Alan Mays' photos

"H. J. Heinz Company, Main Plant and General Offices, Pittsburgh, U.S.A. Pure Food Products, Heinz 57 Varieties. The house in which we began, 1869." An advertising postcard, ca. 1900s-1910s, published by the H. J. Heinz Company , a food processing company known for its ketchup and more than 57 Varieties of other products.

Printed on the back of this postcard: "Serie 362. Pub. by Phila. Post Card Co."

A fruits and vegetables photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is a real photo postcard postmarked on the other side at: "Glenwood, Pa., Dec. 2, 1909." Addressed to: "Miss Sara Leggett, S.W. Cor. Peach & Media, West Philad." Message: "Dec. 2/09. Glad [that] kind Providence is allowing you to pass another Mile Stone on Life's Journey. M.M.L. Psalms 91.16. A picture of our Harvest Home." Bible verse cited in message (Psalms 91:16): "With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation." Although the message on the back of this card is a birthday greeting, the front of it is an interesting "picture of our Harvest Home" that shows fruits and vegetables arranged around the altar at the front of a church (mouse over the image above for a close-up view ). "Harvest Home" was--and continues to be--a religious celebration that's typically held at Lutheran, Reformed, and other churches in Pennsylvania and elsewhere during the late summer or early fall. As seen here, one of the notable aspects of the observance is a display of tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, cornstalks, flowers, and other fruits, vegetables, and grains. For additional examples, see my Harvest Home album.

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

Mouse over the image above for close-up view of the fruits and vegetables that surround the pulpit in this Harvest Home church display. If "Day: 40" on the hymn board on the wall refers to the fortieth week of the year, then it's likely that this church was decorated like this for a Harvest Home service sometime in late September or early October.

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

A church Harvest Home display with a variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and cornstalks. The man in the picture is probably the pastor of the church.

A church Harvest Home display with jars containing recently harvested and canned fruits and vegetables. For similar photos, see my Harvest Home album.

Words on the bell-shaped decorations in the middle: "Harvest Home." Text on the wall at left and right: "O give thanks unto the Lord. Praise the great giver. God giveth the increase." Text at top: "Siehe Ich bin bei Euch alle Tage bis an der Welt Ende" [translation: "Behold I am with you all days, even to the end of the world," a Bible verse, Matthew 28:20]. A photo of a church Harvest Home display, location and date unknown. For more examples, see my Harvest Home album.

"(Happy) Jack True, Ace of the Uke." I suppose that Happy Jack used this as a business card to promote his ace ukulele skills even though it doesn't include any contact information. It's possible that he was connected somehow with Chase V. Bickle's Ukelele School :

"Chase V. Bickle. Ukulele School. Beginners, advanced, melody. Studio: 1905 Elm St. Phone 2-1948." I believe that Mr. Bickle and his school were located in Dallas, Texas. Perhaps he knew Happy Jack True, Ace of the Uke :

Snapshot of an oversized covered wagon (or prairie schooner) and concrete oxen located along the Lincoln Highway in Kearney, Nebraska. For more recent images, see the Giant Vehicles page (scroll down to the "Covered Wagon, Kearney, NE" section) on RoadsideArchitecture.com and a Google Maps Street View of the location.

"Miniature Railway for the Kiddies, Willow Grove Park. Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. 07694625. One 6¼¢ fare. G. W. Davis, treasurer." Handwritten: "1924." From the Street Railway Review , Feb. 16, 1906, p. 66: " Willow Grove Park is owned by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. [which later became the Philadelphia Transportation Company ]. It is situated in Montgomery county, 13 miles from the center of Philadelphia, and is the terminus of six direct car lines, making it easy of access from all points in and about the city. It covers an area of more than 100 acres containing many natural and artificial beauties."

"Though we should meet no more, / Sweet maid, forget me not." "Sentiment cards [are] small, single-sided cards printed with greetings or messages on morality [and] were popular in the United States during the nineteenth century," as Lauren B. Hewes explains in her discussion of Sentiment Cards on the American Antiquarian Society's Web site. "The tradition of trading or sending these early greeting cards began in Europe in the 1820s, and soon crossed the Atlantic to America....Some may have done double duty as calling cards or as rewards of merit for young children." These hand-tinted examples of sentiment cards (see three more below) predate the more colorful chromolithographed calling cards and rewards of merit that were popular in the 1880s and 1890s.

Love Like Mine Can Never Die A blight may come upon thy name, And want and suffering dim thine eye, But thou wilt find me still the same, For love like mine can never die. W. B. Farrah

Try Again. 'Tis a lesson you should heed, Try again, try again; If at first you don't succeed, Try again; Then your courage should appear, If you will but perservere, You will conquer, never fear, Try again, try again. Handwritten on the back of the card: "Loren & Persnelia Wright."

This stamp collage postcard, which I found recently (2015) at a postcard show, is similar in concept to the Stamp Collage Postcard, 1930s (see below) that I posted a while ago. There's no identifying information on the back of this one, but I believe that it's a recent creation.