Magyar Népviselet

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Annieoakley

Divided back, artist-signed, unused postcard. Made in Hungary. Series or number 320.

Price: $10.00

An artist-signed postcard, maybe from the 1930s? There is another postcard showing up online with the same type of reverse that the seller listed as circa 1930s. But nothing was found on the artist. The name appears to be Taubert? or something similar, (this one will go in our Mystery category for the unknown artist) but it’s a very cute image of a little girl in Hungarian national costume, holding some potted geraniums. In looking for the artist or a possible similar card, and Googling Hungarian national costumes….Oh, heaven! The colors and patterns, the embroidery, it’s all just so beautiful. (And why don’t we dress like this today if we want to?) I’m inspired!

W. L. S. A. Choice Groceries

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Annieoakley

Trade card for the W. L. S. A. grocery, Lynn, Massachusetts. Publisher unknown. No. 2500. Circa 1880s – 1890s.

Price: $15.00

A dream of spring?

Here’s an unusual trade card for a couple of reasons: the design – a spring scene of two ladies bundled up for the weather, one holding a tree branch that is budding with red flowers; she seems to be offering it to a seated gentleman, he even more bundled up in overcoat, hat and fur collar (really is this a woman or man?) On his lap he holds a basket with a goose (ready to be cooked for dinner). The tableau takes place inside a large shell, a crescent moon appears in the sky and a couple of rustic houses in the background. The shell is nestled atop a low-growing bush, not yet leafed out for spring, and there are a few birds lost in their own world, hunting for food, one in a branch and the other two at the base of the bush. The colors showing the iridescence of the shell are beautiful: pink, yellow, orange, a little blue and purple. Wow, all in all, is this an artist’s daydream of spring? The fowl certainly is appropriate for the business the card was advertising, though. Which leads us to the second unusual thing about this card: The W. L. S. A. grocery at 26 Market Square in Lynn, Mass was not located in online records. There are a couple of other trade cards for this business presently for sale online, but like ours, nothing shows on the back. And the lithographer name does not appear on any of the cards.

One hundred ninety-something grocers…

This card’s date is given a broad range of 1880s to 1890s, just a typical estimate for a trade card. In searching for the 26 Market Sq. address, nothing came up related to groceries. In the year 1895 (just a random year in the general time frame) there were almost 200 persons or businesses listed under the heading of Grocers. That seemed like a lot at first but maybe not, as the population five years later was over 68 thousand. In any case, one gets the impression that the grocery business for many, might have been short-lived. It would seem this was likely the case for the W. L. S. A., unless it was just the name that was short-term.

Sources: Sampson, Murdock & Co.’s The Lynn Directory, 1895, Vol. XXX. pp. 715 – 716. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Timeline of Lynn, Massachusetts. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Lynn,_Massachusetts. (accessed March 2, 2016).

Power Lines Down At H Street

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Annieoakley

This Real Photo Postcard dates from about 1907 – 1918, due to the divided back and the style of AZO stamp box with all four triangles pointing upward. The location is unknown, presumably somewhere in the United States, and somewhere that was recovering from the effects of an ice storm, or a heavy snow that melted, with freezing temps on top of that. If you enlarge the photo you can see the icicles on the lines. It looks like the ground had become too soggy to support the poles which in turn couldn’t support the extra weight. There is a major clue for location in this photo – if you look at the pole on the left you’ll see the street sign attached which says “H St.” Shucks! Too bad we can’t read the cross street – too much of an angle. The building in the background is pretty distinctive, though, and the fact that this building’s neighbor was a power plant of some kind, with smoke stack operating here. These clues should be very helpful if anyone wants to browse historical newspaper articles re storms, search for towns that have or had an H Street, and search historical photos trying to match this building. (I had to stop after awhile.) Or maybe someone will just recognize the building. Note also the man on the right, surveying the damage. What a great photo, all in all! And the image of the ice on the bare trees and on the wires is lovely.

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918. Damage to right and lower right had removed part of the photo.

Price: $15.00

The Keystone Craft Shop

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Annieoakley

This postcard is a double mystery – for the postcard artist and the whereabouts of the shop that was giving out these complimentary cards.

J. Leslie Melville’s signature appears at the bottom left of the card – a little difficult to read on this one here; however, one or two current eBay offerings clearly show the name. The other Melville examples, all under the theme of “The language of flowers,” date from around 1908 – 1910, with one like ours postmarked in the year 1909. A couple of advertisements show up also; one from 1908, Gleanings in Bee Culture (below) and the other from 1907. So, that gives us a time frame for the Melville-signed postcards of at least 1907 – 1910. The ’07 publication comes from a volume of The American Farmer, and was written as, “…with reproductions taken from the famous paintings by L. Leslie Melville.” The “L.” seems to have been a misprint.

