York Minster, From The City Walls

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Annieoakley

This is an artist-signed postcard, not in the best of shape – pen mark on the left sky area – entitled “York Minster, from the City Walls, Early Morning.” The signature shows as: “T. Guy.” This same postcard view was found on eBay, on a sale that had ended, and a different T. Guy artist-signed card entitled, “Petergate York” was found on the vintage postcard blog Dakotaboo. (Nice blog and nice postcard. Of the two for the artist’s work, I really like the Petergate one with it’s gorgeous colors.) But nothing else, as of the date of this post, was found for or about this artist. Hmm, yet another mystery!

From a Wiki entry, “York Minster is the cathedral in York, England, and one of the largest in it’s kind in Northern Europe.”

I picked this one up also because of the charming publisher logo on the back. In all the fancy scroll work is a design showing a figure of a girl?, holding a pole with lantern? with one hand and in the other a cup?, and with the words, ” ‘Dainty’ Series.” This one’s a little bit later version that the publisher used. The thing is, on the earlier version the figure appears to be a man. I thought at first that it was the same figure, and that just with the detail not as sharp, was mistaking the man for a little girl. Not so sure now, after comparing both. But we’ll put up examples of both in another post on the publisher. The date estimated for this one is starting 1908 because of a 1908 dated card in the same style found online (eBay) but with a lower series or number. But whether the bigger numbers mean later in time is not certain.

See our Laurel Cottage entry on this publisher with further links for more details.

Divided back unused, artist-signed postcard. Printed in England. Publisher: E.T.W. Dennis & Sons, Ltd., London & Scarborough. Number or series 4059. Circa 1908 – 1910.

Price: $12.00

Sources: “Artist drawn, vintage postcards of Suffolk, Sussex and Yorkshire.” Dakotaboo, March 29, 2013. Web accessed February 7, 2015.

York Minster. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Minster. (accessed February 7, 2015).

Dr. W. Derby’s Croup Mixture

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Annieoakley

Undivided back, unused, artist-signed postcard. Circa 1906. Artist: Stauter. Publisher unknown.

Price: $20.00

“Wet feet, cold hands, Dr. W. Derby’s Croup Mixture, Eaton Rapids, Mich.”
is printed at the bottom of this artist-signed postcard showing merriment in winter – elves throwing snowballs.

I was searching for a Dr. W. Derby in Eaton Rapids around 1900 without finding an entry. Then after finding the below patent information, wondered if Dr. Derby was a fictional name; however the 1870 Federal Census taken in Eaton Rapids shows Willougby Derby, physician and surgeon, born in New York, about 1829; his wife Hattie, born in Michigan about 1839; living with them are Annie Pomeroy, invalid, and Adelbert Garfield, domestic servant. By the 1880 census, Hattie is widowed, and the 1900 shows Hattie working as a milliner, but several doors down from her on this census is Frank Godding, born Michigan, July 1863; his wife Emma, born Michigan April 1866. Frank Godding’s occupation is Pharmacist. Their son Dan is eight years old. George Wilcox is Frank Godding’s likely partner. He appears on the 1900 as a commercial traveler (drugs), born Illinois, August 1861; his wife is Katherine, born Michigan, September 1866; their daughter Florence is five years old. So, perhaps Dr. Willoughby Derby developed the croup mixture or possibly it was named in honor of him.

The lower right corner of this charming postcard shows the artist’s signature, which appears to be J.? Stauter. We’ll add this to the mystery category, as the full name of the artist is unknown.

Sources: The Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 122, Issues 8-9. 1906. p. 3005. Web accessed January 10, 2015. (Google eBook)

Year: 1870; Census Place: Eaton Rapids, Eaton, Michigan; Roll: M593_670; Page: 231A; Image: 465; Family History Library Film: 552169. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1900; Census Place: Eaton Rapids, Eaton, Michigan; Roll: 709; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1240709. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1900; Census Place: Eaton Rapids, Eaton, Michigan; Roll: 709; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1240709. (Ancestry.com)

Another For Alma Johnson

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Annieoakley

“With songs so gay let’s greet the Year,

That Time will stay his flight to hear.”

