Alan Mays' photos

"Greetings from Your Milkman. May all your road and paths lead to...." For the inside pages of this greeting card, see:

"A Merry Christmas. A Happy New Year. Johnstown Sanitary Dairy Co. Foster Hostetler." The following road and place names are listed on the map that's superimposed over the wintery landscape: Happy Town, Holiday, Friendship Highway, Merrytown, Pleasantville, Joyful, Joydale Road, Friends, and Peaceful Center. For the front of this card, see Greetings from Your Milkman :

"All Seasons Greetings from your milkman, Don Griffith, St. Lawrence Dairy. Winter. Burnish." For the entire unfolded greeting card , see:

"All Seasons Greetings from your milkman, Don Griffith, St. Lawrence Dairy. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Burnish." See also the folded view of the card :

Single-sided greeting card printed in blue with other handpainted colors. Information regarding Karl Ramet is elusive. From brief mentions here and there, I believe that he was an artist who taught drawing in the Reading, Pa., schools in the early 1910s and then later moved to New York City, where he designed the sets for at least one Broadway show.

A one-of-a-kind handpainted Christmas postcard made from some sort of art board. Postmarked in Chantilly, Virginia, Dec. 16, 1955. Sent to Lancaster, Pa., with a return address in York, Pa. I believe that the artist who painted this postcard (it's not a print) was H. Robert Hildebrand, who was known for his paintings of dogs and other animals. See the following blog postings: York County Native H. Robert Hildebrand Was a Prolific Pet Portraitist and More Cute Dogs with Famous Owners Painted by York Native H. R. Hildebrand . For another postcard painting by the same artist, see Noel, Bob Hildrebrand, 1956 .

A unique handpainted Christmas postcard made from some sort of art board. Postmarked in York, Pa., Dec. 22, 1956, and sent to Lancaster, Pa. I believe that the artist who painted this postcard (it's not a print) was H. Robert Hildebrand, who was known for his paintings of dogs and other animals. See the following blog postings: York County Native H. Robert Hildebrand Was a Prolific Pet Portraitist and More Cute Dogs with Famous Owners Painted by York Native H. R. Hildebrand . For another postcard painting by the same artist, see Merry Christmas, Bob Hildrebrand, 1955 .

"I Print to Please. Pluck Art Printery, D. B. Landis, 257 N. Queen St." Detail from Pluck Art Printery Receipt, Lancaster, Pa., 1890s (see thumbnail image below). Pluck Art Printery, also known at different times throughout its existence as Pluck Print, Pluck Electric Print, and Landis Art Press, was a letterpress print shop run by David Bachman Landis (1862-1940) in Lancaster, Pa. On this 1890s receipt, Landis highlighted his slogan, "I Print to Please," with an illustration of a composing stick and mallet, two essential tools for setting type by hand.

"I Print to Please. Pluck Art Printery, D. B. Landis, 257 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pa, ________ 189__. Received of ________. ________Dollars. $____. ________." For a close-up of the left-hand portion of this receipt, see I Print to Please, D. B. Landis, Pluck Art Printery, Lancaster, Pa., 1890s (thumbnail image below).

"'Errymay Istmaschray! Ellen, Carl, and Donna Jean Ed, 1933. NRA." Cartoonist Carl Ed (1890-1959) created this card for himself, his wife Ellen, and his daughter Donna Jean in 1933. The Santa impersonators are characters from Ed's Harold Teen comic strip. That's Harold Teen himself tipping his Santa hat on the left, and his sidekick Shadow Smart is doing the same on the right. The teenagers' playful greeting of "Errymay Istmaschray" is, of course, Pig Latin for "Merry Christmas." The eagle and "NRA" on the toy sack refer to the National Recovery Administration , one of the New Deal agencies that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established in 1933 to combat the effects of the Great Depression .

