Alan Mays' photos

"Merit Reward Merit. Look up and not down. Look forward and not backward. Look out and not in. And lend a hand. Presented to David Snyder, by R. C. McNamar, teacher. Colton, Zahm & Roberts, N.Y." American author Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) published variations of his "Four Mottos" ("Look up and not down, look forward and not back, look out and not in, and lend a hand!") as early as 1870. For another reward of merit printed by Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, see Those Who Know Everything in General Know Nothing in Particular .

A reward of merit dated 1875. Unfortunately, the small but colorful chromolithographed scrap glued to the middle of the card isn't positioned correctly (take a look at a rotated version instead of craning your neck), but the elaborate design surrounding the scrap makes up for it. The nineteenth-century "maxim" printed on the card reminds me of the modern quip about know-it-alls: "Those who think they know everything annoy those of us who do." For another reward of merit printed by Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, see Look Up and Not Down . Golden Maxim Reward Those who know everything in general, know nothing in particular. Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, New York. Written on the back of the card: "1875, James M. Stoner."

A rotated view of this reward of merit provides a better--though still tilted--view of the chromolithographed scrap added in the middle For the original, see Those Who Know Everything in General Know Nothing in Particular .

A lemony postcard from 1906 that was connected to the "23 skidoo" fad that was popular at the time (notice the "23" on the hat or whatever it is that's on top of the lemon's head). To find out what lemons meant in the early twentieth century and how they were connected to 23 skidoo, see Skidoo 23 Is Now 37 . For more postcards, see my 23 Skidoo and Lemons Too album. The Lemon Oh, something that's yellow and egg-shape, not round! You buy by the dozen, in crates they are found; Oh, something that's handed out freely each day, "For yours" this portrait now comes to say.

An amusing "advance card" that a traveling salesman could send to let customers know when to expect his visit. For other early twentieth-century advance cards, see I'll Be There Soon to Tell You How to Jinger Up Your Trade , Zing! Coming Round Your Way , and I Am Pushing on the Lines .

A graduation photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "Alberta Mays, Class of 1936, Mulberry High School, Mulberry, Ind. Kobel Studio. April 27, 1936." A unique graduation photo for Alberta Mays (no relation) that combines a portrait of the student, a photo of the high school, and an image of a calendar for the month of April 1936.

"Putnam Fadeless Dyes-Tints." A late 1920s paper advertising fan with a wooden handle. The elaborate Art Nouveau design of the fan features a green nymph in flowing robes who's using Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints to paint colors onto the wings of a quizzical-looking butterfly. Two other leafy green creatures kneel on either side as they hold bowls of Putnam products. Purple gnarly tree trunks and branches along with green leaves frame the fantastical scene. See also the advertising copy on the back of the fan .

Partial transcription of the text on the back of the Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints Advertising Fan : Putnam Fadeless Dyes, Tints To dye, use boiling water. To tint, dip in warm water. Colors all materials. Putnam No-Kolor Bleach removes the original color, which enables you to dye material any color desired. No-Kolor will not harm any fabric that boiling water alone will not injure. Why Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints are best for you.... Tint with Putnam (no boiling is required).... A free offer if you have gray hair.... Putnam Dry-Cleaner. The original dry cleaner.... Monroe Chemical Company, Quincy, Illinois. The Regensteiner Corporation, Chicago. Compliments of Geo. F. Hoy, Hublersburg, Pa.

A photo of friends for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the back: "J. M. Snyder, photographist, Berwick, Pa. Duplicates can be had at any time." Three jaunty fellows--friends with self-assured looks on their faces and cigars in their mouths--peer out at us from this nineteenth-century carte de visite photo. Checkered vests and pants must have been in vogue at the time.

