Dog of New Zealand standing astride the New Zealand ensign overlapping the Union Jack of Britain. Maori taonga have been appropriated in the form of the full face moko, tiki, and huia feathers of the Maori chief.

To my grandfather and brothers who served in the "war to end all wars" - or so they were told, and to their sons and son-in-laws - to my father and uncles, who served in the next one: we have not forgotten. May we never have to send our sons and daughters to another one.

Radio Operators World War II Scott Field Airforce Base Postcard

2011-04-24T06:56:00.000-05:00

This is for all you radio operators out there:

click on image for larger view

Scott Field, now Scott AFB, is located in Shiloh Township, Illinois, 25 miles east of St Louis, MO.

During World War II Scott Field's main mission was to train radio operator-mechanics. By June 1945, Scott Field had trained 77,370 technicians who went on to be responsible for vital command and control communication throughout the Air Force.

The Greater Chicago Postcard Show - November 5-6 2010

2010-10-23T07:45:00.001-05:00

The Greater Chicago Postcard and Paper Show is scheduled for Friday Nov 5 - Sat Nov 6 on Chicago's south side. This show is well-attended by dealers and provides a wide range of offerings for the postcard collector. I always find a treasure or two - or three - for my collection there. Having become a regular attendee in recent years, dealers often have something they've put aside or added to their boxes they think I might be interested in.

Full details here. Click image for larger view:

Windy City Postcard Show - Chicago October 23rd 2010

2010-10-22T07:34:00.000-05:00

For those living in the Chicagoland area who find themselves at a loose end this weekend, the Windy City Postcard Show is a perfect opportunity to have some fun pursuing your postcarding passion and adding to your collection.

Details are as follows: Click on image for larger view:

Milwaukee Postcard Show - A Report

2010-10-19T07:36:00.014-05:00

I attended the Milwaukee Postcard Club show over the weekend (Sunday, October 17). This show is always well-supported by dealers and all the space available was taken. It's much more pleasant to spend a couple of hours face-to-face with people chatting about postcarding and their latest finds, much better than emailing or looking at web sites. Reflecting the continuing weak economic conditions there were plenty of bargains to be obtained, it's nice to find a pleasant surprise or two in the dollar boxes after patiently searching away for awhile. Attendance was fairly strong until about noon when numbers suddenly dropped off and I was out the door myself by about 1:30 pm with another stack of cards for the collection.

Curt Teich Publishing Co Marketing Sampler

2010-09-14T05:30:00.002-05:00

A Curt Teich Publishing Co marketing sampler for postcards in the form of a postcard folder distributed to the hospitality industry - hotel/motels, restaurtants, bars and the like - to encourage them to stock the company's postcards for sale or as giveaways to guests: (Click on images for full view)

The Holland Tunnel by Automobile, New York City, circa 1920s

2010-09-13T05:46:00.001-05:00

The Holland Tunnel already looks to be congested in the 1920s. No wonder they had to take ferries too...

Skating Down at the Empire

2010-09-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday night! Let's go skating down at the Empire in Brooklyn New York. Linen postcard dated 1944.

The Monon Railroad - The Hoosier Streamliner Leaving Chicago

2010-09-09T07:09:00.001-05:00

circa 1940s or 50s linen postcard, Curteich publisher.

The Monon Railroad's "The Hoosier" pulls out of Chicago on its run south to Indiana, the Hoosier state.

Wireless Communication, Radio-Style

2010-09-07T06:46:00.002-05:00

Listening to a couple of "oldies" talking the other day, I recalled how wireless had a different meaning to people in the first half of the twentieth century, and maybe a few decades beyond that. "Wireless" meant radio. The conversation I was listening to was between "ham" radio operators who used to contact others via short wave radio. The hobby still survives but is much reduced in numbers as what was once a major exercise, but a thrilling one - long distance wireless communication - has since become mundane with the advent of the likes of Skype etc. Short wave operators issued their own postcards to confirm they had made contact with other "hammies" around the world.