1908 advertisement from Gleanings in Bee Culture

The second part of the mystery is regarding the shop that’s listed on the back of the card:

“Compliments From: The Keystone Craft Shop. Pictures And Picture Framing A Specialty. 828-830 Jason Street”

Oddly, no historical references were found whatsoever for the shop mentioned. City directories for the street address (searched without the city) did not even bring up any possibilities.

Divided back, unused postcard. Artist: J. Leslie Melville. Printed in Saxony. Circa 1909.

Price: $6.00

Sources: Gleanings in Bee Culture, Vol. 36. January 1, 1908, p. 1527. Google eBook. Web accessed April 20, 2015.

The American Farmer, Vol. 24., No. 5., March 1909, p. 4. Google eBook. Web accessed April 20, 2015.

A Smiling Couple

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price: $5.00

I’m thinking that this couple are man and wife, and of Swedish descent. I asked my husband and he said he just had the impression that they’re from one of the Southern states. Funny how peoples’ impressions differ so widely. Of course, there is no way to know the couple’s background unless by some miracle (stranger things have happened) someone recognizes them. But they took a beautiful photo whoever they were, and look quite contented. More than likely that is their home in the background. I like the woman’s striped apron (if that is what it is) with her gingham blouse, and the twinkle in the man’s eye, as he sits with his arm around his wife. And isn’t it always nice to sit down after a long day’s work?

The photographer is unknown also, as seems to be the case with most Real Photo Postcards. This card has one clue though: the embossed capital “A” at the right lower corner. Hopefully, we’ll come across some others with this mark that do show a location.

Wishing For You In Augusta, Michigan

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked December 1919 from Augusta, Michigan. Series or number 2138.

Price: $5.00

“I Broke My Wishbone

Wishing for You in

AUGUSTA, U.S.A.

Come and Mend it P. D. Q.”

A cute pennant postcard showing a small photo of a tree-lined dirt pathway in Augusta, Michigan. Augusta is a small town in Kalamazoo County; the 2010 census recorded the population as 885. And if this is an actual photo from Augusta, then that could be the Kalamazoo River, however pennant postcards tended toward generic scenes, and it’s probably more likely that this one was not from the actual area. The publisher is possibly Auburn Post Card Company, but nothing definite was found to verify this, though they did do pennant cards and others with series or numbers like the one we see here. This one will go in the mystery category regarding the publisher….But the back header is nice and shows the publishing company’s initials. The card was addressed to:

“Miss Ella Ellison. 1314 F St. Sacramento Calif.” (I’m not sure what the 267 or 269 under the address refers to.) The sender wrote:

“My dear Ella, Glad to have your note. Excuse my answering it with a Postal. You & Al look quite nifty in those sailor suits. What’s the idea of the “Cigs”. I think you are learning bad tricks. I’ll have to come back but I’m married now…[?]…Married life is great but it don’t pay to write Particulars ‘en ever’thing on a P.C. – Get me?! Ha! – Yours R.A.B.

Source: Augusta, Michigan. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta,_Michigan. (Accessed March 1, 2015).

For Lousia From Lucreta And Edia

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Annieoakley

It’s funny that this postcard with the trademark below, comes right after the prior post. Same theme – a child standing on a flat-surfaced rock reaching to put a postcard in the mailbox. Different mailbox style, and this one shows a little girl, and she is facing the opposite way as the little boy, but still!

Gottschalk, Dreyfuss & Davis publisher trademark.

This card was found in Salinas, California, so it’s possible that the Lousia, Lucreta and Edia were from this area (but I didn’t see any matches from a quick online search.) At first glance, I must admit, I thought the names were misspelled, as in written hastily and wouldn’t it be Louisa and Lucretia?, but no, there are plenty of entries under these spellings. The postcard appears to be an artist-signed work, with initials “M.G.” and shows a countryside scene of a graceful young woman, holding a basket, standing in front of some blue hydrangeas, on a little path next to a river that is reflecting green and gold. A red heart bearing the inscription “To my Valentine” appears at the top right. A very similarly styled valentine postcard by this publisher, dated 1909, shows up online right now (on Vintagepostals.com) but for me, the artist’s name remains a mystery. I don’t see anything specific to tie these initials in with Manni Grosze, who is known for his silhouettes and whose full signature appears on his work or for another with initals MG (also silhouettes) attributed to Marte Graf.

