Monthly Archives: January 2014

Þingvellir, Almannagjá, Iceland

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The first word at the bottom left in cursive on this postcard certainly looks like Bingvellir. However, an online search shows that it is actually Þingvellir, using the correct Icelandic character Þ.  In English it’s written as Thingvellir. This postcard shows Almannagjá Canyon at present-day Thingvellir National Park. The area has great historical, cultural and geological significance, and Thingvellir National Park is on UNESCO’s world heritage list. At Thingvellir, the Alþing (Althing in English) an open air assembly that represents all of Iceland, was established in the year 930 and continued to meet there until 1798. The park was designated as a protected area by a special law passed by the Alþing on May 7, 1928, and is one of Iceland’s most frequently visited places. Geologically, the area is described as part of a fissure zone running through Iceland, and situated on tectonic plate boundaries. Thingvellir is part of the North Atlantic Rift, and is one of the few places in the world where two major plates can be observed to be drifting apart.

This postcard is the second one posted on this website with credits on the back showing for Hans Petersen, who was possibly the photographer.

Divided back, deckled edge, unused postcard. Einkarjettur. Hans Petersen, Reykjavík. Stamp box shows the number series 402751. Date unknown, possibly circa 1910-1930.

Sources:  http://www.thingvellir.is/english.aspx

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1152

https://notendur.hi.is//~oi/geology_of_thingvellir.htm

Birthday Box of Lilies and Forget-Me-Nots

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This postcard is a bit of a detour from the numerous (but just as beautiful) birthday greetings with flowers. These lilies and forget-me-nots have come in a pretty robin’s egg blue box that was tied up with a yellow ribbon. The understated striped background might remind you of an old wallpaper pattern. The card is embossed, and has gold tone highlights, and the back was addressed to Elsie Stumpf [?] Her last name is a bit difficult to read, and there are some other possible variations of the last name, but online records do show various entries under Elsie Stumpf.

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard with gel finish. Printed in Germany. Series 381. The publisher logo shows a shield with a tree surrounded by the initials A. S. or possibly A. S. B. Circa 1907-1915.

Price:  $2.00

 

Faith

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Old card,  circa 1890s – 1910.

Price:  $5.00       Size:  About 2 and 1/2 x 4.”

“The just shall live by faith. – Heb. 10.38.”

Small card with bible verse, possibly from the Victorian Era. Maybe it was used as a calling card. It has the name Walter Hartwell written on the back. This wonderful image was surprisingly hard to describe at first, but denotes faith. The verse, combined with the image, to me means that the continued practice of honesty and kindness bring faith, faith then carries us and protects us, allows us to see the sweetness in life and to know that we are never alone. The card shows a little girl in winter taking a break from picking holly (per the basket beside her). It’s lightly snowing and she is sitting on the ground, under her umbrella, which is keeping off the snow. Two birdies have come to greet her. Though she is not dressed in fine clothes or even very warmly, we can see by her beautiful expression that she is spiritually rich and walks in faith.

A Good Day For Rubbers

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Divided back, used postcard, postmarked December 14, 1909 from Covington, Indiana. Front bottom left shows Copyright 1909 by Taylor Art Co.

Price:  $10.00

“Get busy and get a pair of ruber boots and a void the rush for a soft time is coming, it gets very mudy around pig pens. from the Hog Remedy Co. 12-14 Easy St. Aylesworth Ind. hope you will receive our little booklet on pigs just from the printers hands sent you by to days mail if you fail to receive it just notify us at our office as we are kept busy day and night filling out perscriptions. Hope to get a reply soon will try and write so you can read it next time. Dec. 13, 1909”

Addressed to:  Miss Jessie Coffing, Covington, Ind.

What a great message on this one, more detailed that the norm. Love how the sender is telling Miss Jessie she better get out there and get those rubber boots, and love his or her phrase “a soft time is coming.” And can’t you just picture the little booklet they sent, probably with some illustrations of pigs. Online searching, as of the date of this posting, is not showing anything for The Hog Remedy Company, and Aylesworth is a now extinct town that was located in Western Indiana – Shawnee Township, Fountain County.

