Animals in Printed Ephemera

"Norman's Indian Mucilage. Non-moulding. Sticky. Clear. Never leaves grip. Manufactured by H. D. Nariman Bros., Bombay, No. 2." In the illustration on this label, two bulldogs demonstrate the strength of the glue in Norman's Indian Mucilage .

"Walter S. Welton, dealer in fine boots & shoes, 338 Chapel St., New Haven, Conn. Copyrighted by John Gibson, 1881." A colorful and amusing Victorian-era advertising trade card.

"Hinkle's Handy Egg Colors. Manufactured by Hinkle Drug Co., Columbia, Pa....Not for use in coloring any food except shell eggs. Contents--6 one-dram bottles." Front panel of a small box containing six small glass tubes with corks. Inside the glass tubes are the dried-out remains of the different colors of Easter egg dye.

"Easter Kind Wishes. E-105."

A linen postcard with a close-up of a rattlesnake being "milked," which supplies venom for use in making antivenom . For another view of the procedure, take a look at a slide of a rattlesnake milking demonstration that also took place at Ross Allen's Reptile Institute in Silver Springs, Florida:

The Joker from a miniature deck of playing cards illustrated by cartoonist Richard F. Outcault in 1907. Buster Brown and his dog Tige were characters in Outcault's Buster Brown comic strip, which first appeared in 1902. See below for the design from the back of the card .

The design from the backs of playing cards in a miniature deck illustrated by cartoonist Richard F. Outcault in 1907. Outcault created the Buster Brown comic strip in 1902. See below for the front of the Joker card from this set.

"Easter Greetings." Postmarked Herman, Pa., March 22, 1913, on back.

A shoat is simply a "young, newly-weaned pig." "Public Sale of 125 Shoats. On Tuesday, February 12, 1889. will be sold at public sale, at Irwin's Hotel, Ironville, West Hempfield Township, the following, to wit: 125 Chester County shoats, weighing from 40 to 140 lbs. A few breeding sows. Stock can be seen three days before sale. A credit of 90 days will be given. Sale to commence at 1 o'clock, when terms will be made known by A. H. Hershey. Isaac Hieneman, auct. H. L. Bard, clerk. (Please distribute among your friends.) The New Era Steam Job Printing House, No. 3 South Queen St., Lancaster, Pa."

Pass issued in 1935 by The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company (TMER&L. Co.), which operated streetcar lines in Milwaukee until the 1950s. "T. M. E. R. & L. Co. Within the single fare areas of Milwaukee and Racine only. Good from 5:00 a.m. Sunday until 5:00 a.m. the following Sunday. Pass must be shown on demand. Not good on Wisc. Motor Bus Lines. $1 weekly pass. 48. Thanksgiving, November 28. 88697. S. B. Way, president."

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 bat comes from the witches' den to summon you!" A wide-eyed bat that reveals a Halloween party invitation when unfolded. For the complete invitation, see Halloween Party Invitation with Bat and Witch .

An elephant on a vintage postcard.

"What the pig tho't of the ghost." A humorous Halloween postcard published by Julius Bien & Co. in 1908.

"The White House, Washington. Thank you for writing to me. I am honored to be your 'First Cat.' Socks." An oversized postcard postmarked Washington, D.C., Sept. 28, 1993. When Bill Clinton served as the 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001), Hillary was the First Lady and Socks was the First Cat. I wrote to Socks after he became First Cat, and he graciously acknowledged my letter by sending me this postcard. I guess we'll learn who will become the next First Pet on Election Day tomorrow.

"May your Thanksgiving never end in dreams like these!" Postcard postmarked Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 22, 1910. The foods of Thanksgiving haunt a boy's sleep in this nightmarish scene by illustrator H. B. Griggs (HBG). For two other Thanksgiving postcards by Griggs, see 'Rah, 'Rah, 'Rah, Thanksgiving!!! and Were It Not for Friday's Pain (below).

"Thanksgiving Greeting." A turkey seems to be hiding inside a hollowed-out pumpkin in this Thanksgiving postcard from the early twentieth century.

For another postcard from this Thanksgiving series, see Thanksgiving Greetings from Uncle Sam (below).