Real Photo Postcards

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of disaster . The handwritten caption on the other side of this unused real photo postcard identifies it as the "Fred Duenow Barn." The Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) on the back suggests a date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918. I haven't had any success in uncovering any information about Fred Duenow, the location of his barn, or what windstorm or tornado might have destroyed it. I also can't figure out why more than 50 men, women, and children are sitting and standing in front and on top of the remains of the barn to pose for a photo. Some of the men standing on the barn are dressed in overalls, so perhaps they're getting ready to start work on taking apart what's left of the barn. The other men and women, however, are wearing suits and dresses more appropriate for a picnic than a work crew. For better views of the group, see cropped versions of the left side and right side of the photo.

A close-up of the left side of a real photo postcard showing children and women posing in front of a destroyed barn. See also a cropped version of the right side . For more information, see the full version .

A close-up of the right side of a real photo postcard showing showing men, women, and children standing in front and on top of a destroyed barn. See also a cropped version of the left side . For more information, see the full version .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of birds (wild or domesticated) . Four women pose among the pigeons in the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) in Venice, Italy, probably sometime in the 1920s. There's no stamp, postmark, or address on the other side of this real photo postcard, but one of the women wrote this message: "Yes, Lucy actually said we ought have her picture taken in this plebeian manner. The pigeons annoyed and scared us but otherwise we are perfectly happy." Printed on the other side: "Cartolina Postale" (Italian for "postcard") with a "Satrap" stamp box.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of palm trees . Caption: "Miami Beach, Florida, March 1946." A woman pretends to pick coconuts as she stands in front of a painted backdrop featuring a coconut palm tree . For some similar souvenir photos, see Man and Dog with Alligators on the Beach and Man with Alligators and Coconut Tree, Miami, Florida, 1922 .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of with Santa . "Merry Christmas." Two girls and a man pose for a photo next to a remarkably tall Santa Claus. This real photo postcard has a "Devolite Peerless" stamp box on the other side, and it's likely that it dates to the 1950s.

Twenty-four adults and one child posed for this real photo postcard, which was used as a New Year greeting. Handwritten message (at right): "Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Lovingly, Emma." Addressed on the other side to Mrs. John Kreisel, 17 Cherokee St., S. Bethlehem, Pa., and postmarked in Allentown, Pa., on Jan. 3, 1908. Compare this photo with New Year Gathering, Chicago, Illinois, 1912 .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of vistas and overlooks . This is a real photo postcard with a 1908 view of a Pennsylvania farmstead -- identified as Clover Hill Farm on the other side -- nestled within the hilly landscape of the Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachians that runs through the state. It's addressed on the other side to Mr. E. L. Kelchner, 403 Catherine Street, Bloomsburg, Pa., and was postmarked in Danville , Pa., on August 1, 1908. The handwritten message says: "Hello! Nice warm weather here at Clover Hill Farm. Come out. Peaches, plums, apples, & pears are in season. Finished hauling oats yesterday. Expect to go to Sunday School Picnic tomorrow. How is the chicken crop. Yours, C.C.S. 7/31/08."

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of holding a ball . Two boys strike baseball player poses in a backyard -- one holds a baseball bat over his shoulder and the other holds a ball in his right hand and wears a baseball glove on his left hand. The boys are dressed identically and look so much alike that I wonder if they might be twins. This is a picture from a real photo postcard with a Rexo stamp box on the other side, which suggests a date range of 1905 to 1920.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of eyeglasses, goggles, and other eyewear . "A Happy New Year, Ben. K. Emerson." A New Year's greeting from bespectacled American geologist Benjamin Kendall Emerson (1843-1932). This is an unused real photo postcard with a PMC stamp box (suggesting a date between 1920 and 1935) on the other side. For some other photos with identifiable eyewear, see Spinning a Tale of Dogs in Glasses and Mother and Son with White-Rimmed Sunglasses .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of sitting on a park bench . Printed on the verso: "Luna Park Photo Co., Scranton, Pa. Souvenir Luna Park." Names handwritten on the other side: "Rosa & Tom." Tom was sitting on a park bench and Rosa was standing behind him as they posed for this photo as a souvenir of their visit to Luna Park , an amusement park located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, sometime in the late 1900s or early 1910s. The painted backdrop behind the couple depicts a scene in the park (see a photo of the southern section of Luna Park, Scranton , for a similar view). To the right of the couple is the park's Shoot the Chute water ride. The building to the left of Rosa's head is the park's dance hall. This is an unused real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box on the other side (diamonds in corners) that indicates a date that may be as early as 1907 to 1909.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of someone's in the kitchen . Seven students and two teachers pose for the camera during a cooking class in a school kitchen. Judging by the recipes visible on the chalkboard, the subject of the day's lesson was "Butter Cake" with "Boiled Frosting" (see a cropped version of the photo for a close-up of the recipes). This is an unused real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box (four corner triangles with two pointing up and two pointing down) on the other side, which suggests a date as early as 1917 to 1930.

Lists of ingredients and descriptions of the procedures for making "Butter Cake" with "Boiled Frosting" appear on the chalkboard behind the teacher and students in this image from an early twentieth-century photo postcard. See also the full version of this photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of the long and winding road (road photos, winding or otherwise) . Caption: "The Juniata Near Amity Hall. 9." This is a real photo postcard with a scenic view of the Juniata River in Perry County , Pennsylvania. The road in the photo is now US 22/US 322 ( U.S. Route 22 concurrent with U.S. Route 322 ). The location is near Amity Hall , which refers to a landmark inn that closed in the 1980s, suffered a fire in 2009, and has since been torn down. The tire cover on the back of the automobile parked along the road says, "See Bob" and "Auto Supplies." The license plate on the car is 69M52, and I believe it's a Pennsylvania plate. Unfortunately, I was unable to make out the year, which appeared on license plates at the time the photo was taken. On the other side of the card is an Azo stamp box (squares in each of the four corners), which indicates that the photo likely dates to sometime between the 1920s and the 1940s. There's no message, address, stamp, or postmark on this card, but other copies that I spotted online had postmarks dating to 1935 and 1939.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of hat in hand . Five fellows pose for a photo on a sunny day. The right side of the image is a bit washed out due to the bright light, but it's evident that the man on the end is holding a straw hat in his hand. What may not be obvious at first glance, however, is that the man in the middle is balancing a mounted deer head against his leg as he holds on to it with both hands. There's no address, message, or postmark on the other side of this unused real photo postcard. The type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) printed on it suggests a date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918. Although animal head taxidermy mounts seem a little macabre to me, I do have two other similar photos. See A Man and His Deer Head and A Man and His Moosehead Bier . For another photo with multiple hats in hands, see Bachelor's Club Hats .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of crossed arms . A real photo postcard postmarked in Groton, South Dakota, on August 23, 1909, and addressed to "Mrs. Lottie Larson, [Westley?], [Wis.?]." Handwritten message: "This Is what we did last Sunday. What do you think of it? Frank." For another photo with crossed arms, see Girls and Women on a Rustic Bridge .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of side by side . Five girls with dolls stand side by side as they pose for a photo. The girl on the right seems to be smiling and is looking toward the camera, but the other four have glum expressions with downcast eyes (see a cropped version of the photo for a better view of their faces). Are the four glum girls annoyed at having their picture taken? Is the smiling girl happy with her doll and are the others disappointed with theirs for some reason? It's difficult to tell what's going on. This is an unused real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side, which indicates a date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918.

A real photo postcard of five girls holding dolls. For more information, see the full version of this photo.