Alan Mays' photos

"Happy New Year, John Wanamaker. Welcome at all times. Grand Depot, Philadelphia, Pa. Loag, pr."

A strange and inexplicable New Year greeting! An old woman is tossing a young boy, identified as "1889" across his back, into a steaming kettle of soup that she's cooking over a hot fire. The legs of her previous victim are barely visible at the edge of the kettle. Am I missing something here? Is there a literary allusion or proverb or something else that might explain this? Otherwise, it seems a rather cruel and violent way to greet the New Year. In any case, after initially believing this to be a calling card, I finally discovered that it's number 5 ("Old woman holding boy 1889 over soup tureen") in a series of 50 "New Years 1890" cigarette cards issued by Kinney Tobacco Co. See Kinney New Years 1890 Cards - N227 for additonal information about the card series. By the way, some of the other cards in this series also show strange and unsettling scenes: No. 19 - Boy pushing huge snowball over figure of 1889. No. 20 - Duelist 1890 standing over fallen 1889. No. 36 - Boy 1890 skates round 1889 falling through ice. No. 38 - Whale swallowing 1889, 1890 steps on to floating globe. No. 49 - Sun as spider devouring insect 1889, insect 1890 flies away. A checklist for the card series and illustrations of each card are available at Kinney New Years 1890 Cards - N227 .

The officers and directors of the Farmers National Bank, Pawnee City, Nebraska, extend to you their sincere best wishes for a prosperous and happy New Year.

"In closing the books of the old year we take great pleasure in voicing our appreciation for past favors. On your page we would inscribe these joyful words: health, happiness, and prosperity. Herr and Company, Lancaster, Pa. H & Co. Greetings. Credits for you: 52 weeks of health, happiness, and prosperity."

May each new day bring something So friendly and so glad That each one in its passing Seems best of all you've had.

"With best wishes for a happy New Year, Diamond Saw and Stamping Works, Buffalo, N.Y."

Or Joyeux Noël? Although "Happy New Year" is the French greeting on this hand-colored real photo postcard, the greenery, snowman, and red and green coloring seem to suggest a Christmas scene.

See the full version (above), top half , and bottom half . -------- Carriers' Annual Address to the Patrons of the Harrisburg Daily Patriot, Wednesday, January 1, 1879 Headline of newspaper in illustration: "A Happy New Year." -------- Carriers' Address A year has closed a circle again That ne'er can be broken by power of men; so list to a song of its woe and its cheer, A song of the sad, glad, dead old year, 'Tis the carriers' song, the carriers true Who've served you the news the whole year through. Oh, we are the carriers, ready and swift! We whistle right merrily all the way. As, bringing the latest news from the world, We hurry along in the morning gray. Oh, what cared we for the springtime fair, The budding trees and its opening flowers! Oh, what cared we for its sunshine sweet, Or its smirching mud and its drenching showers! The Turk had been crushed by the Czar's bold hosts, And peace would now reign in lands over the sea; In Congress, to keep peace all Europe would meet; --And we carried the news of these great things to be. Then William the good king of Prussia was shot-- We must carry the news--all Prussia was stirred. Then Mercedes died, the sweet Spanish queen, And from Spain the voice of sorrow was heard. Soon all in the cool, the sweet-scented shade Of the fresh summer morning we hurried along, Ere yet the fierce heat of the day had shone out, While caroled each bird his blithest, best song. But no time to enjoy these, for up from the South The voice of the fever-struck, praying, had come For help from the North in their day of distress, And we carried the prayer into each northern home. And then in the hazy, beautiful morn, All tinted with shades of the gold autumn days, We saw o'er the trees decked in numberless hues, The round, rising sun in its first glory blaze. But we cared not, we cared not for beauty of earth, For out on the pitiless, treacherous deep A shipload of lives had gone down in the night, And we bore the sad news that caused many to weep. Oh, cold, oh cold was the winter's wild blast, And blinding and thick was the hard-blowing snow! What cared we, what cared we for winter so drear! Let the snow drift deep and the cold winds blow! We carried the news of another ship lost-- The news of the day Congress opened its doors-- Of Beaconsfield's speech--the campaign in the East-- The heralds of "wars and rumors of wars." And now on our rounds the whole round year We've tirelessly traveled. To some have been sad The tidings we've brought, but as well have we brought The news that has made full many hearts glad. If the news that we faithfully lay at your doors Make sad hearts or glad hearts, we can never say; And we never would know. We travel our rounds And whistle right merrily all the way.