As to the addressee:  Jessie Coffing appears in the Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941, as marrying Freeman Knowles on April 7, 1910 in Fountain County, so this card would have been sent a few months before her marriage.

As far as the front, this is a nice humorous postcard. We see the stylish young redheaded woman hanging on to her skirts, while in the process of putting up her red umbrella. The skirts, hiked up just a little to keep them off the wet street, show her ankles and lower calves – scandalous to the older woman appearing in the background with her husband, but just fine for that same husband and the two other guys looking on.

Source:  Fountain County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1848 – 1920 Inclusive Vol, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerks Of; Book: 14; Page: 456. (online at Ancestry.com)

Hekla, Iceland

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Divided back, deckled edge, unused postcard. Einkarjettur. Hans Petersen, Reykjavík. Stamp box contains the number series 402741. Circa 1910 – 1930s.

Price:  $7.00

Postcard showing black and white photography of the southern Icelandic region with the volcano, Hekla in the distance. Per a Wikipedia entry, Hekla is a stratovolcano in the south of Iceland, one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, and measures at a height of 4,892 feet or 1,491 meters. The first documented eruption was in year 1104 and the most recent eruption was on February 26, 2000.

This postcard happens to have either a word or part of a word written on the back. It may be “view” and someone had started to write more about this view of Hekla, but impossible to say, for sure. The date is circa 1910-1930s, per a similar Hekla postcard found online.

Source:  Hekla. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hekla (accessed January 12, 2017).

Margaret Jane (Cunningham) Setzer

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Margaret Jane Cunning Setzer age 3

Tintype, circa 1869.

Price:  $20.00           Size:  8 and 1/2 x 6 and 1/2″

Large tintype of the adorable Margaret Jane Cunningham, age three. By her expression, Margaret Jane was none too happy to have had to pose for the photographer. Our subject’s dark hair is styled in ringlets, and she wears a cute short-sleeved dress ornamented with two appliquéd ribbons running parallel to the hemline; another set running vertically up to the bodice; with the sleeves also showing the same ribbon appliqué. In addition, the sleeves show some type of ornamentation as if to gather them somewhat from the sleeve hem to the ruched neckline. A hairband, necklace, striped knit pantaloons and the high laced shoes of the day complete the ensemble. Our subject’s cheeks show a delicately hand-tinted rose color, and you will also notice that the necklace has been tinted gold. This image was likely taken in a studio, as the fringed chair was a popular seating place for photographer’s subjects for some years. You will also notice that this tintype must have been displayed in an oval frame for quite some time, per the darker oval-shaped coloration in the center. It was found in a lovely silver-colored wooden frame. The age of the frame is unknown, but it is possibly not all that old.

Happily, we know from the back of the image, that Margaret Jane grew up, married and had children and grandchildren (or at least one of each), as “Grandma Setzer” is scrawled in pencil on the dark cardboard frame back. The other writing on the back of the frame shows “Margaret Jane Setzer.” And “age 3” is written on a piece of masking tape that is attached to the back of the tin type. The California Death Index, 1940-1997 shows a Margaret Jane Setzer, born Illinois, October 26, 1866, and died December 4, 1954, at the age of 88, in Santa Clara (possibly Santa Clara County) California. The record shows her mother’s maiden name as Allen and father’s surname as Cunningham. It’s not possible to say for sure if this is the right record, especially without the image notating the place taken. However, online searches are not pulling up anything else as a major possibility, so this record would seem to be a really good bet. If it is correct, it would mean that this tintype is from about 1869, which does fit perfectly for the style of clothing and the use of the fringed chair. The other really major consideration is that the grandchild wrote “Grandma Setzer” which seems to indicate that Setzer was Margaret Jane’s married name. Lastly, this tintype was found on the Central Coast area of California, so it wouldn’t have had to travel far, from the estate sale that it may have come from.

Source:  Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.

Brulatour Courtyard, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Divided back, linen, unused postcard. Genuine Curteich – Chicago, “C. T. Art – Colortone” (Registered at the U.S. Patent Office) Publisher:  A. Hirschwitz, New Orleans, LA. Series 33. Stamp box shows “Place Stamp Here” and Curteich series “SA-H829.” Circa 1931 – 1945

Price:  $10.00

“Brulatour Courtyard, 520 Royal Street. One of the most famous courtyards in the city. This corner, showing the old stairway and arch, is painted and photographed more than any other place in old New Orleans.”