For the Vintage Photos Theme Park, a photo of troublemakers and misfits (that guy always was a troublemaker: photo featuring a misfit—someone set apart from the rest of the people by dress, action, expression, etc.) . A jolly bunch of men and women are posing under a tree—and on a tree house or platform attached to the tree—for what turned out to be an overexposed photo that then faded over time. After I scanned the photo and adjusted its contrast, I was able to spot some interesting details, like the beaming smiles on some of the women's faces and the bow ties and striped shirts worn by a few of the men. One fellow at upper right is smoking a pipe and holding the legs of a guy who's sitting on the railing above him. And then there's the dude who's smack dab in the middle of the group (see a cropped version for a close-up view). He's puffing on a cigarette and seems to be lunging toward a man in the front row. Judging by the blur of the hatchet he's holding in his raised hand, the man in front received a blow to the head just after the photographer snapped the photo. Or at least that seems to be what this troublemaker wanted us to believe. Notice, too, how the young woman to the left of the hatchet wielder is grinning. It's hard to tell if she's in on the joke or is actually oblivious to the impending hatchet chop. P.S. For another rabble-rouser caught on film, see Aieeeeee!!!

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

A photo of hikers from the Victorian era or another time period for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A real photo postcard with a handwritten note: "Taken in Sages Ravine, Mass. Helen Allison." Curiously, although the photo was taken in Massachusetts, the address on the back of the card is "Mrs. A. G. Briggs, Grundy Centre, Grundy Co., Iowa," and the postmark is "Saegerstown, Pa., Aug. 18, 1906."

A photo of a dock or a pier for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is a 1957 snapshot of the Steel Pier , an amusement pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Billed as "The Show Place of the Nation," the pier hosted a variety of shows and acts, including a diving horse and a bicycle-riding bear. When I purchased this photo, however, I didn't realize that it showed a bear and a woman riding bikes on the high platform visible on the left-hand side (mouse over the image to see an enlargement ). After I spotted the bear, I still couldn't imagine that you could train an animal like that to climb a ladder and ride a bicycle. But a YouTube clip of the Bicycle-Riding Bear that's part of The Nieroslavski Family at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, N.J. --filmed during summer 1960--provides a glimpse of how the bear performed its act. Attitudes toward animal acts have changed over the past fifty years, however, and making a bear ride a bicycle seems inhumane and dangerous by today's standards. As far as I've been able to determine, there are no longer any bicycling bears or diving horses in Atlantic City.

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

An unused real photo postcard. There's no handwritten message on the other side, and there's no indication of a photo studio. For more trick photos like this, see my Mirror Photos album.

A multigraph or mirror photo for the theme of photographic tricks and amusements during the free-for-all week of Wild Card Month in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Initials at lower right-hand corner: "F.W.H." Handwritten name on the other side of this real photo postcard: "Fred W. Hopping" (or possibly "Happing"). Printed on the other side: "Broadway Photo Shop, 1593, B'way, N.Y." The AZO stamp box on the back suggests a date possibly as early as 1904-1918. The same stamp box style also appears on the back of another real photo postcard of Fred W. Hopping that shows him in a triple exposure . For additional examples of photos featuring five fellows or females, see my album of Mirror Photos .

A triple-exposure photo for the theme of photographic tricks and amusements during the free-for-all week of Wild Card Month in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the other side: "If it's a photo we make it. Empire Photo. Co. 815 Westchester Ave., Bronx." A triple-exposure trick photo of "Fred W. Hopping" (or possibly "Happing"), whose name is written on the back of a second photo that I purchased along with this one. While this photo shows three Freds--as he checks his wallet, faces the camera, and crosses his arms--the other is a mirror photo (or multigraph) showing five Freds seated around a table . Both of the images are real photo postcards with identical AZO stamp boxes that suggest a date as early as 1904-1918. For more fivesomes, see my album of Mirror Photos . For another triple exposure, see Man Playing Checkers with Himselves .

A photo of donkey rides for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the back of this souvenir real photo postcard: "Paul Goerke & Son, Manitou, Colo. Duplicates 10 cents each. Order by number on the picture." Handwritten note on the back: "Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Englar, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Snader at Garden of the Gods , Colorado, 1914." See also a close-up of the women and men .