Dairies, Milkmen, and Milkmaids

An undated photograph of Weller's Dairy in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Photographer: "Harbaugh, Johnstown, Pa." See also cropped versions showing close-ups of the Weller's Dairy employees and the dairy's five milk trucks and drivers (thumbnail images below).

Cropped view showing the Weller's Dairy employees and building. See also the full photo and another cropped version showing a close-up of the dairy's five milk trucks and drivers (thumbnail images below).

Cropped view showing the Weller's Dairy trucks and drivers. At least three of the vehicles appear to be milk delivery trucks. See also the full photo and another cropped version showing a close-up of the Weller's Dairy employees and building (thumbnail images below). .

"Season's Greetings, Elmer Myers, Your Rutter's Driver. Rutter Bros., Inc., Dairy Products, N. Geo. St., Ext'd. Golden Guernsey, America's Table Milk." Mouse over the image for a close-up of the milkman and his milk truck .

For the full greeting card, see Season's Greetings from Your Rutter's Milkman (below).

"Greetings from Your Milkman. May all your road and paths lead to...." For the inside pages of this greeting card, see:

"A Merry Christmas. A Happy New Year. Johnstown Sanitary Dairy Co. Foster Hostetler." The following road and place names are listed on the map that's superimposed over the wintery landscape: Happy Town, Holiday, Friendship Highway, Merrytown, Pleasantville, Joyful, Joydale Road, Friends, and Peaceful Center. For the front of this card, see Greetings from Your Milkman :

"All Seasons Greetings from your milkman, Don Griffith, St. Lawrence Dairy. Winter. Burnish." For the entire unfolded greeting card , see:

"All Seasons Greetings from your milkman, Don Griffith, St. Lawrence Dairy. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Burnish." See also the folded view of the card :

"Clover Leaf Dairy sends holiday greetings and a toast to good cheer. Your Milkman." A die-cut paper wreath that a milkman could place over a milk bottle as a holiday greeting for his customers. Clover Leaf Dairy was located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

The center panel from a milk bottle collar that wrapped around the top of a bottle in order to remind customers who received home delivery of milk to return their empty bottles. For more information, see Milk Bottle Collar: Reminder and Order Form .

A milk bottle collar (for wrapping around the top of a bottle) that served both as a humorous reminder to return empty bottles and as an order form to ask the milkman to deliver specific items (back when dairies used to make regular home deliveries). "Help keep down the cost of your milk by returning your empty bottles. Every unreturned bottle adds to the cost of delivering milk to your door. If you have any empties around your kitchen or basement, please return them." "Lady, please send me home. Empty." "Handy Order Blank. Place over return bottle. Please leave: ________. Name: ________. Address: ________." For an enlargement of the middle panel with the cartoonish milk bottle, see Lady, Please Send Me Home!

This advertisement consists of two die-cut pieces--shaped like a cow and a milkmaid--that have been glued together. For the back of this two-part advertising trade card, see De Laval Separators Have Revolutionized Dairying . "De Laval Cream Separators. Save $10 per cow every year."

This advertisement consists of two die-cut pieces--shaped like a cow and a milkmaid--that have been glued together. For the front of this two-part advertising trade card, see De Laval Cream Separators . "De Laval Separators have revolutionized dairying. All styles and sizes, $50 to $800, farm and factory." "Nearly 500,000 farmers, all over the world, have found a De Laval Cream Separator the best investment they ever made. Send for catalogue and name of local agent if not stamped above."

"Broad View Farm, Stearns Bros., props. Pure milk from our accredited herd. Telephone: 68-M. Rochester, N.H. Make sure your milk is a grade higher. Order it from Broad View Farm. January 1927. A splendid New Year's resolution--'I will return my empty milk bottles daily.'"

"Notice!!! No delivery Monday in order to give our drivers the day off to go deer hunting. Your Monday order will be delivered Sunday. Thanks you. The Shuman Dairy." Pennsylvania's firearms deer hunting season traditionally begins on the first Monday after Thanksgiving (December 1 in 2014), and many schools and businesses are closed for the day. This notice from the Shuman Dairy, which was located in McEwensville, Pa., was intended to let customers know that milkmen would make their deliveries on Sunday instead of Monday so they could go hunting on the first day of the season. The card likely dates to the 1950s or 1960s when home delivery of milk and other dairy products was still common.

An undated red-border Kodachrome Duplicate slide. Hughes Dairy Bar was located along Route 15, north of Tioga, Pa. For another view of this same car, which is a Ford Super Deluxe convertible with a 1949 license plate, see Just Married, 1949 .

A cardboard milk bottle cap with Santa Claus and greetings of the season.