Alan Mays' photos

"May your Hallowe'en be weird and witchy." Printed on the back of this postcard: "Raphael Tuck & Sons' 'Hallowe'en' Series of Post Cards, No. 188."

"Oh! Goodness! This must mean--'tis Hallowe'en!" Printed on the back of this postcard: "Raphael Tuck & Sons' 'Hallowe'en' Series of Post Cards, No. 188."

Printed on the back of this postcard: "Whitney Made, Worcester, Mass." Postmarked: Alexandria, Va., Oct. 30, 1917. Addressed to: Miss Lillie, 17 Cedar St., Rosemont, Alex., Va. Handwritten message: "Hope to see you Hallowe'en night. Mary Ella."

"A Hallowe'en party! Oh, that's the fun / We'll join it at the set of sun."

"Come out and join the fun and watch for ghosts when Hallowe'en comes on."

A Halloween pickle-pumpkin person postcard! Postmarked: Howard City, Mich., Oct. 29, 1920. Addressed to: Mrs. Ida Roush, Coral, Mich. R.F.D. Handwritten message: "Howard City, Oct. 27. Dear Ida, Will be down Sun. if the weather is good. If you have anything else on, call and let me know and we can come some other time. Lovingly, Ida Gates."

A tall photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This blindfolded school marm stands tall next to her students as she takes a turn to pin the tail--you can see it dangling from her right hand--on the donkey (mouse over the scene above for a close-up view of the woman and the donkey ). Or at least that was my initial thought when I saw this photograph. I noticed, however, that the children seem to be wearing better clothes than they might on a regular school day, so perhaps it's a special school event. Or maybe they're Sunday school students dressed in their Sunday best. Or it could be that it's a birthday party. Other interesting details: Only one boy is present. Another woman (teacher?) is standing in the background on the left. Some of the children are carrying advertising fans (the girl in the lower right-hand corner has one, but the image isn't sharp enough to determine the names or locations of the advertisers printed on the fan, unfortunately). An American flag is visible on the right.

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

"Dear folks, We are having a fine time. It was too hot to come the 12th. Joe left the 10th (Saturday) for Denver. Will be away 2 weeks. A party of 4. I know they will have a fine time. Where is Mable." Additional note on the back of this real photo postcard: "7/21. Too hot to move. Go to work, come home, and lay around. You folks come up. Ed."

Artist's initials: "HBG" (H. B. Griggs). Postmarked Oct. 31, 1912, on back.

"Dover, Somersworth & Rochester Street Railway Co. Newspaper stamp, 2c. Franklin Woodman, gen'l m'g'r."

Harrisburg Railways Company , Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, issued this ticket for a fare on a streetcar (or possibly a bus). Harrisburg Railways Company One Eight Cent Fare Good On All Lines 035875

"Compliments of New York One-Price Clothing Co., Westfield, Mass."

"How 'bout a date with your freight? Route via Southern Railway System. To, from, or within the South." A calendar for 1959 appears on the inside cover of this notepad. Printed on each individual sheet is the following: "Route via Southern Railway System. Fast, dependable, economical service."

A that could lead to trouble / danger photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note on the back of this photo: "Eng. No. 5. Dan rebuilt. Jerry in front." Stamped on the back: "This is a genuine Border Fox Tone Picture, made by Fox Company, San Antonio, Texas,...1927" ("Fox Co." also appears on the front in the lower right- and upper left-hand corners of the decorative border). Jerry precariously perches at the front of steam engine no. 5 as Dan (or someone else?) stands next to the cab at the back of the locomotive (mouse over the image above for a close-up view of the engine ). Judging by the smoke coming out of the smokestack, the engine is building up a head of steam, and it even appears that the train whistle is blowing, since steam is escaping from it. I hope that Jerry didn't lose his balance at the sound of the whistle or that his precarious pose on the locomotive didn't lead to any other trouble for him.

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

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "White Way Photo Studio, 1341 Broadway, New York City." For additional examples of this type of trick photo, which uses mirrors to create its illusion and is sometimes called a multigraph , see my Mirror Photos album.