I had almost forgotten that I had another one addressed to Alma. The street is spelled correctly on this one but the year of the postmark did not get stamped completely. Based on the research for the prior post, January 1st Greetings, the postmark year is probably 1915, although the same card design shows up online in another postcard that is postmarked 1911. But this is a nice one with a court jester playing the lute, and Father Time with wings carrying a scythe, a globe, and an hourglass. It’s signed, “from Ted & Enice” and addressed as, “Mrs. Alma Johnson, Wadsworth St., Hartford Conn.”

According to the excellent website Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City, the publisher L & E would be Lubrie & Elkins, of New York City. Lubrie & Elkins produced all the postcards holding the H.B. Griggs illustrations. The front of this card is signed with the initials “H.B.G.”

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked Dec. 31, likely year 1915, from New Briton, Connecticut. Artist: H. B. Griggs. Publisher: Lubrie & Elkins. Series 2266.

Price: $15.00

Source: “Lubrie & Elkins.” (Publisher – L). Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City. Web accessed January 1, 2015. [http://www.metropostcard.com/publishersl.html]

To Ella From Ed

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Annieoakley

Divided back, artist-signed, used postcard. Postmarked December 23rd, year unknown. Circa 1915 – 1916 or 1919 – 1921. Publisher: Stecher Lithograph Company, Rochester, New York. Series 726F.

Price: $15.00

“Merry Christmas

Your Christmas be a happy one

Bestowing for your good

Much merryment and rare content

Just as a Christmas should.”

Here’s an adorable little lady in mid-19th century dress, carrying presents and a wreath made of holly. Besides the wreath’s berries, the ribbons and bows are in red, as is her bonnet’s ostrich plume, and the card’s border. Next to her, on our left is what appears to be the artist’s logo; it’s quite unusual, and is nothing resembling a signature. We’d presume it to be from the artist, as the publisher logo appears in the bottom left corner of the card, showing a copyright mark for Stecher Lithograph Company, Rochester, New York.

This is another card in the Alice Ellison Collection, and is addressed to “Miss Ella Ellison, 1314 F St, Sacramento, Cal.” The postmark year got left off in the cancellation process, but shows it was sent from Auburn, California on December 23rd. We have others that were sent to Ella at this address between 1915 and 1921, but since the stamp is a one-cent, the estimated date would be 1915 – 1916 and 1919 – 1921, as during WWI the stamp price had been raised to two cents.

Unknown artist logo for publisher Stecher Lithograph Company.

A Christmas Wish

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Annieoakley

Divided back, artist-signed, used postcard, embossed border. Artist and publisher unknown. Postmarked December 16th, year unknown. Sent from Dover, Massachusetts? Circa 1910 – 1920.

Price: $15.00

“A Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year, Your Pockets

full of Money and your Hearts full of Cheer.”

Here’s a stunning card; the colors are gorgeous! (I love the pale pink and orange variation of the upper background.) It shows a mother, father and daughter, all very fashionably dressed; time-frame about mid-19th century; on their way, with wrapped presents in hand, to bring the above good wishes and cheer for Christmas. This appears to be an artist-signed card that would have been produced from a painting or drawing (how to determine the artist’s media?) however the signature, at the bottom right, is not readable. The family has that look of being “caught on camera,” as if this were a photo. As for the date of the card, the postmarked year is missing. Hopefully the addressee’s information will be able to reveal a likely time-frame. The card is addressed to: “Mrs. L. Estelle SinClair, Pleasantdon, California.”

According to the 1920 Federal Census, Louise E. Sin Clair, born about 1883 in Massachusetts, was married to Rutherford F. Sin Clair, born about 1882 in Canada, occupation carpenter. They were living in Pleasanton on Pleasantree Avenue at this time. The 1930 census shows the couple have an adopted 8-year-old son, Gordan Sinclair, born in California. On the 1930 Rutherford R. is now listed as Frederick R. Sinclair, (a very common occurrence for the middle and first names to show up as switched around at various times) and his occupation is building contractor. The message from the sender reveals, heart-breakingly, that Estelle had lost a child, and that Cora was offering her support and caring wishes, would write a letter and was also sending a little present. Per the 1910 Federal Census the couple was residing in Pleasanton, so this postcard is probably from about 1910 – 1920.

The couple’s record of marriage shows that Frederick Rutherford Sinclair and Louise Estelle Jewett were married September 1, 1909 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The groom was born in Scotch Ridge, New Brunswick and his parents were Dougald B. Sinclair and Margaret Babb. The bride was born in Ipswich, and her parents were Stephen Jewett and Mary E. Hall.

