Memorial Day back when it was Decoration Day

Postmarked May 28, 1913.

At 31, future president James Garfield
became a brigadier general in the
Union Army, then, a major general
of volunteers at age 33.

I thought I had posted Memorial Day postcards from the archive in the past. And had planned to link to them, but a search through the blog did not turn up a single one. Odd.

So, I scanned in a batch. As the headline notes, Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, a public tribute to those who had fought in America's Civil War. My holiday postcard collection contains images from before 1919, so it reflects this initial celebration, which later morphed into a day to acknowledge all those who fought in our country's wars.

I'd like to think that I do not believe in war. I've marched against war on many occasions, and been arrested during a few of them. But even I know that there are times when war has been necessary, and that whether I back a war or not, I do respect those who have served … including two of my brothers, my father, quite a few of my uncles, and others in the past.

Postmarked Wooster, OH, May 29, 1909. Publisher unknown.

 

Two postcards by artist Ellen Clapsaddle (above) that were published by the International Art Publishing Co. of New York and Berlin. Both were printed in Germany. The one on the left was never mailed; the one on the right is postmarked Cleveland, May 27, 1912.

Published by Raphael Tuck & Sons, Decoration Day series No. 107. 

Published by Cincinnati's Gibson Art Co.

A Porkopolis St. Pat's

Cincinnati picked up the nickname "Porkopolis" back in the 19th century when this river city was a center of the pork packing industry. The name stuck, even long after the last pig ran through our streets. Pigs also have been a long-time symbol of abundance and prosperity. So, after spotting this trio of delightful St. Patrick's Day postcards in the archive (the physical archive, not the electronic one), I just had to share them; all were published by London's Raphael Tuck and Sons in its St. Patrick's Day Post Cards series No. 106.

  

The writing's on the front of the postcard,
because it was published
when addresses only were allowed
on the back, a convention
that was about to change.
It's postmarked March 17, 1907
from Philadelphia, PA, and was sent
to Mrs. E. Lapp, Wyoming, DE. 

Postmarked March 16, 1908, but
the city name has faded. It was sent to
Mr. Edward Bruner, Holton, IN.

Postmarked Cincinnati, March 17, 1909,
 and sent to Miss Georgie Martin,
3308 Gilbert Ave., City.

Ohhh, baby, a New Year

I gathered together some of my favorite early 20th century babies welcoming in the New Year from the archive to share here. Enjoy … and Happy New Year!

Chicks with attitude

Just have to share some of my favorite Easter chick postcards. All feature chicks acting in very human-like ways. After scanning them, I realized that most were published by International Art Publishing Company, and printed in Germany. They date from 1909 to 1914. Enjoy!

Boo!

It's close to the witching hour ... so a gallery of Halloween postcards from the vintage vault seemed appropro. Halloween's become the Holy Grail of collectibles during the past decade. I don't have many Halloween postcards - they're generally beyond my pocketbook - but over time, I've nabbed a few. At reasonable prices, too (that is, less than $25 each). Here's a selection of antique ones, meaning they are more than 100 years old.

A classic by artist Ellen Clapsaddle.
 Published by International Art Publ Co.,
printed in Germany, and postmarked
1910 from Kansas City, MO.

A striking graphic published by Cincinnati's
Gibson Art Co. Not mailed, so no postmark.

Postcard by artist H.B. Griggs, whose initials are at bottom left.
I found a number by him a few years ago in an antique shop
in Louisville, Ky., and snapped them all up. It was not mailed,
but is circa 1910 and was published by L & E (series2262).

The two postcards above were published by England's
Raphael Tuck & Sons in its "Hallowe'en" series No. 188.
The top one wasn't mailed, but the bottom card
sports an Oct. 31, 1912 postmark. 

One of the beautiful women that publisher John Winsch
was noted for. Generally, the cards were illustrated by
artist Samuel L. Schmucker. This looks like his work, but
isn't signed, so I'm not sure. It wasn't mailed, 
but is dated 1912 on the front.

Not a clue on this one. Not mailed,
and the message on back is simply
 the name Eland and "from father."
But love the owl! 

Smile! It's St. Patrick's Day ,,,

Top o' the morning. At it is the top of the morning. I slept in after staying up 'til the wee hours of the morning messing around with a design project.

It's gray and dreary here in Cincinnati, and since there's a bit of Irish in me - on my mom's side of the family - I thought I'd brighten the day with St. Patrick's Day postcards from the archive. I skipped the landscapes in favor of those with people, and two sets from specific series and artists.

When I began collecting pre-WWI holiday postcards, I spent too much on them. The card above, published in 1912 by Boston's A.M. Davis Co. as part of its series 705, is a good example of what I mean. I paid a whopping $15 for it at a flea market. I knew it was too much, but didn't have many St. Pat's then and wasn't seeing many, so I pounced. 

