Alan Mays' photos

Google translates "En Stockholmsutflykt" as "A Stockholm Excursion," and Strömparterren is a park in Stockholm, but I'm not sure why this postcard shows Mary Poppins ' brother coming in for a landing.

Cover of an advertising brochure extolling the virtues of the "Studebaker Automatic Drive"--"the newest and most advanced automatic transmission." This Studebaker has "No clutch pedal, of course! But there's nothing new to learn. You just drive in the usual way--without any clutching, declutching, or shifting gears. Marvelous for 'new' drivers." "Studebaker Automatic Drive. The newest and most advanced!" License plate on front of car: "1950." Stamped on cover: "Goodwin Park Garage, 908 Maple Ave., Hartford, Conn."

"We can't make a skyrocket out of your car, but we can make it serve you better. 1. Spray springs. 2. Lubricate chassis. 3. Test battery and add distilled water. 4. Check transmission and differential. Special $1.00. This offer good until July 10th. Wenner Garage, Main Street, Conyngham, Pa."

"Membership card. This is to certify that Portia J. Gross as a Goofey Movie fan has been made an annual member of the Goofey Gang, 1929. Phil Strongbred, president. Not transferable. Member's signature." Cartoonist Fred Neher (1903-2001) issued this Goofey Gang membership card for young fans of his Goofey Movies comic strip. For an example of Neher's work, see " Goofey Movies Presents Tough Turkey ", a Goofey Movies strip published on January 3, 1929, which is available as part of the Ohio State University Libraries' Cartoon Image Database (select the Toggle Full Page button there for a better view of the image).

"Conestoga Coffee Blend, one pound net, Lancaster Wholesale Grocery Co., distributors, Lancaster, Penna." Although the landscape surrounding the Conestoga wagon in this illustration from the front of a paper coffee bag depicts the rugged terrain of the American West, early settlers actually used a different type of covered wagon (often just a simple farm wagon enclosed in canvas) to travel westward. The Conestoga wagon originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania , and its name may have come from the county's Conestoga Township or Conestoga River ("Conestoga" originally referred to a Native American group now more commonly known as the Susquehannocks ). It was a sturdy vehicle capable of handling large loads over the undeveloped dirt roads in Pennsylvania and surrounding states during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Given the local origin of the Conestoga wagon, it's not surprising that the Lancaster Wholesale Grocery Company chose the name for its coffee. And it's certainly more dramatic--through not accurate--to see the wagon traveling through a mountainous Western landscape rather than slogging through the muddy roads in the eastern United States. See also Howard C. Frey, Refurbisher of Conestoga Wagons .

"Howard C. Frey, East Prospect, Pa., refurbisher of Conestoga wagons, dealer in antique wagons, harness, whips, hame bells, tar pots, jacks, etc." For more information regarding the Conestoga wagon, see Conestoga Coffee, Lancaster, Pa.

"This is to certify that Mrs. Mary Ritters is a full feathered charter member of the Ron Drake Bird Watching Society, WHP radio 580." A Bird Watching Society membership card issued to fans of the popular radio personality Ron Drake (a "drake" is also a bird, get it?), who was active on the air in Harrisburg, Pa., from the 1960s until his retirement in 1982. Sadly, Drake passed away in 2005 .

Text from the back of the card: "Colburn's Philadelphia Mustard, king of condiments. Always reliable for table & medicinal uses. Flavor, pungency, strength combined in perfection. Better than imported and cheaper. Saving 14 cts. per lb. in duty. For sale by grocers & druggists in ¼, ½, & 1 lb. cans. Full weight." For a different card featuring an owl instead of a dog, see Colburn's Philadelphia Mustard Trade Card c.1880 , a posting by Christopher Neapolitan on his Philadelphia Forgotten blog. Neapolitan's posting also includes photos of the Philadelphia site where Colburn's mustard was made, along with an account of the tragic death of Arthur T. Colburn, founder of the spice company that manufactured the mustard, and two of his three daughters in a yachting accident in 1901. See also the back of this advertising trade card: Colburn's Philadelphia Mustard, Philadelphia, Pa. (Back) (below).

