Alan Mays' photos

The description on the reverse of the Morehouse's Comet stereograph published by the Keystone View Company.

The word "Hallowe'en" in gold letters is barely visible against the dark blue nighttime sky at the top of this postcard. On the ground down below, five young women carrying jack-o'-lanterns and wearing white robes are accompanied by a black cat as they make their way through a scary forest where even the trees and rocks seem to have menacing faces. I'm not sure what to make of this scene. Could these be novice witches on their way to a Halloween initiation where they'll receive their broomsticks and black garments? Or perhaps they're just Halloween partygoers who've gotten lost in an appropriately sinister setting. Unfortunately, the other side of the postcard doesn't provide any clues to explain the illustration. A handwritten message says, "Was at Phila. [Philadelphia] for first time, Oct. 17, 1914, Ida," but otherwise there isn't any address, stamp, or postmark.

"Hallowe'en. HBG." Printed on back: "2215. Printed in Germany." A Halloween postcard illustrated by H. B. Griggs. Other cards in Griggs' 2215 series of postcards show women who are holding a candle and mirror, bobbing for an apple on a string , or tossing an apple peel over a shoulder. Each of those other postcards depict traditional Halloween fortune-telling activities or games intended to reveal the identity of a future husband. I haven't, however, been able to figure out what the woman on this postcard is doing. She appears to be holding her hand over a bowl as steam or smoke rises from it, but I haven't uncovered any descriptions of similar Halloween practices.

Eight years after Alice Graybill and her sisters held their Halloween party at 718 North Plum Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the 1920 United States Federal Census recorded that the Graybills still lived at the same address. Alice was 31 years old in 1920, and she worked as a weaver in a silk mill. The census listed Alice as the owner of the home and the head of the household. There were six family members living at the house on Plum Street that year: -- Alice W. Graybill, 31, single, head of the house, weaver, silk mill -- Susan W. Graybill, 29, sister, weaver, silk mill -- Ada W. Graybill, 27, sister, cleaner, silk mill -- Weidler Graybill, 25, brother, machinist, machine shop -- Marie Graybill, 15, sister, winder, silk mill -- Grace Graybill, 12, sister, no occupation listed So at the time of their Halloween party in 1912, Alice and her sisters would have been about 23, 21, 19, 7, and 4 years old (perhaps they allowed brother Weidler at age 17 to attend, too). Alice eventurally married, and as Alice Graybill Harrington (1888-1969) she lived to the age of 80. For some other early twentieth-century Halloween invitations, see: -- Witches Watch Halloween Party Invitation, October 31, 1914 -- A Halloween Masquerade Invitation! October 23, 1920 -- Greetings for Halloween—Invitation for Revelry on Mystic Halloween, 1923 Yourself and friend are cordially invited to attend A Hallowe'en Party to be given at the home of Alice Graybill and sisters On Thursday evening, October the thirty-first nineteen hundred and twelve No. 718 North Plum Street, Lancaster, Pa. R.S.V.P.

I'm guessing that a masquerade held near the end of the month of October in the year MCMXX (or 1920 in Arabic numerals) would have had something to do with Halloween. One of the classes—juniors, sophomores, or freshmen—at an unidentified high school or college evidently created this invitation to ask the seniors to come to a party "garbed in costumes appropriate for th' occasion." Also, someone used a pencil on the invitation to darken the masquerader's ruffle and add lines to some of the squares in the plaid clothing design. A Masquerade! When? Saturday, October 25, MCMXX at 7:30 o'clock. Where? In the Conference Rm., News Bld'g. Hark, ye seniors: come garbed in costumes appropriate for th' occasion.

A 1923 invitation for a Halloween get-together at the Edwin Forrest House , which was the location of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now the Moore College of Art and Design ). I haven't been able to determine whether "Amy Lee" and "Mrs. Kuhir" were associated with the school in any way. Greetings for Halloween We invite you to meet with us at Edwin Forrest House at the hour of any o'clock to hold revel on the mystic Hallowe'en. Handwritten note on the back of this postcard: "To Mrs. Kuhir, All good wishes from Amy Lee. 1923." Printed on the back: "Series No. 297, Hallowe'en, 6 designs."