Sources: Year: 1910; Census Place: Pleasanton, Alameda, California; Roll: T624_72; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0153; FHL microfilm: 1374085. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1920; Census Place: Pleasanton, Alameda, California; Roll: T625_92; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 207; Image: 369. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1930; Census Place: Pleasanton, Alameda, California; Roll: 112; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0340; Image: 131.0; FHL microfilm: 2339847. (Ancestry.com)

“Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N4FH-FCL : accessed 16 December 2014), Frederick Rutherford Sinclair and Louise Estelle Jewett, 01 Sep 1909; citing p 464 no 63, Ipswich, , Massachusetts, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,509.

Mullen & Bluett Clothing Company

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Annieoakley

Undivided back, artist-signed, unused postcard. Publisher: American Commercial Advertising Company, New York. Circa 1909 – 1910.

Price: $20.00

Here’s an old postcard that was used for advertising purposes by the Los Angeles, California-based Mullen & Bluett Clothing Company, and shows an illustration by Hamilton, Ontario-born artist Benjamin Sayre Cory Kilvert. The clothing company wrote:

“The chill, cool days are coming, to remind the boys of our attractive assortments of Fall and Winter Clothes – Good styles and good values in the newest Suits, Overcoats, Hats and Furnishings. Mullen & Bluett Clothing Co – Los Angeles, Cal.”

Two similar postcards were found (at the time of this post) for sale on eBay. They show the exact same format – illustrations by the same artist, calendar in top right, postcard back with the same “Mailing Card” heading, same publisher and the exact same writing style for the message. One is a summer scene with the calendar for August 1910 for the H.M.& R. Shoe Company,Toledo, Ohio, and the other a winter scene with a January 1910 calendar for The Luke Horsfall Company. This was really quite clever of the publisher, American Commercial Advertising: You have designs by a popular artist, a new possibility every month, a small calendar (always handy) included on the card, and a space for the clothing company, shoe company or whatever, to write a few short lines to their existing and potential customers.

A third postcard, and one made for Mullen & Bluett, like the one we have here, can be found on the excellent Plummer & Associates’ Blog. They also show some old postcards of the various Mullen & Bluett stores.

Lastly, the postcard back showing “Mailing Card” and “This Side for Address Only” does not seem to have been as common as those that say “Private Mailing Card.” Probably this one was printed either in late 1909 or early 1910, but the company must have been using old card stock, since on March 1, 1907 the U.S. postal regulations had changed to allow the divided back.

Source: Plummer, John. “Downtown Los Angeles History.” Plummer & Associates’ Blog. February 6, 2011. Web accessed November 21, 2014.

This Way!

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Annieoakley

Price: $15.00

A circa 1922 postcard that was designed for Sunday School reminders (one would think.) The illustration shows a young girl at a rustic wooden gate, in a light blue dress and floppy sun hat, holding a bouquet of yellow flowers. Perhaps she’s waiting for her friends to catch up with her. This is a signed card by New York born artist Clara M. Burd (1873 – 1933) and more on the artist will go up in a separate post in a few days. I picked up this one initially just because of the back’s really beautiful postcard header, and then as a major bonus, realized that it’s artist-signed. But back to the header – it’s different and elegant, and one that we didn’t have yet at Laurel Cottage. The printer and/or publisher is Abingdon Press out of New York and Cincinnati.

As far as the handwritten names on the back – Raymond Polle and Albertha Logan, nothing was found to pinpoint either one. There are multiple possibilities for Albertha Logan, and we also don’t know whether these are children or adults, so Logan could be Albertha’s married name.

Source: Find A Grave Memorial# 78669937. Web accessed 16 Sep 2014. (Findagrave.com)

Agua Caliente Villa By John Paul Burnham

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Annieoakley

Price: $12.00

See the following post for more on the artist.

“Agua Caliente villa as seen from across the miniature laguna, under the cooling shade of ancient trees from which fern-filled ollas hang.”