This posting is one of many that finds the researcher veering off in multiple, often surprising directions. In this case some of the subjects coming into the spotlight are film, furniture, wine, maritime disasters, and artists. One subject always leads to the next, and of course, this happily meandering path could go on indefinitely.

WINE, FILM AND MARITIME

The courtyard gets it’s name from Pierre Ernest (or Ernest Pierre, city directory records show both) Brulatour, born about 1802, who came to New Orleans at about age 34, according to an online immigration record. He was a wine merchant in New Orleans, having lived for a time at the Royal Street address on the postcard, and was the paternal grandfather of Pierre Ernest Jules Brulatour (1870 – 1946.) The younger Brulatour is said to have been named after the grandfather. (Possibly they both had the same exact name but that question will not be looked into here.) Much has been written about Jules Brulatour, the grandson, who was a very successful pioneering figure in the early American film industry. An interesting fact about Jules’ second wife, Dorothy Gibson, is that not only was she a survivor of the Titanic disaster, but she played herself (prior to her marriage to Jules) in Saved From the Titanic, the first movie ever made about the maritime tragedy. Logically, the film’s producer was Jules Brulatour.

FURNITURE AND WINE 

The building depicted here is said to have been built in 1816 and first occupied by François Seignouret, a fine furniture maker and wine merchant, born 1783 in Bordeaux, France. Seignouret’s furniture is famous for it’s elegant lines and is highly sought-after, and the wine business that he founded in 1830 is still in operation today, as Seignouret Frères & Cie.

ARTISTS

520 Royal Street was also, at one time, home to the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, a group of artists that organized to form the club, and are recognized as a major force in starting the movement to preserve the historic French Quarter. They had moved in to the building in December of 1921. The club incorporated in 1922 and ran till 1951, and though they only headquartered at the 520 Royal address for a short number of years, they are nevertheless, an important part of its history.

CURRENT PLANS

The building and courtyard are owned today by The Historic New Orleans Collection, who are currently working to turn the site into a historical museum, with a vision that includes the site as a venue for music and art. The site excavators have made a fascinating discovery of a 200 year-old well.

MORE POSTCARD PUBLISHER INFO

From time to time questions arise regarding the publisher information given on postcards, such as: Is the printed name appearing on the postcard that of the publisher? (Sometimes it  seems a bit unclear.) Or really, who is this guy – is he the publisher, and by the way, what does a postcard publisher really do? Well, it’s only logical then to create a separate category for publishers, and that will be forthcoming. In searching for some clarification for this post, we find that A. Hirschwitz was Aaron Hirschwitz, born in Louisiana, about 1874, according to the 1930 Federal Census, for New Orleans. He is listed there with wife Sadie, daughter Thelma Sarpy, grandson Aaron Sarpy, and boarder Simon Geismar. The Hirschwitz home address on this census is 1937 Peniston St., and Aaron Hirschwitz is stated as home owner, with occupation given as “President” in the industry of “Souvenirs.”

Sources: http://www.steinerag.com/flw/Artifact%20Pages/Postcards.htm (re Curteich)

Ancestry.com. U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.Original data: Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012.

Hemard, Ned. “Jules Brulatour.” In KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana, edited by David Johnson. Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, 2010–. Article published August 26, 2013. http://www.knowla.org/entry/1616/.

http://www.seignouret.com/en/index.html

Bonner, Judith H. “Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans.” In KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana, edited by David Johnson. Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, 2010–. Article published January 3, 2011. http://www.knowla.org/entry/474/.

http://nola.curbed.com/tags/brulatour-house-and-courtyard

Year: 1930; Census Place: New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana; Roll: 809; Page: 21B; Enumeration District: 0200; Image: 971.0; FHL microfilm: 2340544. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

