Insects

Postcard postmarked Pittman, Ohio, Oct. 23, 190[7?].

I have not been able to determine who Emmett A. Thomas was or why his head was superimposed on the body of a mosquito. Some kind of New Jersey joke perhaps?

J. Kohn, the leading clothier and hatter, corner First and Morrison Sts., Portland, Oregon.

"Choice Bohsemeem, the best & purest spices, Weikel & Smith Spice Co., Philadelphia." See below for another Choice Bohsemeem label .

"Choice Bohsemeem, the best & purest spices, Weikel & Smith Spice Co., Philadelphia." See below for another Choice Bohsemeem label .

"A happy family is a healthy family. Swat the fly. Kill him, he spreads disease. Protect the family. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health." See also Swat the Fly, Save the Babies .

See below for a similar item: Swat the Fly, Protect the Family . Swat the Fly, Save the Babies Make the way hard for the fly and easy for the baby. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health. Swat 'em. Flies transmit typhoid fever, diarrhea, infantile paralysis, cholera, etc. Swat every fly, save all babies. Hurry, children, here's an unscreened window. No race suicide with the flies. Uncovered food means a feast for filthy flies. Cover all food. Keep garbage cans clean and covered. Flies carry disease and filth on their feet. Health departments, civic clubs, schoolchildren, scouts, housewives, swat 'em. This is no place for me. Disease.

A gigantic corn borer caterpillar that's standing in the way of a farmer plowing his field is the startling illustration on the front cover of this May 1927 issue of Farm Mechanics , "a monthly magazine featuring farm improvements, machinery, equipment, farm buildings--for the farmer and the dealer." The grotesque caterpillar on the cover serves as the dramatic backdrop for an advertisement extolling the virtues of the tractors manufactured by the Hart-Parr Company, which merged with three other firms in 1929 to form the Oliver Farm Equipment Company . The illustration reminds me of the oversized animals and crops on tall-tale and exaggeration postcards . Excerpts from the advertisement on the cover: "Battle the Borer with Hart-Parr Power. Plow deep with Hart-Parr power and 16" Vulcan plows, covering completely all corn stalks and corn borers. Battle the borer with powerful, distillate-burning Hart-Parrs, the only tractors recommended to burn cheap, low grade fuels.... Get the facts on the tremendous power of Hart-Parr tractors, which operate all corn borer control machinery efficiently through belt, drawbar, and power take-off.... Hart-Parr Company, founders of the tractor industry, Charles City, Iowa."

Crawl from here over to the Incredibly Boring Postcards group . Some areas in the vicinity of Altoona and Hollidaysburg--located in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania--are noted for the presence of large mounds (or "ant hills") created by the Allegheny mound ant . Those with an entomological bent will want to seek out Henry C. McCook's early article, " Mound-Making Ants of the Alleghenies, Their Architecture and Habits ," published in the Transactions of the American Entomological Society (1867-1877) , vol. 6 (1877), pp. 253-296.

Mouse over the image for a closer view of the bug toy . Either that's a giant mutant insect getting ready to attack that poor kid or it's a toy of some sort, perhaps something like the mechanical crawling beetle pictured in the Victoria and Albert Museum's image collection.

See also the full photo of the bug toy (below). Either that's a giant mutant insect getting ready to attack that poor kid or it's a toy of some sort, perhaps something like the mechanical crawling beetle pictured in the Victoria and Albert Museum's image collection.

Real photo postcard. "Zanesville, Ohio. 8/29/15."

"I'm on my way--I'll be seein' yeh. Photo by F. D. Conard, Garden City, Ks. No. 49."

"This is one card from our pack of 50 elegant assorted chromo cards. Gold, silver, tinted, shells, mottoes &c." A sample Victorian-era calling card.

"Orchilla Guano 'AA' the great soil enricher. R. A. Wooldridge & Co., importers, Baltimore, Md." Such a nice colorful Victorian-era advertising trade card for, uh, " guano ."

Celluloid medallion with a photo of a child on a colorful background of flowers and a butterfly. For additional examples, see my Celluloid Photographic Medallions album or head over to Flickr to see the George Eastman House's remarkable collection of Celluloid Medallions & Buttons .