Alan Mays' photos

"Ach! ________ ve hurd yer talkin' schpielen vay ofer he-yah in Dutch country, yet! Signal received ________, 19____ at ________. Genuine hex sign." Translation of the fake Pennsylvania German : "Oh! ________ we heard your talking [while it was] playing [on the radio] way over here in the [Pennsylvania] Dutch country , yet!" This QSL card is a postcard that was intended for use in acknowledging communications between amateur Citizens Band (CB) or shortwave radio operators. The cartoonish Amishman is pointing to the location of Lancaster County within the outline of the state of Pennsylvania . Ironically, Amish do not add hex signs or any other decorations to their barns. I'm not certain of the origin of this QSL card. Perhaps it was sold at tourist attractions in Lancaster County when CB radio was popular in the 1970s, or maybe it was printed for a meeting of radio enthusiasts that took place in the county.

"Souvenir of Ed Shudy's Rainbow Park, Drumore, Pa. Ernest Tubb on stage. Roy Acuff on stage. View of park & stage. View of parking lot & park." Printed on the back of this linen postcard: "Complete line of amusement and entertainment by nation's popular string and hillbilly bands. Concessions and novelties. Favorite fisherman's stop on the way to [the Chesapeake] Bay. Complete line of fishing tackle. Owned and operated by Ed Shudy. Address: Drumore, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County. Mellinger Studios, Lancaster, Penna."

Sign: "This Is It! Restaurant. Cabins. Heated. Steaks, chops, chicken." Printed on the back of this linen postcard: "This Is It! The Place to Dine. Our every desire is to please you--not only with food and service, but with our surroundings as well! If you like logs--knotty pine--a huge fireplace, and a cheery atmosphere THIS IS IT! Restaurant, service station, log cottages. Located 6 miles east of Harrisburg on Rt. 22. Telephone 56368. Mellinger Studios."

"Carlisle Hygienic Ice Co., Poor House Road, E. North Street, Phone 735. Hang with amount required on top. 25, 50, 75, 100." A card to place in the window to indicate how many pounds of ice (for your icebox ) you'd like the iceman to deliver.

"A souvenir of Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939. A Pageant of the Pacific. Leland W. Cutler, president. H. C. Bottorff, exec. secretary. M128027."

"This man used Le Page's Liquid Glue in the wrong place. Unequaled for repairing wood, leather, glass, ivory, china, jewelry, metals, &c. Sold in bottles and in cans. No loafers allowed here. Hold on! It's no use pullin' I'm stuck with Le Page's Glue. Awarded gold medal, London, 1883. Forbes Co. Lith." A Victorian-era advertising trade card that humorously illustrates the consequences of misusing Le Page's Liquid Glue.

"Dodge, Haley & Co. Iron, steel, heavy hardware, and carriage stock. William H. Haley, Edwin L. Haley, Chas. H. Dodge, Hayward C. Dodge. 45 Oliver Street, Boston."

A fountains, lakes, and ponds photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "Big Spring, Bellefonte, Pa., 11,500,00 gals. daily." A real photo postcard dating to 1939 shows the Big Spring in Bellefonte , Pennsylvania, with its pump house in the background, a pond holding water from the spring, and a fountain in front of the pond. The spring is still a source of drinking water for the town and surrounding area, but its surface is now covered to comply with sanitary regulations. Mouse over the image above for a close-up of the people walking around the edge of the spring. For more views, see the Fred D Smith Gallery of Postcards and Photos of the Big Spring and other Bellefonte landmarks.

For more information, see the original photo :

"Dear Miss, I very much desire the pleasure of your acquaintance and your company home this evening. If agreeable please keep this card, if not kindly return it. Yours truly, ________." See also Fair Lady, I Send You This Beautiful Chromo with My Compliments (below) and my Acquaintance Cards album for additional examples.

"Fair Lady, I send you this beautiful chromo with my compliments. If I may be the happy youth on the promenade, please retain it. If I must suffer misery on the fence, be so good as to return it. Yours truly, ________." See also Dear Miss, I Very Much Desire the Pleasure of Your Acquaintance (below) and my Acquaintance Cards album for additional examples.

In the early twentieth century, Wisconsin photographer Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr., created a series of tall-tale postcards featuring oversized fruits, vegetables, and fish. Johnson also used the image of the fish on this postcard for another one of his cards (see below for the other postcard and a side-by-side comparison of the fish from each card).

A tall-tale postcard by Wisconsin photographer Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr. The large fish on this card (at bottom center) appears to be the same one he used on another card (see below for the other postcard and a comparison of the fish ).

Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr., a Wisconsin photographer and creator of a series of tall-tale postcards, used the same image of a fish in two different postcards (see below).

"Seasick Series. Rocked in the cradle of the deep." I find early seasickness postcards like this both repulsive and intriguing, and I'm amazed at how many were published. It certainly seems appropriate for Weird Vintage Postcards! 8-)

"Chas. H. Smith. Compliments." (I'm not sure that the middle initial is H, however.) An impressive example of ornamental penmanship on a hand-drawn and -lettered "flourished" calling card that likely dates to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Note how the bird appears to be eyeing an insect of some sort. Here are some other similarly ornate cards: Although it's not as ornate, this flourished card also features a bird chasing after an insect: This one's even simpler: The design on the following calling card is printed, but it imitates the hand-drawn and -lettered cards: