Messages, Captions, Inscriptions

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

"Move the sun please, we just can't help squinting. M.C.L." A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Mr. Earl Cady, Laramie, Wyo., and postmarked in Laramie on April 27, 1909. For other squinty photos, see the Flickr group Squinting at the Sun. Vintage Photographs .

[Oops, looks like I was a little late last night in posting my "messages, captions, inscriptions" photo, and Phil beat me to the punch with his "all dressed up and nowhere to go" photo for this week's theme. I'd be glad to remove this from the group if anyone has any objection to my tardiness.] A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of messages, captions, inscriptions (a written comment, description, or explanation added to the back or front of a photo) . Claude J. Diliplane (1887-1950) of Reading, Pennsylvania, served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War I, from May to December 1918. He was 31 years old when he noted on the back of this real photo postcard that his picture was taken at Fort Myer , Virginia, on July 18, 1918. He also jokingly said, "I think if you put this alongside the pig, he'll smile. Try it and see." He closed with "Some Pig" before signing his name. Claude was 62 years old and working as a machinist when he tragically died on Monday, January 30, 1950, from injuries he received from being hit by a car at Second and Penn Streets in Reading the previous Saturday night ("Pedestrian Dies of Auto Injuries," Philadelphia Inquirer , Jan. 31, 1950, p. 8).

Claude J. Diliplane was serving in the U.S. Army during World War I when he wrote this self-deprecating message on the back of his photo. For more information, see the front of this real photo postcard . Transcription (edited with added punctuation): Ruth, I think if you put this alongside the pig, he'll smile. Try it and see. Some Pig Claude J. Diliplane Fort Myer, Va., July 18, '18

A photo of three women, three men, or three children for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "On a toot in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 18/08. E. R. Negur. R. S. Hambliton. P. C. Pell." A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Ethel Barber, Oberlin, Ohio, 99 S. Prof. St. Postmarked at Chicago, Ill., Jan. 20, 1908, and at Oberlin, Ohio, on the same date. Handwritten message: "Sun., 1/18/08. The auto on the other side is busted now, or I would take you riding. I left Roy take it & he broke it. The streets are crowded with extra news boys all about war with Japan. Heard Burr McIntosh lecture tonight, and he claims war will come soon. Heard [Gum Savlans?] this a.m."

A photo of people on rooftops for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is a snapshot of "The King" taken from high up in or on top of a building overlooking the streets of an unknown city. A pair of U.S. flags extend across the top of the photo, and something's blocking the view in the lower right-hand corner (but the blurry object provided a handy place to write a caption). Crowds of people have gathered on rooftops, in windows, and along the streets to watch the king go by. He's riding in an open car accompanied by another automobile and two motorcycles with sidecars. Anyone recognize the location? See a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the people watching from the rooftops and windows. Another enlargement provides a close-up of the king's car .

Notice all the people watching the king's car from the roof and windows of the lower building on the left. Crowds have also gathered in front of and on top of the building across the street. See also a close-up of the king's car and the full version of the photo.

An enlargement showing "The King" in his car. See also the full version of the photo.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of this was the [you name the decade] (please explain why the photo represents the period) . "Midway Diner, where we ate our dinner. On our trip to Atlantic City. Thursday, July 13, 1950." This was the 1950s -- just barely -- but diners like this have played a significant role in fifties nostalgia. As Wikipedia observes, "In television and cinema (e.g. The Blob , Happy Days , Grease , and Diner ), diners and soda fountains have come to symbolize the period of prosperity and optimism in America in the 1950s. They are shown as the place where teenagers meet after school and as an essential part of a date." Based on other photos I purchased along with this one, I believe that the family members who ate their dinner here on July 13 were traveling to Atlantic City, New Jersey, from their home in or near Allentown, Pennsylvania. This suggests that the Midway Diner was located somewhere in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, but I haven't been able to determine exactly where. As I was getting ready to post this picture, I discovered that I used a different diner photo for a previous 1950s theme for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. See Good Food Federal Diner, Brookline Avenue, Boston, Mass., 1956 .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of unique or outrageous hats . This is a real photo postcard sent from Jacksonville, Florida, to Newton, New Hampshire, on March 31, 1906. Printed on the other side: "Post Card, Souvenir, Jacksonville. J. A. Hollingsworth, Tourist Photographer, Hogan St., Opp. Park Hotel, Jacksonville, Fla." Message written on the front: "Jacksonville, Fla., March 31. Whatever you do, don't come to Florida. Look at this picture and see how we have 'fallen from the crust.' Am so weak that I can hardly manage my auto . Hope to be better by tomorrow. Will." If Will could afford an automobile like the one he's pretending to drive, then he must not have "fallen from the [upper] crust ," as he jokingly suggests. See a cropped version for a better view of Will and his wife, their hats, and the automobile.

For the message accompanying this picture, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of a written caption or comment (added to the front or back of a photo, the funnier or snarkier the better) . Handwritten caption: "Some Trouble!" License plate: "2352. Mass." (the year on the plate is illegible). Looks like the photographer had some trouble with an unintended triple exposure. The photo was cut from an album and trimmed unevenly like this when I purchased it.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of making mischief -- the photographer or the subject being mischievous . Message (punctuation added): "Hello, how are you getting along? You can easy see mischief on this. J.C.A." In this photo, the mischief that is easy to see is the result of one woman holding a clump of snow as if she's going to push it into another woman's face. The second woman is grabbing the first woman's arm to prevent her from moving the snow any closer. This is a real photo postcard with an undivided back. It's addressed on the other side to Mrs. T. A. Camer, Jamison City, Pa., R.F.D. The stamp bears a cancellation but there's no postmark with a visible date or location. A penciled notation -- probably added by a postcard dealer -- indicates a date of 3/28/06, though I'm not sure where that came from.