1929 artist-signed Mexican postcard of a painting by John Paul Burnham, showing a view of the bungalows at Hotel Agua Caliente. The hotel bungalows were part of a grand Tijuana, Mexico resort, casino, race track and hot springs complex that was built in 1928, and was a major West Coast attraction for the rich and famous. (Movie star Rita Hayworth is said to have been discovered there while dancing in a show.) The resort was particularly popular since at that time Prohibition was in effect in the U.S. and gambling was also illegal in the States. With the change in gambling laws in Mexico the casino was closed down in about 1935 (another source indicates 1938) although the racetrack continued to operate for many years. Sadly, as so often happens, most of the buildings fell into disrepair and were destroyed. (Among others the notable minaret remains.) The hotel buildings were used as a school, but most of those were demolished and rebuilt years later. If you have the time, check out the websites below (and/or any others) as well as related images galore online. This short paragraph here is just by way of identifying the location of this postcard. See the post on this Laurel Cottage site for more about the artist.

Sources: “Agua Cliente & ‘the Boulevard.’ ” Tijuana Gringo, n.d. Web accessed 21 Aug 2014. [http://tijuanagringo.com/turinfo/tjmptx05.html]

Yannek. “Rita Cansino at Fox.” Hollywood Filmograph, Aug. 3, 2014. Web accessed 22 Aug 2014 [http://hollywoodfilmograph.com/]

Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel. n.d. Web accessed 22 Aug 2014 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agua_Caliente_Casino_and_Hotel]

Little Silesians By Oldřich Cihelka

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Annieoakley

Divided back, artist signed, unused postcard. Publisher or printer: Zora. Series or number G. Z. 0174. Date circa early to mid 1900s.

Price: $15.00

Z kraje Bezručova which is the first line on the back of the postcard at the top left, appears to translate from Czech to English as “From Region of Bezrucova.” So, this postcard is regarding little or young Salesians of the Bezrucova Region of Salesia. Salesia is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Oldřich Cihelka (1881-1948?) was a painter, graphic artist and illustrator, born in Prague. Most online sources list his year of death as 1948, however some give the year as 1958.

Sources: Moravia and Salesia. n.d. Hello Czech Republic. Web accessed 1 Aug 2014 [http://www.czech.cz/en/88015-moravia-and-silesia]

Oldřich Cihelka. n.d. Art Consulting. Web accessed 31 Jul 2014. [http://www.artconsulting.sk/?act=dielo&id=19036]

Pele By Artist Paul Rockwood

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Annieoakley

Divided back, unused postcard. Publisher: Pacific Film Corporation, Honolulu, Hawaii. Series or number 67713. Color – Bud Thuener, Pacific Camera. Circa mid-1950s – 1960s.

Price: $5.00

” ‘Pele’ the Hawaiian Fire Goddess is the name of this fine work of art by Paul Rockwood, one of Hawaii’s contemporary artists. This work was commissioned by Uncle George Lycurgus to hang near his favorite cribbage table.”

California-born artist, Paul Clark Rockwood (1895-1972) created some wonderful works of art, such as the one shown here on this postcard. (Check out the first link in sources below for three examples of his paintings of Mount Mazama.) There are numerous online references for his work, including a mention of him creating cartoons in Hollywood for a time.

And if you didn’t already know, you might have guessed, from the reference in the postcard caption above, that George Lycurgus (1858-1960), was a well-known figure (businessman) connected with Hawaii. Born in Greece, he came to the United States around age nineteen, and made his first trip to the Islands in 1889 – accidentally it is said, by way of a poker game. (While supervising on the loading docks, George was invited on board ship by some members of the Spreckles family, and hadn’t realized that the ship had set forth by the time they were out in the Pacific Ocean.) A great story, and evidently one of many, for this colorful man who had lived to be 101, and had played a very influential role in the early Hawaiian tourist industry.

Sources: Rockwood Paintings. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=F2699A00-155D-4519-3EBD76C2749BD03C (accessed July 18, 2014).

George Lycurgus. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lycurgus (accessed July 19, 2014).

Laurel Cottage Genealogy

Genealogy Services, Old Photos, Postcards, Trade Cards, Etc.

Category Archives: Postcards Artist Signed

York Minster, From The City Walls

Dr. W. Derby’s Croup Mixture

Another For Alma Johnson

To Ella From Ed

A Christmas Wish

Mullen & Bluett Clothing Company

This Way!

Agua Caliente Villa By John Paul Burnham

Little Silesians By Oldřich Cihelka

Pele By Artist Paul Rockwood