The Happy Families of Norwalk Connecticut

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An excellent Real Photo Postcard of the Happy Families of Norwalk, CT. Judging by the family resemblances, placement of the subjects, and pose of the youngest woman, we might guess that the one family is the three adults on the left – husband, wife and young adult daughter; which leaves the other as the family on the right –  the husband and wife and their three small children. Up-close scrutiny shows that the two ladies in the middle are wearing wedding rings. Too bad we can’t see the left hand of the youngest woman, but her pose with her arm draped on the knee of the woman behind her, seems to denote daughter and mother. The other interesting details are the porch lattice work, which is ever-so nice, the beautiful lace curtains that we can see in the windows, the reflection in the door’s window of what looks to be some type of building across the way, the potted cactus plant to the left of the porch stairs, and very importantly – the house number which shows as 22. Aside from the scrutiny of the details, this is just a wonderful image of two beautiful families, posing for the camera, in the early 1900s.

The AZO stamp box with all four triangles pointing up, plus the fact that it’s a divided back dates this postcard circa 1907 – 1918. The writing on the back is a little puzzling, but it possibly indicates that Joe is 5 years old and Minnie is 7. Frankie’s age is given as 1 and 1/2 years, so there’s no question about that one. However, what the writer meant by the numbers 3 and 2 respectively after Joe and Minnie, is unclear. Online research for these two families is not turning up anything concrete, but the Happy surname most certainly turns up in Connecticut, as well as in other states and Canada.

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused with writing. AZO stamp box, circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $10.00

May Every Hour…

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“May every hour that fleets away bring

Blessings bright with you to stay true

Blessings all your life to cheer, shield

You from harm, and protect you from fear, in

Sending the season’s Greetings I wish to tell

You dear, that I wish you a prosperous and a

Happy New Year”

The funny thing about this card is the way the poem is arranged. In reading the lines you can see that it wasn’t organized correctly for riming, and that might make you wonder a little about the process that took place in getting this particular postcard set up for production. Perhaps after deciding on the border and large M, they discovered that they didn’t have enough room to have the lines come out right. This kind of thing, and other things, like funny spellings of words and odd capitalizations, always add a little to the charm of these old postcards (in the opinion of this blog’s author.) Anyway, it’s a beautiful card and poem. The scroll work around the M and the border of bells are both great.

Addressed to:  “Mrs. C. E. McGown, #30 Williams Ave., East Lynn, Mass.” It looks like the card was signed “D. Mc.G.” (as in D. McGown) and then dated by whoever received it, as the date in the bottom left corner shows “Jan 1st – 1913.” The card is postmarked Dec. 29, 1912, Lynn, Mass, and the postmark also shows East Lynn Station.

Mrs. C. E. McGown is not showing up in records online. However, there is a Clara E. McGown born about 1887 in Massachusetts, at the address of 30 Williams Ave, on the 1900 Federal Census taken in Lynn, Mass. Clara is shown there as age 13, living with parents, Serimos and Lizzie R. McGown, and boarder, Thomas B. Stewart. And there is a marriage record dated March 31, 1907, for Clara E. McGown and Gerrish B. Wiggin. Clara’s parents are listed there as Cyrenus E. McGown and Lizzie R. Martin, and Gerrish’s parents are listed as James B. Wiggin and Frances M. Hazen. Perhaps the sender of these New Year greetings simply forgot to write Clara’s married name, or maybe they weren’t sure what it was. If so, this would account for the fact that Clara is addressed as “Mrs.” while still in her maiden name. Then if all of this is correct, we would assume that Clara and her husband Gerrish were either living with Clara’s parents at the time the card was sent, or the sender did not have the Gerrish address.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked December 29, 1912. Publisher unknown. Card is on somewhat heavier card stock.

Sources:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Lynn Ward 3, Essex, Massachusetts; Roll: 644; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0366; FHL microfilm: 1240644. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

A Happy New Year

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Mistletoe, holly, snow and grandfather clock border this home scene in winter at sunset. Clock appropriately shows about 3 minutes to midnight. Embossed card is dated December 30, 1916 and sent from Chelsea, Massachusetts. Sent to “Mrs G. W. Spaulding, Pepperell, Mass., Box 26” and signed, “Many returns, John.” Census and online city directories are not showing a G. W. Spaulding, a George Spaulding, or a G. H. Spaulding in or very close to Pepperell, but this is nevertheless, a very nice card. I like the snow border, in particular.

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Dated December 30, 1916. Publisher unknown.