A 1924 membership card for the Curwensville, Pa., Kennel (chapter) of the Ancient, Honorable, Transcendental, and Effervescent Order of Yellow Dogs. "Ride Si Sapis Sine Cura Esto Perpetuum Hic Et Ubique" (Google translates this from the Latin as: "The ride here forever and everywhere, if you are wise, be wholly free from care.") See also Angelica Paez's Order of Yellow Dogs membership card and my own The Yellow Dogs Will Gnaw at the Ancient Relic, 1923 ticket.

"50c Banquet 50c. The Yellow Dogs will gnaw at the ancient relic in peace and harmony at the Coleman House, Thursday, March 8th, 1923, after the regular meeting." See also Angelica Paez's Order of Yellow Dogs membership card and my own Ancient, Honorable, Transcendental, and Effervescent Order of Yellow Dogs, 1924 membership card.

"Sunset Park. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Skating New Year." This photographic greeting card shows sisters Beatrice, Henrietta, and Victory Baumgart (I'm not sure who's who in the photo). The Baumgart sisters operated the Sunset Park Rink in Williamsport, Pa., for a number of years in the 1930s. For a related item, see Halloween Party, Sunset Park Rink, Williamsport, Pa., 1939 (1 of 4) .

These six fellows evidently got their picture taken before they headed out hither and yon for a wild night of zithering (or, more specifically, autoharping ).

Trimmed real photo postcard. No date or location information.

A poetic invitation to a church fundraising event featuring pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day. The card is not dated, and I have not been able to determine the city or state where James P. Wolff's residence on South Broad Street may have been located. A Google search turned up a brief mention of a similar gathering in 1896: "A Pumpkin Social at Thanksgiving was a novelty, the proceeds furnishing eleven baskets of food for our poorest families" ( Sixteenth Annual Report of the General Board of Managers of the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the Year 1896-97 , Cincinnati: Western Methodist Book Concern Press, 1897, p. 115). -------- Pumpkin Social Thanksgiving Day Evening Residence Mr. J. P. Wolff, South Broad St. A pumpkin seed in my garden fell, And it grew, and grew. And it said to the Rose of Sharon blossoms "A Thanksgiving pumpkin I'll be to you. Let me be of use to get, Money on the new church debt. My heart when freed form all its eyes, Makes delicious pumpkin pies. Call your friends and make a feast. Give each one a great big piece, Accompanied by a glass of milk. Soon over town, 'twill be the talk. Some wax candles you must put, In the arm holes of my coat, For a jack o'lantern fine, On the gathering throng to shine. In my pocket there is room for a lot of silver coin. Even my seeds may be of use, While concealed they're hard to guess." Now have the roses of Sharon agreed, To the plan of Thansgiv'g pumpkin seed So we've come to invite you to the treat, At the home of Jas. Wolff, South Broad St. Remember the time, Thanksgiving day, Don't anyone think of remaining away. Bring all your friends, don't let the time pass Without lending your aid to our S.S. class.

Mouse over the top of this real photo postcard to see a close-up of the turkey . "With Thanksgiving seasons greetings." Postmarked: Big Rapids, Mich., Nov. 23 and 24, 1908. Addressed to: Ethel Finnan, 606 S. Mich. Ave., Big Rapids, Mich. Message on back: "Dear Ethel, Your card and letter both received and glad to hear you are prospering. We are very busy these days. All my turkeys to market besides the geese and chickens. I've made two pretty dresses the last two weeks. Tate Pearson came up and stayed while we both made her dress. She and Hoddie called this p.m. Lydia. These cards are our own make. Nov. 22/08."

See also the full version of this real photo postcard. "With Thanksgiving seasons greetings." Postmarked: Big Rapids, Mich., Nov. 23 and 24, 1908. Addressed to: Ethel Finnan, 606 S. Mich. Ave., Big Rapids, Mich. Message on back: "Dear Ethel, Your card and letter both received and glad to hear you are prospering. We are very busy these days. All my turkeys to market besides the geese and chickens. I've made two pretty dresses the last two weeks. Tate Pearson came up and stayed while we both made her dress. She and Hoddie called this p.m. Lydia. These cards are our own make. Nov. 22/08."