The postcard above, of course, is not of ham radio operators but a World War II signal team using radio in the field, reminding us of the importance of the wireless in military operations. Its use extended to civilian industries such as marine shipping, aviation, and commercial radio. The radio set in the home for receiving news and musical entertainment was usually simply referred to as "the wireless"

Mailbox Mystery Solved!

2010-09-03T07:03:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what happens to your mail once you put it in the mailbox?

Yesterday, everything fell into place. It's all in the cards, as the say...

Motor Cycle Sidecar Mounted Machine Gun, circa World War I

2010-09-02T07:41:00.001-05:00

With all the unpleasantness on the roads these days, with road rage and the like, sometimes I feel obliged to pack a little extra heat. The "lemon squeezer" hats are real head-turners too. (click image for full view).

Bell Line Motor Coach Bus postcard, circa 1920s

2010-09-01T05:42:00.004-05:00

Time to hit the road... in a Bell Line Motor Coach providing interstate bus service up & down the West Coast. Just 30 1/2 hours between San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR. Mapquest advises I should be able to drive that trip in 10 hrs 19 mins today. Click image for larger view.

Southern Pacific Railroad Train, Sunset Route, circa 1913

2010-08-31T06:16:00.000-05:00

Southern Pacific Railroad Train, Sunset Route, circa 1913

For those who were missing the trains.... This stunning example of postcard art advises in the caption on the reverse of the Southern Pacific Railroad's safety achievements in 1913.

Logging - III

2010-08-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Then rail 'em out for further milling...

Logging Train in California

American Lumber Co Mill, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Logging - II

2010-08-29T05:51:00.001-05:00

Haul 'em, saw them...

Poor darn horses... surely those two horses weren't expected to haul that load?!

Logging Load on skids - logs rolling across ground - makes it possible for two horses to pull a huge load of logs. Someone suggested these are Morgan horses, that like Clydesdales, are bred to haul heavy loads.

Logging Camp in Kentucky Mountains, with donkey engine for basic milling before transport to lumber mill.

Logging - I

2010-08-28T05:47:00.000-05:00

Chop 'em, fell 'em - get outta the way! T-i-m-b-e-r!

Logging timber in Washington with double handled saws

Felling a tree in Idaho

Hay Fever

2010-08-27T05:23:00.000-05:00

Another band that was coy about having their faces shown (see first post on this blog). This time in the New York - Canada region.

Farming Pastoral Series Published by W G MacFarlane Buffalo New York and Toronto circa 1910.

Make hay while the sun shines!

Roadside America - Gas Station, Wisconsin Dells

2010-08-26T01:46:00.003-05:00

A popular collecting niche for Roadside America postcards is gas stations.

Here's a particularly nice one, the Lower Dells Filling Station, Wisconsin Dells, WI linen postcard, sporting a Phillips 66 sign.

The caption on the reverse boasts "superior service with courteous attendants at your command".

I drove past the Dells a few weeks back, but I didn't spot anything approaching this level of service or architectural aesthetic.

Trains, trains, trains...

2010-08-25T06:11:00.000-05:00

From streamliner trains, to miniature trains, to train diners, to toy trains... on postcards, we've got 'em all!

Streamliner Train Diner - Roadside America

2010-08-24T06:15:00.003-05:00

Trains, Roadside America-style

The Boggs Bros Airway Diner US 101 San Diego CA on a linen postcard

click image for larger view

Baseball postcard: Looking For A Home Run

2010-08-23T05:01:00.004-05:00

circa early 1900s. click image for larger view.

What this little guy lacks in technique, he makes up for with heart. Play ball!

A pity they can't stay this age because I've heard that when they grow up they're real bears!

Little Miss Muffet and postcards

2010-08-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

Artist signed Marsh Lambert, postally used 1917 (click image for full view)

Little Miss Muffet,
Sat on her tuffet...

But she got off her tuffet to mail a postcard!

Why don't you mail a postcard?

Mr Pineapple Head - Fantasy Postcard

2010-08-21T08:14:00.003-05:00

Some of the expressions and humor on vintage postcards are lost to us today as usage & word definitions have changed over time.