Divided back, embossed, unused with writing. Artist signed with initials M.G. Publisher: Gottschalk, Dreyfuss & Davis. Number or series 2019. Printed in Germany. Circa 1909.

Price: $8.00

Dovecote, Old Manor, Bucklebury

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Annieoakley

A dovecote, dovecot or doocot (Scottish) is the term used for the structure built to house pigeons or doves. These are buildings of historical interest and much has been written about them. They are sometimes round, sometimes square or multi-sided, or even beehive shaped, generally containing pigeon holes for the birds to nest in, and are either free-standing or attached to another building, a barn, for instance. The dovecote seen in this photo is likely the square-shaped building on the left with the cupola, rather than it’s immediate neighbor.

The handwriting on the back of this one was a bit tricky to decipher. Other possibilities were tried, but thanks go to my hubby for getting the best guess on that last part which appears to be Bucklebury. The village and civil parish of Bucklebury is located in West Berkshire near Newbury and is now well-known for it’s connection to the Middleton family and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate, and can’t forget to mention Prince George.) There is another area listed on the map as Bucklebury, about 25 miles east of the first-mentioned village, and located near Bracknell. So, exactly where this photo was taken is a mystery. Perhaps someone will recognize what manor home these buildings belong to, if they are (hopefully!) still standing. The estimated date of the photo is from the 1910s – 1920s.

Old photo, sepia tones, white border. Back shows “.Velox” photographic paper. Circa 1910s – 1920s. Size: About 4 and 1/2 x 2 and 3/4.”

Price: $15.00

Sources: Dovecote. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dovecote (accessed February 6, 2015).

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

Puerto Armuelles, Panamá

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked May 11, 1947. Republic of Panamá.

Price: $25.00

Here’s a Real Photo Postcard from the Republic of Panamá, 1947. The cancellation mark is too blurred to read the city. The sender wrote:

“Hi Sweet: Here is a picture of our ship! and by the way, I got the dates[?] wrong on the letter. I…?… to you: Will explain in the 4th coming letter! Love. Frank.”

The card was addressed to: “Miss Jeanette Hume, 2100 Virginia St., Virginia Court #6, Berkeley, Calif.”

Well, here is a mystery. What was the name of this ship? It’s always interesting, and quite frustrating, when you can almost make out a detail like the name on the hull. I looked at ship photos on various online sites but didn’t come up with a match. And this is part of the Alice Ellison Collection. Many more to come.

Our New Church

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Annieoakley

My guess is that this is a church, newly built. We see a small pile of scrap lumber on the ground, and obviously there are no trees or large bushes, other than what we can see on the right, and this looks like something originating from the other side of the small hill that the building sits on. The season is winter or early spring: There are no leaves on that bush or small tree, and there are a few icicles hanging from the roof. I am no architect but have come to appreciate houses, churches etc. and their features, from pouring over online images and looking in the used book that I bought which identifies the different architectural styles of American homes. What I thought was a little unusual about this building is the fact that it has two separate front doors. I found what I believe to be the explanation for this from Frank D. Myers on his wonderful Lucas County, Iowa blog. In some churches, in days gone by, men and boys sat on one side and women and girls on the other, and they used separate doors. The other noticeable features about this structure are the widow’s walk, the cupola and the weather vane. One would assume there would be a bell in the tower but we can’t really see. It looks like what we do see is a spiral staircase leading up to the widow’s walk. So, was this church close to the sea, in order to watch for sailors on their return home? That would be a romantic thought, but perhaps it was to watch out for the parishioners or just a nice architectural feature that the congregation liked, or maybe it was even modeled after another church in the architect’s home town. Well, these types of suppositions could go on forever!

As far as the possible date of this postcard, per the excellent Playles.com website, this particular AZO stamp box has been found between dates of 1924 – 1949. If you notice the writing in pencil on the back that is just the price that was listed when I bought it. A little higher priced than normal if I payed that much (I forget) but these type of photos – a building standing alone, white background like a blank slate, the clarity of the photo, these type are impossible to resist.

Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box with squares in each corner and with the words “Place Stamp Here” in the center. Circa 1924 – 1949.

Price: $15.00

Source: Myers, Frank D. “World War II: Lessons in their dying.” Lucascountyan.blogspot.com. May 31, 2010. Web accessed January 17, 2015

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Category Archives: Mysteries

Magyar Népviselet

W. L. S. A. Choice Groceries

Power Lines Down At H Street

The Keystone Craft Shop

A Smiling Couple

Wishing For You In Augusta, Michigan

For Lousia From Lucreta And Edia

Dovecote, Old Manor, Bucklebury

Puerto Armuelles, Panamá

Our New Church