A Man Pushing Himself on a Wheelbarrow

Strange and Unusual


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Peculiar Peek-a-Boo, July 3, 1908

29 Mar 2017 2 419
What appears to be an odd game of hide-and-seek in a spooky forest is captioned "Peek-a-Boo, July 3, 1908," on the front of this real photo postcard. The image's irregular edges add to the strangeness of the scene. The imprint on the back—"W. W. Deatrick, Kutztown, Pa."—identifies this as a photo by William Wilberforce Deatrick (1853-1925), who was a longtime faculty member at what is now Kutztown University . Additional examples of Deatrick's photos are available for viewing in the Kutztown University Postcard Collection . See also " W. W. Deatrick Left His Mark at Kutztown ," an article by George M. Meiser that appeared in the Reading Eagle , April 6, 1983.

I'm All Ears

28 Mar 2017 3 856
"I'm all ears. Tell me all about it. Wall." A corny postcard by illustrator Bernhardt Wall .

This Beats Walking

27 Apr 2017 1 433
"This beats walking. Monongahela Incline, Pittsburgh, Pa."

Miss America on the Beach, Atlantic City, N.J., ca…

03 May 2017 5 1 479
"490 - Miss America at Atlantic City, N.J. The Play Ground of America." A larger-than-life Miss America poses among all the little people on the beach in Atlantic City , New Jersey, circa 1920s. "Steeplechase the Funnest Place on Earth" and "A Playground of Innocent Amusement for Young and Old" are the slogans that are partially visible on the long Steeplechase Pier that extends out into the ocean behind Miss America.

The Ghosts of Christmas Presents

15 Jun 2017 3 722
A mother and son-—along with a tree and wrapped presents-—seem to be materializing out of the ether in this Christmas double exposure. For other haunted holiday happenings, see The Ghosts of Christmas Past and The Ghosts of Easter Past (below).

Women in Ladder CDV

31 Jul 2017 3 1 566
I'm trying to imagine what happened at the photo studio that day. Photographer: Well, ladies, I've just received a couple of interesting new props that we can use in your portrait today. There's one here and another one over there. Do you prefer the former or the latter? Ladies: Oh, we'll take the ladder , of course! Otherwise, there are no identifying details that might help to explain the origin of this unique photo.

Escape the Night

11 Apr 2017 4 3 498
The eye-catching cover of Escape the Night , a 1944 murder mystery by Mignon G. Eberhart .

Will You Be My Socialist Valentine?

21 Jan 2018 3 670
"To my valentine. I'm a socialist, will you be one? Free drinks, free money, free love. Ellam." Postmarked Saginaw West Side, Mich., Feb. 4, 1911, and addressed to Ward Brown, 820 North Mason, Saginaw West Side. Handwritten message: "I hope you are as I am and don't forget that day. You know and I know, and why should we forget it." Artist-signed postcard by William Ellam.

Have Just Run Across Some Old Friends

29 Sep 2017 1 432
"Have just run across some old friends." A postcard addressed on the other side to Master Willie McClinton, Black Bank, Ont., and postmarked Toronto, Ont., March 6, 1911. Handwritten message: "Sunday [March 5]. Dear Willie, Your mother was up to see us a few minutes today. You will have a great time keeping house. We are having a snow storm tonight. Robert's cat can play the piano. He walks back and forth over the keys. Goodbye for now. Your cousin, Dorothy."

A Jolly Halloween with Witchy Woman, Scarecrow Man…

12 Oct 2017 2 589
A quirky Halloween postcard addressed to R. D. Bell, Bellwood, Penna., and postmarked Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 2, 1910.

Halloween Cabbages—Is My True Love Tall and Grand?

16 Oct 2017 1 757
"O, is my true love tall and grand? O, is my sweetheart bonny?" Mirrors , cakes , apple peels , and chestnuts (see below) have all figured in the Halloween fortune-telling games depicted on early twentieth-century postcards. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found this postcard by Ellen H. Clapsaddle , which suggests that young women could use cabbages (or kales ) to foretell what kind of husband–tall and grand? bonny?–they might marry. In a discussion about Pumpkins and Postcards and Portents–Oh My! , Mikaela Taylor of Middlebury College explains how picking a cabbage from the garden could predict a woman's romantic future: "If the selected cabbage or kale was difficult to unearth, it denoted difficulty in a relationship. Kale with clumps of dirt stuck to the roots signified a rich husband, and the size, shape, and taste of the kale foretold the physical attributes and personality of a future spouse." Ellen Clapsaddle illustrated a number of other prognosticating postcards like this one. For another example, see Halloween Chestnuts—Uncertainly, Hope, Despair, Happy Ever After .

Pumpkinhead Boy with Witch and Black Cat

24 Oct 2017 3 1 645
Why is the witch holding a knife? Is that a plate of ice cream with a wedding ring on top? Is that a black cat or could it be a big rat? What is pumpkinhead boy smiling at? Why are some early twentieth-century Halloween postcards so puzzling?

Costume Creepiness

29 Oct 2017 5 4 653
An additional Halloween photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park ( post as many photos as you want--no limit!--that relate directly or indirectly to Halloween ). I'm not certain whether this photo was actually taken at Halloween, but I wouldn't want to run into this scary group in a dark alley on trick-or-treat night. See also the full version of this real photo postcard.

Costume Creepiness (Full Version)

29 Oct 2017 2 2 460
See also a cropped version of this real photo postcard.

Here's to a Jolly Thanksgiving Feast

13 Nov 2017 2 3 515
"Here's to jolly feast with Thanksgiving greetings." Printed on the back: "Thanksgiving Series No. 26." A male turkey with a woman's head? Or a woman wearing a turkey costume? Just another quirky American Thanksgiving postcard from the early twentieth century.

Turkeys Breaking the Wishbone on Thanksgiving Day

19 Nov 2017 1 2 580
A 1908 Tuck postcard with an apparently cannibalistic Thanksgiving scene of two turkeys pulling on a wishbone .

Leg Men

04 Dec 2014 2 781
Part of a real photo postcard that was cut out at this angle by the original owner.

Men with Tiny Hats

04 Feb 2018 3 4 498
A photo of banquets, feasts, meals for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Looks like the banquet for the League of Men with Tiny Hats was just about to begin when this photo was snapped (mouse over the image for a close-up view of the men and their miniscule headgear). I have no idea who these guys were or why they were wearing those hats. It doesn't seem to be a festive occasion—no one's really smiling or laughing at the sight of more than 70 heads festooned with funny hats. Ironically, some of the men's regular-size hats are hanging on racks at the back of the room.

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