While I get the obvious reference and visual association with pineapple in the card below, the meaning of the reference to "Indian" is less obvious until one does some digging around and finds the use of the pineapple by indigenous peoples of the Americas.

The past as they say is a foreign country.

circa 1910

Full Steam Ahead - The New Zealand Railways Gang At Oamaru circa 1905

2010-08-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

Then there are rppc trains...

The New Zealand Railways Gang At Oamaru circa 1905. Produced as a Christmas Greeting postcard as was the custom at train stations at the time.

(click on image for larger view)

A Q Class locomotive of New Zealand Railways at Oamaru, South Island circa 1905. RPPC was sent as a Christmas greeting to family members from the gang at the Oamaru station. Sender remarks that the loco's lamp is one of the latest electric lamps from a workshop in Chicago.

Many decades later I rode the freight trains at Oamaru with my uncle who was a guard (conductor - yeah, I know no passengers so no tickets to punch; a guard "guarded" the train, not for "security" but "(rail)road" safety). By those times, diesels had taken over. Good times - toasting sandwiches on the pot belly stove in the caboose (guard's van). In the steam era, got to ride up front in the cab, shoveling some coal, blowing the whistle, hand on the throttle or whatever they call it, head out the window, cinders in the eye...

Sadly, kids can't do that anymore thanks to occupational safety and health. Go play a video game, kid. Wouldn't trade those memories for anything (sniff). God bless you Uncle Norman, up there in the big roundhouse in the sky.

Streamliner Trains - Part IV - The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

2010-08-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Linen postcard examples of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, depicting the Champion and Florida Special trains of the 1940s and 50s. Click on images for larger views.

Streamliner Trains - Part III - Southern Pacific Railroad

2010-08-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

For the enthusiasts of steam locomotives, a Southern Pacific streamliner on the Daylight Express run in California:

click on image for larger view. linen postcard, circa 1940s

Streamliner Trains - Part II - A Medley of Western Railroads Los Angeles

2010-08-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

This streamliner line up in Los Angeles in the 1960s consists of the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe - all three in a row...

click on image for larger view. chrome postcard, circa 1960s.

Streamliner Trains - Part I - Santa Fe Railroad

2010-08-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

There are streamliner trains - influenced by the art deco period - of the 1930s to 1950s

The linen postcards of streamliner trains are the most impressive. Here are some views of trains of the Santa Fe line:

A full on image of a Santa Fe streamliner

(click on image for larger view)

A Santa Fe streamliner passing through the orange groves of California. linen postcard

(click on image for larger view)

Miniature Railroad Trains

2010-08-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

There are miniature trains:

Coney Island Dreamland Amusement Park Miniature Train, circa 1910

(click on image for larger view)

Miniature Train at Nut Tree Farm, Vacaville, California, circa 1960s

(click on image for larger view)

Postcard World Magazine - A Brief Review

2010-07-27T08:06:00.001-05:00

Postcard World Magazine cover, May/June 2010 issue. (click image for larger view)

Many of us were disappointed when the Postcard Collector magazine abruptly ceased publication a couple of years back. It left a huge void in the U.S. for those wanting to keep up with news and information in the postcard collecting world. Now the Postcard World magazine published by Mary Martin Ltd has neatly bridged the gap with its new offering in the market place. Its glossy, color format does full justice to the postcard views found within its covers. Some of the regular columnists in the old Postcard Collector are back too, including Bob Bogdan on real photo cards and Don Preziosi on linen postcards as well as new columns, features, and topics such as modern postcards, postcard club corner, and articles on art nouveau, Coney Island postcards, and National Postcard Week.

Bob Bogdan's column on real personal photo postcards is a personal favorite, including in each column some fascinating images, background on the places, people or pursuits pictured, and something about the photographers. The social history captured on these rppcs is revealing.

More about Postcard World Magazine here.

A recent Bogdan column on real photo postcards (click image for larger view)

Disclosure: I have no financial or other connection with Postcard World Magazine or Mary Martin Ltd. This post is not a paid advertisement.