A Halloween dance ticket printed by Landis Art Press, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who used the same decorative half moons on other tickets. See, for instance, Sophomore Barn Party Ticket, East Petersburg, October 27, 1920 and Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920 . Masquerade Ball Will be given by the Anniversary Committee of Queen of Sheba Temple No. 137 on Thursday, October 31, 1940 in new Elk's Auditorium, 452 South Duke Street, Lancaster, Pa. Music by Duke Norman. Prizes awarded. Best dressed. Most comic. Admission 55 cents.

David Bachman Landis of Landis Art Press (formerly Pluck Art Printery ) printed this Halloween party ticket for the sophomore class of a local high school or college. Perhaps it was for students at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and they may have taken the special 7:00 p.m. streetcar from Lancaster to East Petersburg, which is located about six miles away. Or possibly it was for a group in East Petersburg itself. Compare this ticket with two others that Landis that printed, one for a dance held two days later-- Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920 --and another for a dance that took place two years later-- Black Cat Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 27, 1922 . Soph. Barn Party East Petersburg, October 27, 1920. Special car leaves square 7:00 p.m. Price per couple, $.150 [$1.50?].

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of defaced or altered—any photo that was found with the face scratched off, marked out, cut, etc. If you don't have a defaced photo in your collection, you can post any found photo that has been altered in some way, such as with writing, drawing, collage, etc. I found this cabinet card at a local antique mall a while ago. The elaborate wicker chair was what first caught my eye, and I was somewhat disappointed when I realized that someone had pasted Harry Truman 's head on the photo. But I ended up purchasing it anyway for the surreal—or maybe just silly—juxtaposition of presidential head and baby body. For other altered photos, see Altered Victorian Cabinet Card Portrait with Painted Skull Mask, Harrisburg, Pa. , and Does the Foreman Know about This?

A Halloween window display at the Goodwill Thrift Store in State College, Pennsylvania, on October 20, 2019. Or could it be a Twilight Zone of multidimensional reflections—a middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, a place full of terrifying creatures and bargain-priced merchandise?

John Matthes (1834-1894) was the proprietor of American House, a hotel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It's likely that this business card dates to around 1864, when Matthes ran a newspaper ad for American House. A later advertisement indicates that he was operating a wine and liquor store by 1873 (see below for the ads). American House Lebanon, Pa. Market Street, half-square south of Market House and one and a half squares from Court House. John Matthes, prop'r. The table is supplied with the best of edibles. The bar with the choicest of liquors. Extensive new stabling attached to the house. Handwritten name and year on the other side of the card : "Allen Longenecker, 1864." -------- Advertisement printed in the Lebanon Advertiser (Lebanon, Pa.), July 20, 1864, p. 4 : AMERICAN HOUSE, Market Street, Lebanon, JOHN MATTHES, Proprietor. The proprietor of this old established and popular HOTEL would respectfully inform the public that it will be conducted at all times to the comfort and convenience of its guests. It has been thoroughly refitted and renovated, and no pains will be spared to make the Table and the Bar, at all times, equal to any in the county. The STABLING and Yard are superior too, and more extensive, than any other in Lebanon. A new SHED is also in the course of erection, which will be completed in a short time. The patronage of the Farmers and the Traveling public generally is respectfully solicited. PLACE--West side of Market street, and half a square south from the Market House. JOHN MATTHES. Lebanon, April 6, 1864. -------- Advertisement in the Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pa.), Jan. 9, 1873, p. 4: "John Matthes' Wholesale and Retail Wine & Liquor Store, No. 33 North 8th Street, Lebanon, Pa."