See also the front of this advertising trade card: Colburn's Philadelphia Mustard, Philadelphia, Pa. (below). "Colburn's Philadelphia Mustard, king of condiments. Always reliable for table & medicinal uses. Flavor, pungency, strength combined in perfection. Better than imported and cheaper. Saving 14 cts. per lb. in duty. For sale by grocers & druggists in ¼, ½, & 1 lb. cans. Full weight."

A cyanotypes photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "You can use this to keep the mice and rats away. Yes, I will keep the dog in and put out the key. A.S." Addressed to: Miss Maud W. Parker, North Lubec, Maine. Postmarked: South Lubec, ME, Oct. 18, 1906, and North Lubec, ME, Oct. 18, 1906. The joke about a photographic portrait being so bad or ugly that it scares away rodents, insects, and burglars was evidently a common one in the early twentieth century. Another version, for instance, appeared in a 1911 letter sent to American musician and composer William D. Dawson: "My Dear Mr. Armstrong: I duly received, welcome, and possessed myself of your portrait and am glad to have it. At the same time I am ashamed to recall that I have so long neglected to acknowledge it or to send the reciprocal photo to you. I have autographed one this evening and it will be shipped by freight tomorrow. It is warranted to scare away rats and burglars" (see W. T. Norton, William Dawson Armstrong, American Composer , New York: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1916, p 87). For another 1906 real photo postcard with a "scare away the rats" joke, see Guaranteed to Rid Any Cellar of Rats, Roaches, or Other Creatures (below).

"Guaranteed--to rid any cellar of rats, roaches, or other undesirable creatures. In case of failure to do so as represented, your money cheerfully refunded and no questions asked . September 15th, 1906 A.D." Addressed to: Miss Olive L. Carpenter, Box #99, Yantic, Connecticut. Postmarked: Philadelphia, Pa., Sep. 16, 1906. Judging by a Find A Grave search, the recipient of this real photo postcard was probably Olive L. Carpenter Bullard (1878 - 1917) ("wife of E. E. Bullard"), who is buried in the Yantic Cemetery, Norwich, Connecticut. If so, she would have been 28 years old when she received this postcard in 1906 and only 39 when she died in 1917. I wonder if it was her husband who sent her this card. For another real photo postcard with a similar "scare away the rats" joke, see Use This to Keep the Mice and Rats Away (below).

Located at the corner of Wilson and Wood Streets in Middletown, Pa., these two buildings now comprise Woodlayne Court, a 44-unit apartment complex. The building on the left formerly housed the A. S. Kreider Shoe Company ("Kreider's Shoes, Factory No. 1" is painted on the water tower) and later the Rough Wear Clothing Company. The Bayuk Cigar Company building on the right was later used by the Michael Bachman Shoe Company. Additional information and photos are available in David Ira Kagan and Edward William Sunbery, Middletown Borough (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2009), pp. 62-63.

I haven't been able to locate any information regarding this jazzy bunch of musicians. "Susquehanna," though, suggests an association with the Susquehanna River , which flows through Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland. Or perhaps they were students at Susquehanna University , which is located in Selinsgrove, Pa.

"Heavy failure. The entire stock of dry goods formerly owned by G. V. De Forrest, Cleveland, Ohio, and sold in bankruptcy, is now offered at the Brennan Store, 36 State St., at much below regular prices!" For another example of the typeface used here for "Dry Goods" and "Brennan Store, 36 State St.," see the words "Oil Blacking" on Russian Army Harness Oil Blacking (below).

"They're biting well here. Caught at Camp Caledon, Pa."

A souvenir real photo postcard showing a group of riders on the inclined plane railway located on Mount Manitou in Colorado. The camera was tilted at an angle when this photo was taken, which made the slope seem steeper than it really was. To get an idea of the actual steepness of the slope, see the rotated version (below). -------- Printed on the back: "Mt. Manitou Park, Manitou, Colo. A thousand acre park on top of Mt. Manitou, 9,500 feet above sea level. Ten thousand square miles of scenery within the range of vision. Ten miles of trails through the parks and leading to points of interest. A trip up Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline--the longest, highest, and greatest railway of its kind in the world. A rise of one-half mile elevation in a ride of one and one-quarter miles."

A souvenir real photo postcard showing a group of riders on the inclined plane railway located on Mount Manitou in Colorado. This rotated version of the postcard gives an idea of the actual steepness of the slope. Since the camera was tilted at an angle when the photo was taken, the original photo (see below) made the slope seem steeper than it really was.