Oil-Free Oysters - Oyster Dredging on Chesapeake Bay, Virginia postcard

2010-07-20T10:06:00.005-05:00

Oil-free oysters - from Chesapeake Bay, circa 1905-1910. Of course, bacterial infection could still do you in. Do they suggest Gulf oysters be flambe'd these days? (click image for larger view).

What Are They Looking For?

2010-07-07T07:10:00.001-05:00

Czech postcard, postally-used 1938 (Click image for full view)

What are they looking for????

Could they all have dropped a penny on the ground at the same time?

Or are they under starter's orders for the 100m sprint? If so, I predict chaos in about 3 seconds!

The Slightly Leaning Tower of New Bern, North Carolina

2010-04-20T09:03:00.001-05:00

The Slightly Leaning Tower of New Bern, North Carolina:

First Presbyterian Church New Bern NC linen postcard – sender writes on back “this church steeple leans several degrees toward the street. The Union soldiers invaded this coastal area from the seas, over running New Bern. There are many names of Union soldiers marked & carved in the wood work of the inside of this steeple.” (click image for full view)

First Presbyterian Church of New Bern, North Carolina

Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket

2010-01-18T08:22:00.000-06:00

In this Great Recession, as it has been called, many have taken this hen's advice to heart. Mother used to tell her children something she learned from her mother: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket", a lesson we have all learned well. Diversification is a cardinal rule of portfolio management if you are to protect your nest egg. Sadly, many forgot that simple lesson and are now scratching around in business for themselves. May they sell eggs and prosper.

The Would-Be Sport

2010-01-14T05:37:00.000-06:00

The Would-Be Sport, artist signed, Katharine Gassaway for the Rotograph Co. circa 1906.

The Artist

2010-01-13T07:36:00.000-06:00

The Artist

The artist starts out with a high hope,

For "the higher ideals" he will grope:

But before very long

He changes his song,

And draws pictures to advertise soap!

Reading Both Sides of the Postcard

2010-01-07T17:43:00.000-06:00

Cheer Up, The Worst Is Yet to Come

Reading both sides of a postcard can be an object lesson in putting life - and death - into perspective. The above picture view on this postcard in a rather cute and humorous way tells us to cheer up because the worst is yet to come.

The message on the reverse of the card, brings us back to earth, jarringly:

click on image for larger view

postmarked Chicago, Illinois, USA, August 2, 1916

"Dear Sister, We all pulled through the fearful heat all right, but it killed hundreds up here. Have had two days of delightfully cool breezes and the survivors are perking up. Hope you all managed to slip through. Last two days of it about knocked the ambition out of me." Edw.

Subsequent heat waves in Chicago, in 1936 and 1995, resulted in high death tolls, 297 and 525 respectively.

Dog Days At the Beach

2010-01-05T06:46:00.000-06:00

I once knew a little dog exactly like this one. Funnily enough, he was smarter than his human...

Boyz Will Be Boyz

2010-01-04T06:07:00.002-06:00

Strutting his stuff at the Seville Peacock Farm, 15 miles north of St Petersburg, Florida in this 1950s linen postcard. Boys will be boys...

Stop Monkeying Around!

2010-01-03T08:04:00.001-06:00

Monkeys In Pedal Car Monkey Jungle Florida 1950s postcard

In the 1950s, you could make fun of the backseat driving advice given by the Princess pictured above. No more monkey business! Times have changed for the better. Pedal power is still cheaper than gas.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T00:01:00.003-06:00

May you have a safe, healthy, engaging, fun and prosperous New Year, 2010!

New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T12:14:00.000-06:00

On a cheery note, we advise that "you can say it in postcards" :

Oh, strike that! Got it wrong! Meant to say: THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!! ROLL ON 2010!

Laissez Faire,,, Viva Las Vegas!

2009-12-28T06:22:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Nevada, circa 1950s, linen postcard

Card available here.

For those who adhere to a minimal government or laissez faire doctrine, a 1950s Greetings from Nevada postcard - "The One Sound State" where there was no sales tax, no state income tax, or inheritance tax. Not even a thumb tax! Of course, there wasn't much government either, allowing the Mafia to govern the gaming industry quite nicely, thank you very much....