Alan Mays' photos

Written on the back of this snapshot: "Easter Sunday, Apr. 18-54."

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of fences, walls, or other boundary markers . "Butantan (Serpentario), S. Paulo." A real photo postcard of the serpentarium (serpentário) at the Butantan Institute (Instituto Butantan) in São Paulo, Brazil. The mound-like concrete structures house the snakes, and the wall that encloses the area keeps visitors safe while they observe them. The Butantan Institute is a major research center with an extensive collection of venomous snakes that are used in the manufacture of antivenom.

"'Blasting stumps' on the Isted Farm. Whipple Photo." A dramatic real photo postcard showing the detonation of dynamite or some other explosive in an apparent attempt to clear tree stumps from a field. Evidently, though, the blast didn't look impressive enough, so the photographer drew on the negative to add large pieces of fake debris flying high into the air. It also appears that the photographer crossed out an earlier caption and wrote the words "blasting stumps" over it. I haven't been able to determine the location of "Isted Farm" or the identity of the "Whipple Photo" photographer.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of sign(s) of spring . This is an early twentieth-century real photo postcard with a handwritten caption on the other side that says, "Papa Drilling." As Wikipedia explains, " Drilling or seeding are the terms used for the mechanized sowing of an agricultural crop." The man in the photo is using a horse-drawn seed drill for spring planting. I bought this photo together with some others that came from Milton , Pennsylvania, so it's likely that this picture was taken somewhere in the same area.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of cowboys and/or cowgirls . In this photo dated "Jan. 70," a young boy is wearing a cowboy hat and holster as he rides "Marvel the Mustang," a Marx toy advertised as "The Real Galloping Horse" (see Marvel the Galloping Mustang on the Virtual Marx Museum for more information). Notice the TV set with rabbit-ears antenna on the left, the decorated Christmas tree behind the boy, and the boxes stacked on the chair on the right. The boxes include one for a Tonka toy car carrier and another for a "Reflection 3 Pc. Chip 'n' Dip Set." For a cowgirl with her toy horse, see Riding Toward the Sun: Dale Evans and Buttermilk .

A photo of dolls for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note on the other side of this small snapshot (circa 1950, possibly from Columbia County, Pa.): "Charlie Coates (left). Ed Sharretts (right). Madge dressed Charlie & I dressed Ed. Ed got [a] prize for being the cutest." Not to be confused with Guys and Dolls .

A scepter photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of canes, batons, spears, etc. This regal real photo postcard bears a dealer's notation on the other side that says, "St. Augustine, 1920s." The design of the Azo stamp box (with four corner squares) on the verso suggests a possible date ranging from the early 1920s through the 1940s. I haven't been able to determine where this king and queen may have been holding court. There are some people sitting on the porch of the building in the background, so perhaps this is a tourist site in St. Augustine, Florida, or elsewhere.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of at the wedding (but not the bride or groom) . Handwritten note on the back of the photo: "They're decorating the car." In this snapshot from 1949, a young man and woman are decorating a bride and groom's getaway car. The woman (her white dress is visible beyond the man) may be "Verla," who's seen in another photo running down the steps of the church in the background. The words "watch" and "out" are written to the left and right of the license plate on the back of the car.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of college memories (your own or someone else's) . This is a real photo postcard of a female student sitting at a desk and pretending to read a book as she poses for a photo. On the back of the card is an Azo stamp box design (with squares in the corners) that indicates a time frame ranging from 1924 to 1949. A small "Sargent" pennant on the wall above the desk (see a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the pennant) suggests that the woman was a student at Sargent College, which is known today as the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College . An enlargement of the bookshelf on the desk revealed the following titles: Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , 9th ed., College Zoology , by Heg[ner], and Organic Chemistry . I was able to identify the first book as the ninth edition of Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , by Diana Clifford Kimber, Carolyn Elizabeth Gray, and Caroline E Stackpole, which was published by Macmillan in 1934. The second book, College Zoology , was authored by Robert W. Hegner and was also published by Macmillan, with a third edition in 1932 and a fourth in 1936. Although I didn't attempt to track down details about Organic Chemistry , the presence of the other two books confirms that this photo dates to 1934 or later.

A college student sitting at her desk. Notice the small "Sargent" pennant on the wall (upper right-hand corner of the photo), which suggests she was a student at Sargent College (now Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College ). For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard and an enlargement showing the books visible at the side of the desk.

An enlargement of the bookshelf on the college student's desk revealed the following titles: Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , 9th ed., College Zoology , by Heg[ner], and Organic Chemistry . I was able to identify the first book as the ninth edition of Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology , by Diana Clifford Kimber, Carolyn Elizabeth Gray, and Caroline E Stackpole, which was published by Macmillan in 1934. The second book, College Zoology , was authored by Robert W. Hegner and was also published by Macmillan, with a third edition in 1932 and a fourth in 1936. Although I didn't attempt to track down details about Organic Chemistry , the presence of the other two books confirms that this photo dates to 1934 or later. See also the original photo and a cropped version .

A reward of merit dating to the early nineteenth century. According to Patricia Fenn and Alfred P. Malpa's book about Rewards of Merit (1994), pp. 205-6, Henry Dodd and James Stevenson, Jr., were in business together as printers in Salem, New York, from 1814 to 1831. The "Betsy Bradley" listed on this Diligence Ticket may be the same "Elizabeth Bradley" who received a Reward of Merit for a Good Scholar, 1826 . Diligence Ticket To Betsy Bradley for diligence in study, is this certificate given. E. Durham, Ins. Dodd & Stevenson, Printers, Salem.

An early nineteenth-century reward of merit . The "Elizabeth Bradley" who received this reward of merit may be the same "Betsy Bradley" listed on a Diligence Ticket from the same time period. Reward of Merit This certifies that Elizabeth Bradl[ey] is a good scholar and merits much praise from her instructor Albert Caswell, Caldwell, March 18, 1826.

A nineteenth-century reward of merit. Bank of Merit 20 Shares of Stock to the Holder God offers reward, my Teacher does the same--they both encourage me. I tried, and success crowned my efforts. Harry Lightcap, Pupil. Benjamin Rich, Teacher. 20. XX.

A kids on horses photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A couple of kids pose on a horse in front of their house in this undated photo. For a similar picture, see The Cowboy Kid at Sidewalk Ranch .

A watching photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "#21. Industrial Parade, Old Home Week, July 26 to Aug. 1, 1914. Chambersburg, Pa. C. A. Laughlin." Spectators fill Memorial Square in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, as they watch a large piece of equipment pass by as part of the Industrial Parade that was held during Old Home Week in 1914. Photographer and postcard publisher Clyde A. Laughlin captured several different views of the parade and published a number of other real photo postcards besides this one. For another Laughlin photo from an earlier parade, see Hoch's Ice Cream Parlor Cow, Patriotic and Industrial Parade, Newburg, Pa., July 3, 1909 .

A signs photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Sign: "Candies, Ice Cream, and [Soda?]." Five guys pose for a picture in this unused real photo postcard (the Azo stamp box--with four corner triangles pointing up--on the other side of the card suggests a date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918).

A hands photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of hands/feet (a photo in which the hands or feet are prominent) . This merry scene of mayhem shows twelve young men and a boy staging a fake fight. They're all carefully posed, some with their fists raised and others holding sticks, a rock, and a knife in their hands. Their facial expressions range from convincingly menacing to unenthusiasticly smirking. The Cyko stamp box on the back of this real photo postcard suggests a date of either 1904-1920s (according to Playle's ) or 1906-1915 (according to Metropostcard.com ). See also a cropped version of the photo .