In our last dissertation in this space, we considered the image of the placid milk cow, and how postcard artists revealed a darker side, showing rebelliousness of which city folk had never herd. (No, I will NOT apologize. You knew what blog this was when you clicked on it.
This time, we will look into the lives of, primarily, city folk who were not expecting cows to be anything more than rural decorations, devoted to eating buttercups, providing butter for the morning muffin, and acting as calm reminders that city folk had left the hazardous, random ways of the city for safer zones. Sometimes, this sudden appearance of a cow is presumably pleasant, as in the many “deluded lover” postcards which appeared on postcards for well over seventy years.
Both sexes were liable to this delusion. But we’ve discussed that whole phenomenon hereintofore. (Cows, by the way, seem to be the most common actors in this gag, though pigs, bears, and even elephants sometimes take on the job. Goats, I suppose, were too ornery to be used in that context, but what did the postcard artists have against, say, sheep? This suggestion of a thesis or dissertation topic is offered without charge. Just one of the services your Uncle Blogsy provides.)
More often, though, the context of unexpected cows comes when city folk trespass in a meadow. THIS job is often taken by the bull, a subject also discussed with some brilliance in this space before today. (No, I do not employ guest bloggers. You’re staying after class and drawing cows one after an udder.)
Tramps are often shown dodging bulls I fields, but often the trespassers are clueless city tourists who assumed the cows were no more likely to come after them than the trees or fence posts they wind up using as shelter.
These trespassers are sometimes taking a shortcut while walking out in the country, and make the acquaintance of the bull right away. Other tourists, however, have time to make themselves comfortable on a random patch of grass before they attract attention. They find this unreasonable.
After all, why would any animal object to the presence of a harmless tourist, just trying to enjoy the great outdoors, and perhaps record the moment for that photo album back home.
Or even record the sweet, dreamy peacefulness of the pasture for viewers in an art gallery or museum. Some cattle have no regard for their artistic legacy.
Perhaps SOME of the blame should be applied to the city folk themselves. They came out to enjoy the sights and sounds of the country, and look at the farm animals, even bringing a tent so they can enjoy those sights and sounds through the night. So why the shock on hearing those sounds and seeing those sights? What did they THINK cows did of an evening?
After all, the city folk are just as exotic to the cows as the cows are to the city folk. In fact, um, I suppose this particular postcard sold on the basis of people who wanted to look at these city folk, rather than the fearsome, alien silhouette on the tent wall. But everybody to their taste, as the old lady…yeah, another Dickens joke. Were you expecting Shakespeare in this spot?
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