Tag Archives: top hats

With Every Fond Wish

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Divided Back, embossed postcard. Copyright 1908, Julius Bien & Co., New York. Postmarked March 15, 1909 from Kansas City, Missouri. “St. Patrick” Series Number 740.

Price:  $12.00

Just realized we missed posting a St. Valentine’s card last month, oops! But here’s a gorgeous one for St. Pat’s Day.

Addressed to:   “Miss Elizabeth Waite, Salina, Kansas. Hoyt-West Millinery Co.”

The sender wrote:   “Only a postal from Myrtle. I leave here Monday eve for Wellington. Hope you are all O.K.”

Elizabeth Waite, according the the 1910 Federal Census was a milliner, so this card was sent c/o her employer. She is the daughter of Isaac Smith Waite and Lizzie Hogle, born native to Ohio. Elizabeth was born in Kansas, October 19, 1884.

In searching for Hoyt-West Millinery, among other mentions, we’ve clipped part of the “Town Gossip” section of The National Field, March 5, 1908. (How’s that for a pretty close date to our postcard?) The interesting thing is the mention of a Myrtle Wilcox accepting a position with Hoyt-West. So, this could be the same Myrtle that sent this card.

Another clip below; this one mentioning Elizabeth:

The Hoyt-West Millinery Company

Thanks to our recent contact (Aug 2024) from a relation to Mary A. West, we’ve updated this post to include the following on the Hoyt-West Millinery Co. This was a successful and fairly large operation, located at 121 N. Santa Fe Ave. in Salina. It encompassed 2800 square feet and was run by partners, Miss Lillian M. Hoyt and Miss Mary A. West:

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Salina Ward 4, Saline, Kansas; Roll: T624_455; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0138; FHL microfilm: 1374468. (Ancestry.com).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125233967/elizabeth-s-waite: accessed 17 March 2023), memorial page for Elizabeth S. Waite (19 Oct 1884–1 Mar 1983), Find a Grave Memorial ID 125233967, citing Gypsum Hill Cemetery, Salina, Saline County, Kansas, USA; Maintained by Mayflower Pilgrim 332 (contributor 47081711).

“Town Gossip.” The National Field, March 5, 1908. Thursday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

“Local Items.” The Salina Evening Journal.July 20, 1909. Tuesday, p. 2. (Newspapers.com).

“Hoyt-West Millinery Co.” Salina, Kansas – past and present, progress and prosperity – Souvenir [Kansas City, Mo.]. Freeman Publishing Company, [191?]. 48p. ill.; 28 cm.

Funny Guy In Top Hat

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

Price:  $15.00

Another great comic one, this time of the chuckle and guffaw variety. And at first I thought that this might be the same man as in the last post, but no.

So, the set up for this photo reminds one of the “head-in-the-hole” type, sometimes called “end-of-the pier” painted board photos, but it’s not the same thing. For this one, it looks like there was the board or sheet with the painting on it, and our subject with top hat and cigar put his chin over the neck area, and then another sheet, or board or what have you, was placed behind him, the photo was taken and then any needed touch-up work was done by the photographer. You can see that the area under the cigar and just above his collar on our right, looks like it’s been painted in. The cigar and smoke seem to have been enhanced a little, too.