Alan Mays' photos

This comic postcard from the early twentieth century shows a woman munching on an article from Harper's Bazaar . Scattered on the table in front of her are issues of Munsey's Magazine , Scribner's Magazine , The Ocean , and Cosmopolitan .

"Lecture by Joseph W. Richards, M.A., A.C., M.S., on 'Aluminium.' The Chemical Society of the Lehigh University. April 28, 1891, 8:00 p.m. Please present this ticket at the door. Seat no. 15."

A gravestones and cemeteries photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Written at the top of the photo: "Papa's Grave, Hawesville, Ky., 9/16/25." A search on Find A Grave revealed that this is the gravestone for Joe Aldridge (1875-1914), who's buried in the Hawesville Cemetery, Hancock County, Kentucky. It's possible that the log cabin design of the gravestone indicates that Aldridge was a member of the Woodmen of the World , a fraternal benefit society known today as WoodmenLife.

Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "Austin, Lomah, & Jonas, a musical blow-out."

Written on the back: "12/29/67 - Bo." Bo on the floor and Tennessee Ernie Ford on the TV. I'm not sure whose legs those are on the couch. For another dogs-TV-legs combination, see Fuzzy Dog (below).

Mister Peabody , the cartoon dog in the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV show , wore eyeglasses, and Addison MacHenry, the fictional dog in Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children book series, had goggles and a pipe, but I'm not sure why the dogs in this real photo postcard are wearing glasses and a top hat, smoking pipes, and pulling a cart (mouse over the image above for a closer look ). And then there's the girl with the spinning wheel. What are these kids up to?

For more information, see the original photo :

A reflections photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The water captures a reflection of an outdoors scene, with trees, a rustic bridge, a man and his dogs , and a building.

For more information, see the original photo :

Rotated version, with the reflection at the top. For more information, see the original photo :

"I pray the New Year be full of delight for thee." See below for the reverse of this Victorian-era advertising trade card:

"An elegant assortment of Christmas and New Year's cards, dry goods in an abundance. W. D. M. Smith. C. E. Morrell, 17 Warren St., N.Y." See below for the front of this Victorian-era advertising trade card:

"A Happy New Year to the scholars of Princeton Church Sabbath School." The Princeton Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Pennsylvania, was located in Philadelphia during the nineteenth-century when this New Year greeting was given to the children who attended the church's Sunday school.

"A Happy New Year. 1881. 1880. Enenea R. Stead, Jan. 1st, 1900." Although originally intended as a New Year greeting in 1881, Enenea R. Stead (if that's the correct name) evidently used this calling card nineteen years later on January 1, 1900.

"Happy New Year. Gussie Stevens."

An undated real photo postcard.

"A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, 1910-1911." A novelty postcard with an attached photo. The card was made from heavy card stock, and the design—including the flower—was cut or slashed into the paper. A single handwritten word—"Post-Card"—appears on the back of the card. I've found a couple of references to similar "razor-cut art" pieces, but haven't been able to learn much about them. I do have some other postcard examples with "A. Trenner, artist, New York, Atlantic City" printed on the back, and razor-cut art work on the front. A couple of other cut-work postcards are part of the "Kesto Graphic Series." Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down much information on A. Trenner or the Kesto Graphic Series. Here's another postcard (below) that's missing a photo but is otherwise similar to the one above. A couple of other razor-cut pieces (see below) seem to be novelty calling cards bearing the names William Polk and Margaret Harper .

"A Merry Christmas, 1913." A novelty postcard decorated with "razor-cut art," including a flower and oval frame (for a photo) cut or slashed into the heavy card stock. For a similar card, see A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, 1910-1911 (below).