Fourth of July

Uncle Sam and some boys use fireworks and a cannon to break through a gigantic American flag in order to deliver a message of "Hurrah for the Fourth of July." See below for some more Fourth of July postcards.

Pass issued in 1935 by The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company (TMER&L. Co.), which operated streetcar lines in Milwaukee until the 1950s. "The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company. Within the single fare areas of Milwaukee and Racine only. Good from 5:00 a.m. Sunday until 5:00 a.m. the following Sunday. Not good on Wisconsin Motor Bus Lines. Pass must be shown on demand. 32273. July 4, 1776. 27. June 30 to July 6, 1935 incl. $1 weekly pass S. B. Way, president."

"Fotograph your boy before the 4th of July: you may not get a chance after." Macabre photographic advice from an early twentieth-century postcard. For more dark humor about Fourth of July fireworks, see The Glorious 4th of July / The 5th of July :

A recipient of this Fourth of July postcard in 1907 would have recognized this puzzling array of fireworks as a parody of then-President Theodore Roosevelt 's facial features. The lit firecrackers and smoke portray Roosevelt's toothy grin and moustache, the two interconnected diamond-shaped arrangements represent his characteristic pince-nez glasses , and the cavalry hat with the crossed sabers reflect his service in the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. Even the "D'lighted" caption for the scene of the boy lighting the fireworks derives from Roosevelt's frequent use of "Dee-lighted!," which along with "Bully!" was one of his favorite exclamations.

"Picnic. There will be a grand picnic held at Fairhope, July 4, 1916. We have erected a large waxed floor for those who wish to enjoy dancing. There will be refreshments of all kinds served on the grounds. Everybody cordially invited. Kennell & Sturtz, managers." This comes from a photo of a broadside framed under glass rather than a scan, and the quality of the image suffers a bit. "Sturtz," who was one of the managers of this "grand picnic" held on the Fourth of July one hundred years ago, was probably John W. Sturtz , who was my great-grandfather. I'm not exactly sure what "grounds" in the small town of Fairhope , Somerset County, Pennsylvania, might have been available as a venue for serving refreshments and erecting a "large wax floor" for dancing.

A child's ticket for a steamboat trip on the Schuylkill River between Reading, Pennsylvania, and the Klapperthal Pavilion, which was located outside of town and contained a dance floor, restaurant, and other amenities. The back of the ticket is stamped "Jul. 4, 1896." Captain John A. Hiester (1842-1922) built boats and ran steamboats on the Schuylkill for many years. See also Reading Steamboat Company Ticket, Reading, Pa., to High's Grove . Steamboats Iona, Golden Eagle, and Atlantic Reading to Klapperthal and return (down) (up). Capt. John A. Hiester. Children's ticket.

An ice cream photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "#1248. A. Hoch's Cow in Patriotic & Industrial Parade, July 3, 1909, Newburg, Pa. Laughlin Photo. Hoch's Ice Cream Parlor." Photographer and postcard publisher Clyde A. Laughlin originally published a series of real photo postcards showing scenes from the Patriotic and Industrial Parade in Newburg, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1909, not long after it took place. This photo shows a boy riding a cow to advertise "Hoch's Ice Cream Parlor" (mouse over the image for a closer look ). The details in this photo are sharp, but I purchased the card knowing that it does not date to 1909. Unlike other early Laughlin photos, this one is reproduced in black and white rather than sepia, and the Kodak postcard backing was obviously manufactured much more recently than 1909. Fortunately, I have a copy of the book, Clyde A. Laughlin, "Postcard King of the Cumberland Valley": Biography of the Artist and Photographer and Checklist of His Postcards , written and published by Clyde's grandson, Walter Lewis Cressler, Jr., in 2000. The author explains on page 30 that his grandfather reprinted the photographic cards from the Newburg parade in 1961 when the town celebrated its centennial. So it's likely that this version of the Hoch's Cow photo is one of the cards from 1961. For another ice cream photo, see Eating Ice Cream at Raise 'ell Camp, Cooks Mill, Pennsylvania , and check out my Ice Cream album for additional photos and items of ephemera.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard:

The dealer's tag at the antique mall where I purchased this small photograph of a fellow dressed up like Uncle Sam said, "Antique photo, 4th [of] July parade, Concord, Mich." There's no other identifying information on the photo, unfortunately. See also On the Lam with Uncle Sam :

Sparkler box with unique typefaces for Fourth of July merriment.

