Alan Mays' photos

"Old Fashion Ginger Snaps. Baked by Nabisco. National Biscuit Company." In addition to this paper pirate mask, Nabisco also promoted its Old Fashion Ginger Snaps with a "Rocket Man" mask (which turned up in a Google search--I wish I had a copy of it!), and I'm guessing that both masks probably date to the 1960s or 1970s. And who knew that pirates had such big ears? 8-)

This makes me cringe every time I look at it, so it must be appropriate for the Weird Vintage Postcards group. 8-) "Here's a maid past sweet sixteen, / Who'd hardly pass for beauty's queen, / To set her free 'twould not be wise, / She'd bite and scratch out your eyes." Handwritten message on back: "With my compliments, E.B." Addressed to: "Miss Bertha Fulton, Sinnemahoning, Pa." No stamp or postmark. Printed on back: "Series 539."

Or should that be "Merry Autumn and a Happy Fall Season"? Posing among the trees and falling leaves during "autumn" at the Vintage Photos Theme Park .

"Mrs. Margaret Kushmore, nurse, No. 319 Richmond Street." An unusual Victorian-era business card. Calling cards that listed just a name were the norm for women and men in the late nineteenth century, but it's not as common to find a business card from that period that advertises a woman's name, occupation, and address in this manner. It's likely that this is the same Margaret Kushmore (1828-1909) who is buried in the East Cedar Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is located about six miles from the 319 Richmond Street address that she used on her card.

A young Lizzie Borden playing with her friends. 8-)

A "photo that was taken in the town you currently live in" for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . I purchased this photo a year or two ago at an area antique mall, and it was only when I got it home that I realized that it showed a monument near where I live in Middletown, Pennsylvania . Middletown--named for its location midway along the old road between Lancaster and Carlisle--is situated along the Susquehanna River about 10 miles from Harrisburg, the state capital, and is less than 5 miles from the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station , site of the 1979 nuclear accident . Middletown is also in the midst of a south-central Pennsylvania tourist region that includes destinations like the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch farmlands in Lancaster County , the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County , and the town of Hershey --known for chocolate manufacturing and an amusement park --in Dauphin County , the same county where Middletown is located. Founded in 1755, Middletown is one of the oldest communities in the county, so it's not surprising that this Revolutionary War monument was erected and dedicated in 1931 with six-year-old William Lemon and his three-year-old sister Mary standing by in colonial costumes during the dedication ceremony on October 28. The monument still exists today next to St. Peter's Kierch , an historic Lutheran church dating to 1767. For a recent photo of the monument, mouse over the image above. For additional views of the Revolutionary War monument and St. Peter's Kierch, select the thumbnail images below. The inscription on the monument: "Erected by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Swatara-Pine Ford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This tablet is in commemoration of the services of Revolutionary War soldiers buried at Middletown or immediate vicinity. This marker is dedicated in grateful recognition of their patriotism, valor, and fidelity." The rest of the tablet lists the names of 17 commissioned officers, 7 non-commissioned officers, and 134 privates. Typewritten note pasted to the back of the photo: "Picture of marker and children who unveiled the tablet, October 28th, 1931: William Kemp Lemon 3rd, aged 6 years, Mary Katheryn Lemon, aged 3 years. "Children of the American Revolution, descendants of four of the Revolutionary soldiers whose names appear on the tablet: Joseph Flora, Sr., John Bomberger, Capt. Frederick Rathwon, John Blattenberger. "This memorial erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Swatara Pine Ford Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution in commemoration of the services of the Revolutionary Soldiers buried in Middletown and vicinity."

For additional views of the Revolutionary War monument and the historic St. Peter's Kierch (St. Peter's Church) that stands next to it, select the thumbnail images below.

For additional views of the Revolutionary War monument and the historic St. Peter's Kierch (St. Peter's Church) that stands next to it, select the thumbnail images below.

Text of the blue and yellow historical marker: "Saint Peter's Kierch. Cornerstone laid July 13, 1767, and dedicated by Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, patriarch of American Lutheranism. Church erected on ground provided by George Fisher, the founder of Middletown, for annual rental of 'one grain of wheat.' Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission." For additional views of St. Peter's Kierch (St. Peter's Church) and the Revolutionary War monument that stands next to it, select the thumbnail images below.

See St. Peter's Kierch on Google Maps for a street view of the church. For additional views of St. Peter's Kierch (St. Peter's Church) and the Revolutionary War monument that stands next to it, select the thumbnail images below.

"Old Lutheran Church and Cemet[e]ry, Middletown, Pa." An old real photo postcard. This church still stands along North Union Street in Middletown today and is known as St. Peter's Kierch or St. Peter's Church. For a similar street view of the church today, see St. Peter's Kierch on Google Maps . For additional views of St. Peter's Kierch and the Revolutionary War monument that stands near it, select the thumbnail images below.

Printed on the back of this advertising postcard: "Feel the difference in a Mallory straw. We have a wide selection now on hand. Why not drop in soon and select your favorite?" The month of May used to be the time when men traditionally traded their winter felt hats for summer straw hats. The Mallory Hat Company created this postcard so that dealers could inform customers that it was time for them to purchase a new cool-as-an-iceberg Mallory straw Panama hat for summertime wear. . For an earlier example of an exaggeratedly large Panama hat used in an advertisement, see the San Francisco 1915 postcard that's featured as part of the Michigan State University Museum's Tall Tale Postcards: Storytelling Through the Mail exhibit.

Ouch! Anyone ever hear of Knoto? Knoto's signature is on the back, so it's likely that he used this as a pitch card, but I haven't been able to uncover any further information about him.

"New Port Authority Bus Terminal, 41st Street & Eighth Avenue, Longacre 4-8484, one block from Times Square." Printed on the back of this postard: "Largest in the world, the $24,000,000 Port Authority Bus Terminal to open December 15, 1950, was built by the Port of New York Authority, the self-supporting joint agency of the states of New Jersey and New York, to relieve street traffic congestion in Manhattan and to provide a comfortable central station for 130,000 bus commuters and many thousand long distance bus travelers who daily enter and leave New York. The Port of New York Authority, 111 Eighth Avenue. N.Y. 11, N.Y." Message and name--both printed rather than handwritten--on back: "I thought you would be interested in receiving the above facts about the Port Authority Bus Terminal. With best wishes, cordially, Howard S. Cullman." See also Steve Shook's image of this postcard on Flickr, which has a linen finish that's missing on my copy: New Port Authority Bus Terminal, 1950 - Linen Postcard .

I hope they escaped in time! A Florida souvenir real photo postcard. Postmarked: Miami, Florida, Nov. 13, 1923. Addressed to: Mr. Adam Petcher, Box 515, Somerset, Pa.

Handwritten on back of photo: "Orville Mellis, Decatur, Illinois, 1938, Lincoln impersonator." Reminiscent of Alexander Gardner's photo showing Allan Pinkerton, President Lincoln, and Maj. Gen John A. McClernand posed in front of a tent on the Antietam, Maryland, battlefield, Oct. 3, 1862.

Handwritten on the back of this real photo postcard: "John W. Taylor after a hard day's work, July 27, 1921, Clarksburg, W.Va., 633 Dale Ave."

Handwritten on the back of this real photo postcard: "Mrs. Mace, you said when we were over [that] you only get ugly post cards, and I said I have a few I will send you, and now here they are, from your friend, Amanda Ench." Although Amanda Ench jokes about her "ugly" postcard, I think that she has a pleasant, dignified look with sparkling eyes and a wry expression that hints at her self-deprecating sense of humor.