Alan Mays' photos

Handwritten caption: "Taken on our 10" television screen - June 24, 1948. Dewey nominated for pres."* This snapshot of 1948 Republican presidential nominee Thomas Dewey and his wife is actually a photo of an image from the screen of a Philco 48-1001 television set tuned in to the broadcast of the 1948 Republican National Convention , which "was the first presidential convention to be shown on 'national' television". In 1948, according to Wikipedia , "there were 27 television stations in full operation in the US and an estimated 350,000 TV sets in the whole country." For a better view of the televised image, see a cropped version of this photo. *Although the handwritten caption below the photo gives the date as June 24, it's possible that it was a day later, on June 25, 1948.

This is Thomas Dewey , the 1948 Republican presidential nominee, and his wife in an image from the televised broadcast of the 1948 Republican National Convention . The image is a photograph of the screen of a television set that received the convention broadcast in 1948. See also the full version of this photo and a snapshot of the actual Philco 48-1001 television set that was tuned in to the convention broadcast.

A photo of parades and/or flags for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The dealer's notation on the back of this real photo postcard says, "Welcome Home Day, Sunbury, Pa., 1919." The city of Sunbury , Pennsylvania, held a Welcome Home Day for returning World War I soldiers in 1919. This was one of the floats in the parade that was part of the celebration. Take a look at a cropped version of the photo for a better view of Lady Liberty and the other riders on the float.

Lady Liberty stands in the middle of a parade float in Sunbury, Pa., in 1919. A sailor and a soldier are in front of her, and a nurse and another woman are at the back of the float. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

"The Human Flag, Loyal War Governors Parade, Altoona, Pa., Sept. 1912." A postcard of the "Human Flag"—women holding umbrellas to form the stars and stripes of the United States flag—during the parade in Altoona , Pennsylvania, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Loyal War Governors' Conference .

Uncle Sam makes a holiday appearance for—the Fourth of July? Nope, it was a prize-winning Halloween costume in Sunbury , Pennsylvania, on October 31, 1931. A handwritten note on the back of this snapshot describes the scene as "Uncle Sam in full costume, Oct-31-1931. Best masked person at Sunbury street frolic. Grand champion premium of $1.50." You can take a closer look at that champion mask, or check out a different Uncle Sam from Michigan .

Who was that masked man? Why, Uncle Sam, of course, though his appearance here was for Halloween rather than the expected Fourth of July holiday. You may also want to take a gander at the full photo .

A nineteenth-century broadside advertisement for Theodore Trickel 's new shoe store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Opened! Theodore Trickel. New Shoe Store, 1520 South 63d Street. Unfurl the [flag] and spread the news, Theo. Trickel repairs all kinds of shoes, Men's, women's, and misses' repaired very neat At 1520 South 63d Street. Shoes repaired from the best of leather And warranted to keep out the weather, Half soleing and heeling done with care, Of your patronage he asks a share. Invisible patches put on quite neat That cannot be seen upon the feet, All the work that is done by me, Will give satisfaction I guarantee. The public all should keep in view Shoes repaired to look like new, Don't forget to give me a call Shoes repaired, large or small. Custom Work a Specialty Repairing neatly done and promptly attended to. Ready-made shoes in stock for men, women, and children at the lowest prices. Theodore Trickel 1520 South 63d Street, Philadelphia Alfred D. Smith, printer, 5841 Baynton Street, Germantown.

"Beam Eye Bow. This is a puzzel." Have you figured out the puzzle? The illustration accompanying "Beam Eye Bow" (say the words quickly a few times) is a rebus that translates to "Be My Beau"(a beau , of course, is a boyfriend or sweetheart). This is a postcard designed to look like a school slate , and its playfully flirtatious message reminds me of an acquaintance card (compare it with May I See You Home? ). There's no date on this postcard, but I have a second copy with a 1907 postmark, and a web search uncovered another example from 1909. For another bow/beau postcard, see To My Affinity From One Who Has No Bow .

What else can you do with a stray M, a couple of Os, and an exclamation point!

"Market Street, Elizabethtown , Pa., Looking South from the Square. Pub. by G. N. Falkenstein." A postcard addressed on the other side to Mrs. Annie Perinell, Mt. Joy, Pa., with postmarks for Elizabethtown, Pa., April 12, 1906, 7 p.m., and Mount Joy, Pa., April 13, 1906, 7 a.m.

A photo of folded arms and/or crossed legs for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "...Base-ball Club, Boswel....weg. [or neg.?] by Wm. Hicks." This is a damaged real photo postcard of a baseball club from Boswell , Somerset County, Pennsylvania, dating to the 1900s or 1910s. Although part of the handwritten caption is missing due to the torn-off corner, the baseball club name appears to have been the Regulars, judging by the shirt worn by the man standing on the left with his hands on his hips. Other players are standing with their arms folded, and some are sitting cross-legged on the ground. William Hicks was a 24-year-old resident of Boswell when he listed his occupation as photographer on a marriage license application dated November 25, 1907 (as viewed on the Ancestry web site). His wife-to-be was Catharine E. Henry, who was 18 years old and also lived in Boswell. I haven't been able to locate any additional information about William Hicks and his photographic work, but I'm guessing that he may have been the photographer for two other real photo postcards from the same town: Nicollette at Boswell, Pa. , and Atlantic Coal Company's Mine, Boswell, Pa.

"Nicollette at Boswell, Pa." Sign: "Come In. Only 5¢." I haven't been able to uncover any information regarding this "Nicollette" (or "nicollettes," perhaps, if there were others besides this one), but my best guess is that this was an early nickelodeon move theater . See also a cropped version of this photo for a close-up of the entrance and the guys sitting on the steps.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

A photo of shop- or storefront(s) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Jacob Kamp (1838-1902) was the proprietor of a shoe store in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. I believe that's him standing with his hands on his hips in the doorway of his store (above the "K" in "Kamp's" that was added to the sidewalk by the photographer). The name "J. Kamp" appears at the top of the building. The front window in Kamp's store displays a variety of shoes and includes seven individual signs with the dates for the week of "Monday, May 29" through "Saturday, June 3" and the following "Monday, June 5." These dates, together with the days of the week on which they fall, allow us to determine which years the photo may have been taken. The fifth day of June, for instance, occurred on a Monday in the years of 1882, 1893, 1899, and 1905. Since Jacob Kamp died in 1902, my best guess is that this photo dates to either 1893 or 1899. On the right, two men are standing at the entrance to a grocery store , which advertises "berries, new potatoes, tomatoes, and cabbages" with lettering on the window. The second floor of the building is occupied by "Aetna Life," the "largest life and accident co. in the world," with insurance coverage for "fire," "life," and "accident," as indicated on the exterior of the building. These two buildings are still standing . Compare this photo from the 1890s with the Google Maps image from 2018.

For more information, see the full version of this photo.

For more information, see the full version of this photo.

For more information, see the full version of this photo.