This is an undated specimen list advertising some of the typefaces that David Bachman Landis (1862-1940) used at his letterpress print shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Landis originally named his shop Pluck Art Printery, but this specimen list dates to sometime after 1914, when he changed the name to Landis Art Press. Specimen List No. 15 Gothic and Sans Serif Type Landis Art Press Blair Gothic 4 sizes 6 pt. - One two three four 3 sizes 12 pt. - Five six and seven Steel Plate Gothic 3 sizes 6 pt. - Two three four 3 sizes 12 pt. - Five six and seven Inland Gothic 9 pt. - CAPS and Lower Case to 48 pt. Sans Serif Bold 24 pt. : with Lower Case 18 pt. CAPS : with Lower Case 14 pt. CAPS : with Lower Case 12 pt. CAPITALS : with Lower Case

A Halloween postcard addressed on the other side to "Miss Bertha Duncan, Cresson, Penna.," and postmarked in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on October 24, 1912. Handwritten message: "This card is a little soon for Halloween but I will send it anyhow. Aquilla." Printed on the back: "Printed in Saxony 0624." In a candlelit room at midnight on Halloween, a young woman gazes into a mirror through the steam from a cauldron so she can catch a glimpse of her future husband. For other Halloween postcards with a mirror-gazing theme, see: -- Halloween Greeting—I Gaze in the Mirror My Future There to See -- Halloween Greetings—Look Out for Ghosts -- Wishing You a Lucky Halloween

"What the boys did to the cow." A comic Halloween postcard published by Julius Bien & Co. in 1908. This postcard was addressed on the other side to Miss Lille Collins, 122 Dickerson Street, Newark, N.J., and postmarked in Smyrna, Delaware, on October 30, 1911. Message: "Love to all, E.R.C." For a another card from the same publisher, see What the Pig Thought of the Ghost on Halloween .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of furniture (one piece or a roomful; extra credit if your photo includes something instead of—or in addition to—a chair or a table, which we featured in previous themes) . Penciled notation on this photo: "Lewis Walker Co., 2/25." I haven't been able to locate any definitive information about the Lewis Walker Company, but I believe that it was located somewhere in Pennsylvania, possibly in Pittsburgh. The photo shows an office full of furniture and equipment. A solitary man sits at a desk , and additional desks, tables, chairs, and bookcases fill up the rest of the room. Interesting items in the middle of the room include a Dalton Adding Machine on its own stand, a Comptometer case on a desk, and a calendar hanging on the wall. See also close-ups of the man seated at the desk and the equipment in the center of the photo .

In this detail from a 1925 photo of the Lewis Walker Company Office , a young man is working diligently at his desk as he ignores the photographer who's taking his picture. The man is surrounded by the tools of his job. A clock and a holder with several rubber stamps are among the items I could identify on the desk. There's a pencil sharpener mounted on the windowsill, and a candlestick telephone is visible on another desk that's situated behind the man. See also the full version of this photo and a close-up of the equipment in the center of the room .

A number of interesting details are visible in this detail from the center section of this 1925 photo of the Lewis Walker Company Office . First, a Dalton Adding Machine is positioned on its own stand in the foreground. The machine was capable of printing calculations onto the paper from the roll that's positioned on top. Secondly, a case for a Comptometer —"the first commercially successful key-driven mechanical calculator"—is lying on the desk located behind and to the left of the Dalton machine. The label on the outside of the Comptometer box says, "Comptometer (Pronounced like thermometer). Felt & Tarrant Mfg. Co., Chicago, U.S.A. Adds. Divides. Multiplies. Subtracts." Finally, an advertising calendar hanging on the wall at the back of the room confirms that the photo was taken in February 1925 and suggests that the location may be Pittsburgh or somewhere else in western Pennsylvania. The advertisement on the calendar says, "Brown & Zortman Machinery Company, machinists supply company, machine shop equipment and supplies, Pittsburgh, Pa. February 1925." See also the full version of this photo and a close-up of the man seated at the desk .

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park monthly topic of costumes and uniforms—Halloween, theatrical, and other kinds of costumes, or uniforms from medical, military, and other settings (submit a photo on this topic each week in addition to—or instead of—a photo for the weekly topic) . Is it a ghostly apparition or just some out-of-focus Halloweeners? Sometimes it's hard to tell. A red-border "Kodachrome Transparency," circa 1955.