Back then, I also tended to buy cards that were not in great shape (note the postmark ink coming through to the front of the card). I figured they could be fixed up in Photoshop when I wanted to make reproductions, which was the plan. But as I got deeper into collecting, I yearned for cards in better condition. That's when my master's in library science came in handy, because as I researched publishers and artists, it became obvious I was overpaying. Happily, it was a lesson learned early on.

The cards here are a mix of mint, good and poor. I'll admit, I still fall for crummy ones when there is an image I can't resist.

The cards above were all published by Boston's International Art Publishing, and were drawn by Ellen Clapsaddle. She was one of their premiere artists. Her work - which is copyright free - is widely reproduced, popping up on everything from mugs to tote bags. The most collectible of the cards are those with her signature on the front (the two at the top).    

This sweet series was published by England's Raphael Tuck and Sons as part of its St. Patrick's Day series No. 106. Pigs have always been considered lucky in Europe. They are a sign of prosperity, and appear on many St. Pat's cards, as well as New Year's cards. Of course, the requisite good luck charm, the four-leaf clover, is ever present.

The cards teach a bit about the evolution of postcards. The one on the top left (postmarked 1907) with all the writing on it has what's known as an "undivided" back. Postal regulations specified that the address was the only thing that could be written on the back. Then, the rules changed and backs were divided - like now - to allow an address and a message. The other two cards (postmarked 1908 and 1909) represent that change.

One last card that is so goofy I couldn't resist adding it ...

Mom, you've got mail!

My love of paper began when I was a kid and whiled away hours in stationery and office supply stores. But it didn't really kick into full collecting mode until I began making holiday cards with my daughter using images from antique postcards sent to my husband's family. 

Eventually, we needed fresh images and the hunt lead to an even more expansive search for all kinds of antique paper. The collection is a mother lode for my work as a collagist. Yes, the postcards are used in my collages, but only cards in bad condition go under the X-acto knife.  So, these are safe. Well, the one with daisies might be a goner.

All were printed in Germany and they're part of a series of "dear" postcards that's become yet another obsession. There are cards for just about every family member, as well as for lovers, friends, pets, you name it. The postmarks on these range from 1908 to 1913. I wish I could tell you that there are fantastic messages on the backs - which are scanned into my archive. But they're mostly along the lines of "thinking of you," "miss you," "hope you visit." Come to think of it, those are fantastic messages!

Chicks with attitude

It's no secret in my family that I'm smitten with antique Easter postcards depicting sweet little chicks - especially those acting in very human ways. So, in time for the holiday, here are some of the favorites from my collection ...

And still more ...

Strange cupids

We have a tradition in our family of odd Valentine gifts. Think along the lines of Charles Addams and Edward Gorey, and you'll get the picture. So, when I started collecting antique holiday postcards about eight years ago, I found myself drawn to offbeat Valentine images.

Over time, my burgeoning collection of "strange cupids" became something of a family joke. I scoured flea markets, shops and sales for the creepiest cupids. When I returned home, I'd share them with my husband and daughter. Finding postcards that would make them cringe became my goal.

But the latest addition to the collection isn't a postcard, it's the Gibson Girl above. She's from Vol. 2 of The Gibson Book, a 1906 anthology of drawings by Charles Dana Gibson that contains the contents of 11 of his books. She starts "Everyday People." That alone, got laughs. What creeped them out wasn't so much the cupid being served up on the platter, as the steam rising from him.

Other things that bug them: cupids playing with hearts - tossing, rolling & hitting them; the cupid just below who is feeding a "warm" heart to the moon; the cupid below him who is braising hearts over a fire. I, of course, think they are wonderful.

Winging it: birds are always in style

Until recently I hadn't used an image cut from an antique postcard in my collages. I sometimes use the backs and often use fronts with tourist scenes - especially those with writing and postage stamps on that side. But for the Out on a Limb series of bird collages I had started combining color images of birds with black-and-white ones and came across a vivid pair of robins on a Christmas postcard that were perfect for a new piece. Birds were a popular holiday motif throughout the Victorian era and into the Edwardian years.

Then, I went back to the archive and began rifling through the Christmas and animal notebooks, looking for more birds. These are a few of the ones I found. I couldn't bear to use them before scanning in the front and back of each. The two above are from 1908 and 1909. The publisher is sometimes stated but more often than not, it has to be identified by a symbol/logo or the design/typography of the words "post card." I need to check my reference books for these publisher and when I do, I'll add the info.

I couldn't resist adding the two plump pairs of birds below here. They are a colorful and joyful reminder of what's to come after making it through winter.