"Yankee Doodle came to town. July 4."

"The Morning After. July 5. Witch hazel, liniment, arnica. F.L. 219/6. Gene Carr." Postmarked at Milton Mills, New Hampshire, on July 6, 1915. Cartoonist Gene Carr 's postcard demonstrates the dire results of a dangerous evening of Fourth of July fireworks in the early twentieth century. On July 5th, the heavily bandaged kid now needs a crutch for walking, as well as medications—witch hazel, liniment, and arnica—for treating aches and pains. The poor cat obviously didn't fare too well either. The ill effects of holiday fireworks are also the subject of early stereographic cards like The Glorious 4th of July / The 5th of July .

I chose Fourth of July celebrations in order to pick a theme about events, happenings, or celebrations (or any other topic) for the fourth week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Caption on this real photo postcard: "Liberty, Me." Addressed on the other side to Mrs. William Wellington, Terryville, Conn., and postmarked Liberty, Me., Aug. 26, 1908. Handwritten message: "This is a 4th of July view as you will see. Many thanks for your card. Caroline B. Brown." As the message indicates, this is a photo of what appears to be the tail end of a Fourth of July parade that took place in Liberty , Maine, in 1908. On the left-hand side (see a close-up view ), some men are standing in front of a store that's displaying a "stoves" sign, while a number of participants in the parade--some wearing costumes and carrying umbrellas--pass in front of them. On the other side (see a close-up of the right side ), there are some women on a porch looking up the street to catch a last glimpse of the parade. A couple of flags are hanging from the top of the porch, and horses and wagons are visible at hitching posts next door.

Participants in a Fourth of July parade--some with costumes and umbrellas--march past a store with a "stoves" sign. For more information about this parade, which took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908, see the full real photo postcard .

A group of women look up the street to catch a last glimpse of a Fourth of July parade that took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908. A couple of flags are hanging from the top of the porch where the women are standing, and horses and wagons are visible at hitching posts next door. For more information, see the full real photo postcard .

Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "This is as we looked Monday, July 5th, 1909, after the floral parade. Ed, Edith, Edward, Russell, Hattie, and Otto Zahn." Hand-lettered card attached to the car: "29." Number above the doorway of the building in the background: "1004." I didn't think I'd be able to uncover any information about a "floral parade" held in 1909. As it turned out, however, the Washington Post newspaper sponsored an Independence Day celebration in the form of a "Floral-Flag Automobile Parade" on July 5, 1909, that received widespread coverage. The weekly Horticulture magazine on July 3, 1909, p. 8, for instance, expressed the hope that the event would sell more flowers during a hot summer: "Washington has been sweltering under the most torrid wave that has visited the city in years. Business is quite dull, commencements are over, and even Cupid is enervated by the heat. All the city is agog, though, over the forthcoming automobile and flower parade that will take place on the 5th of July. Autos will be decorated with flags and flowers. The Washington Post offers a first prize of $100 for the handsomest decorated auto. It is to be hoped that this flower parade, at least, will become an annual custom. It will be of inestimable value to the florists, as well as to the flower-loving public." Henry Litchfield West, in an article about "A Safe and Sane Fourth of July" in The Forum , August 1909, p. 108, described some of the parade cars: "The Washington Post conceived the idea of an automobile floral-flag parade, and this event proved to be a genuine spectacular and artistic success. There were over a hundred motor cars in line, and the decorations were extremely novel and pleasing. One automobile was reconstructed into an accurate representation of the Confederate ram Merrimac, and was manned by young men in sailor costumes; another was converted into a yacht with masts and sails; another was a floral boat apparently drawn by an enormous white swan; and still another was in the form of a pergola, decorated with wistaria vines and blossoms. An electric machine which elicited the applause of the thousands who lined the route of parade was apparently a huge wicker basket of pink roses, in the centre of which and surmounted by a canopy of roses was seated the lady who operated the car. Another electric machine was a symphony in red, white and blue. Altogether the event proved to be a most unique and beautiful celebration…." The decorations on this automobile weren't as elaborate (see a cropped version for a closer view), but it's remarkable that with a few details we can find information about a Floral-Flag Automobile Parade held over a century ago.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.