See the full version , top half (above), and bottom half . -------- Carriers' Annual Address to the Patrons of the Harrisburg Daily Patriot, Wednesday, January 1, 1879 Headline of newspaper in illustration: "A Happy New Year." -------- Carriers' Address A year has closed a circle again That ne'er can be broken by power of men; so list to a song of its woe and its cheer, A song of the sad, glad, dead old year, 'Tis the carriers' song, the carriers true Who've served you the news the whole year through. Oh, we are the carriers, ready and swift! We whistle right merrily all the way. As, bringing the latest news from the world, We hurry along in the morning gray. Oh, what cared we for the springtime fair, The budding trees and its opening flowers! Oh, what cared we for its sunshine sweet, Or its smirching mud and its drenching showers! The Turk had been crushed by the Czar's bold hosts, And peace would now reign in lands over the sea; In Congress, to keep peace all Europe would meet; --And we carried the news of these great things to be. Then William the good king of Prussia was shot-- We must carry the news--all Prussia was stirred. Then Mercedes died, the sweet Spanish queen, And from Spain the voice of sorrow was heard. Soon all in the cool, the sweet-scented shade Of the fresh summer morning we hurried along, Ere yet the fierce heat of the day had shone out, While caroled each bird his blithest, best song. But no time to enjoy these, for up from the South The voice of the fever-struck, praying, had come For help from the North in their day of distress, And we carried the prayer into each northern home. And then in the hazy, beautiful morn, All tinted with shades of the gold autumn days, We saw o'er the trees decked in numberless hues, The round, rising sun in its first glory blaze. But we cared not, we cared not for beauty of earth, For out on the pitiless, treacherous deep A shipload of lives had gone down in the night, And we bore the sad news that caused many to weep. Oh, cold, oh cold was the winter's wild blast, And blinding and thick was the hard-blowing snow! What cared we, what cared we for winter so drear! Let the snow drift deep and the cold winds blow! We carried the news of another ship lost-- The news of the day Congress opened its doors-- Of Beaconsfield's speech--the campaign in the East-- The heralds of "wars and rumors of wars." And now on our rounds the whole round year We've tirelessly traveled. To some have been sad The tidings we've brought, but as well have we brought The news that has made full many hearts glad. If the news that we faithfully lay at your doors Make sad hearts or glad hearts, we can never say; And we never would know. We travel our rounds And whistle right merrily all the way.

See the full version , top half , and bottom half (above). -------- Carriers' Annual Address to the Patrons of the Harrisburg Daily Patriot, Wednesday, January 1, 1879 Headline of newspaper in illustration: "A Happy New Year." -------- Carriers' Address A year has closed a circle again That ne'er can be broken by power of men; so list to a song of its woe and its cheer, A song of the sad, glad, dead old year, 'Tis the carriers' song, the carriers true Who've served you the news the whole year through. Oh, we are the carriers, ready and swift! We whistle right merrily all the way. As, bringing the latest news from the world, We hurry along in the morning gray. Oh, what cared we for the springtime fair, The budding trees and its opening flowers! Oh, what cared we for its sunshine sweet, Or its smirching mud and its drenching showers! The Turk had been crushed by the Czar's bold hosts, And peace would now reign in lands over the sea; In Congress, to keep peace all Europe would meet; --And we carried the news of these great things to be. Then William the good king of Prussia was shot-- We must carry the news--all Prussia was stirred. Then Mercedes died, the sweet Spanish queen, And from Spain the voice of sorrow was heard. Soon all in the cool, the sweet-scented shade Of the fresh summer morning we hurried along, Ere yet the fierce heat of the day had shone out, While caroled each bird his blithest, best song. But no time to enjoy these, for up from the South The voice of the fever-struck, praying, had come For help from the North in their day of distress, And we carried the prayer into each northern home. And then in the hazy, beautiful morn, All tinted with shades of the gold autumn days, We saw o'er the trees decked in numberless hues, The round, rising sun in its first glory blaze. But we cared not, we cared not for beauty of earth, For out on the pitiless, treacherous deep A shipload of lives had gone down in the night, And we bore the sad news that caused many to weep. Oh, cold, oh cold was the winter's wild blast, And blinding and thick was the hard-blowing snow! What cared we, what cared we for winter so drear! Let the snow drift deep and the cold winds blow! We carried the news of another ship lost-- The news of the day Congress opened its doors-- Of Beaconsfield's speech--the campaign in the East-- The heralds of "wars and rumors of wars." And now on our rounds the whole round year We've tirelessly traveled. To some have been sad The tidings we've brought, but as well have we brought The news that has made full many hearts glad. If the news that we faithfully lay at your doors Make sad hearts or glad hearts, we can never say; And we never would know. We travel our rounds And whistle right merrily all the way.

"Fifteenth Annual Ball of the Reliance Fire Co., January 1st, 1879, Lady's Invitation."

Notice! On account of bad weather and roads the New Year's Party at Hotel Curtis, Barnes Corners, N.Y., was postponed until Friday evening, Jan. 10th, 1896. All are cordially invited to attend. G. S. Curtis, prop'r.

A snow photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . If the woman has just fallen down in the snow, why is she smiling? What happened to her coat? And why is the girl in the background smiling and just standing there on her skis? An amusingly contrived photo that makes me wonder why it was taken.

Hope you have a holiday celebration filled with as much fun and excitement as these kids seem to be having (well, the youngest one, at least, appears to be having a good time)! Best wishes, Alan