Animals in Vintage Photos

A zoo photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note on the back of this undated photo: "Uano Zoo - Tokyo." A fashionably dressed mother and her canteen-toting son pose impatiently in front of a fenced-in pond inhabited by ducks and other birds. Other zoo visitors (some holding umbrellas to protect against the sun) are visible in the background of the photo. The Ueno Zoo (its name is actually "Ueno" with an "e" rather than "Uano" with an "a") opened in Tokyo in 1882 and is Japan's oldest zoo.

A farm photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. When I first noticed this real photo postcard in a dealer's booth at an antique mall in York County, Pennsylvania, it was obvious that the photo wasn't in very good shape (and it did require a bit of touch-up to make it presentable for posting here), but I found the farm scene to be quite interesting. The sturdy stone house, windmill, large barn, and well-maintained outbuildings, along with the two dozen Holstein cows grazing in the pasture, make it evident that a prosperous farmer and his family lived here. The forebay--the overhang that extends from the front of the barn--and the corresponding banked entrance to the second level on the other side (it's not visible in the photo) identify this as a type of bank barn known as a Pennsylvania barn due to its popularity in the state during the nineteenth century. Taking a closer look at the scene, I realized that a man--the farmer, perhaps?--and two boys and a girl--his children?--were also out standing in their field (the man is standing in front of the cows just right of center, the two boys are on the left, and the white dress of the girl is visible near the building on the right). Later, when I viewed the photo under magnification, I discovered that the little white and brown dots located between the cows are actually chickens. As I debated whether to purchase the photo--its condition wasn't the best, and the price was a little more than I wanted to pay--I looked for any information on the postcard that might help identify the farm's location or maybe even the family. Unfortunately, there was nothing written on the back nor was the postcard sent through the mail, so there wasn't any postmark. But then I saw the dealer's tag, which said "Cowson Farm." That clinched it! With some research and a little luck, I might be able to determine where the Cowsons lived (probably somewhere in Pennsylvania and maybe even in York County). If I could identify the farm, then perhaps I could even take a photo of its current condition to compare with this earlier one. I took the real photo postcard to the main counter at the antique mall in order to pay for it. Since the cashier was removing the dealer's tag from the postcard, I wanted to be certain that I had noted the name of the farm correctly, and I asked to see the tag before she put it away. The cashier took a glance at the tag and then told me, "Well, the only thing it says is 'Cows on Farm.'" Doggonit! Even though I misread the tag and won't be tracking down any information on the Cowson family, I still have a decent photo of cows--and they're on a farm! 8-)

Handwritten on the back of the photo: "Lizzie from Paul Neiman. A Rosy Crowd."

Real photo postcard, postmarked Juneau, Wisconsin, Sept. 21, 1912.

Do you have ideas for future topics for the Vintage Photos Theme Park ? If so, please add them to the Suggestion Box ! A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park monthly topic of cats (submit a photo on this topic each week in addition to—or instead of—a photo for the weekly topic) . "Looking through the news you may see something which might interest you. I will send the papers to you. J.R." A real photo postcard with a cat that's literally looking through a newspaper in 1906. For another postcard with a similar punning message, see Breaking the News, Lititz Express, July 4, 1907 .

Mouse over the image above to see a close-up of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. W. Davidson . This real photo postcard doesn't bear a stamp or postmark but was addressed to: "Jessie Warner, Croton, Ohio." Handwritten message: "April 10, 1914. Dear Jessie, We wish you many more happy birthdays. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. W. Davidson, Croton." If you have any interest in vintage photos like this that show people posing in front of their homes, please consider joining my new group Vintage House-Proud People . Here are some more examples of this kind of photo:

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

A photo with X marks the spot (an X to indicate something or someone on the photo) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten on the back of this photo: "X - Another dandy. His mother laid 303 eggs in one yr."

A photo of flowers in the garden for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note (above left): "Eleanor Henderson, Eva, Texas Co., Okla., Oct. 24, 1914." There's no message or address on the back of this real photo postcard. Little Eleanor posed with her dog among the flowers and plants, all rendered in blue due to the cyanotype photo processing.

Carlisle, 12/1, 1904 My dear little Carrie: Honestly now aren't you also on the pig? When you kill yours, save me a nice piece of ham, and I'll be up and take dinner with you. You may also keep a few young chickens handy. (If you're "on the pig's back," it apparently means that you're lucky or well off.)

A written inscriptions and messages photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. In his message to Bertha on this real photo postcard, Sam humorously explains Lena's absence from the novelty photo by saying that she's hidden under the seat of the wagon in order "to keep the dust off of her." Denver, Nov. 19 Hello Bertha, we are coming towards home. Have got Lena under the seat to keep the dust off of her. If our horse holds out, we will be there by the end of the week. Goodby, Sam & Lena

Signs: Amoco, American Gas. U.S. Tires.

A real photo tall-tale postcard.

"I'm on my way--I'll be seein' yeh. Photo by F. D. Conard, Garden City, Ks. No. 49."

A turkeys photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Caption on the front of this real photo postcard: "Fry Bros. Turkey Ranch & Dining Rooms, 20 miles north of Williamsport, Pa., on Route 15. Caulkins, T-14." A restaurant with its own turkey farm, the Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch and Dining Rooms opened for business near Trout Run, Pennsylvania, in 1939. Located along U.S. Route 15 on Steam Valley Mountain, it's situated about 20 miles north of the city of Williamsport and about 100 miles north of Harrisburg, the state capital. The restaurant celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2014 and is still known today as the Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch . Although the owners serve about 100,000 customers a year, they no longer raise their own turkeys. I stopped at the restaurant in 2006 while traveling north to New York State, and I had a tasty meal of turkey and waffles there. It was so good that I had to stop again for some more turkey and waffles on the way back. For some real photo postcards showing the restaurant in the 1940s or 1950s and some of my own photos from 2006, see my Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch Restaurant album.