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Dad Chores II

Very well, you talked me into it. So many people admired those pictures of Dad working with the twins in the wee hours of the morning, and expressed curiosity about the postcards showing Dad pushing the baby carriage, that I will give in to your plaintive pleas and show you a selection ofContinue reading “Dad Chores II”

Dad Chores

Father’s Day was not much of an occasion among postcard publishers. It started to be celebrated in the United States around 1910, which was right in the first Golden Age for postcards, but as a holiday it took a long while to catch on. Predictably, like Mother’s Day, it didn’t really get a footholdContinue reading “Dad Chores”

Office Supply

Here it is Monday, and I’m thinking of Tuesdays. For reasons I could no doubt Google but would prefer to make up myself, Tuesdays are the traditional days for elections. Many states are holding their primaries this month, a secondary sort of election. All of which makes a convenient lead-up to today’s Old JokeContinue reading “Office Supply”

Can You She the Point?

I have come to you before with postcards which have puzzled me, and so far no one has cared enough to present me with any possible explanations. This time around, I thought I would offer a few ladies with mysterious ways, and hope their winsome smiles might tempt you to help me with myContinue reading “Can You She the Point?”

Rocking the Album

Once upon a bygone century, any Victorian home above a certain level of prosperity possessed a parlor. The parlor served as a place to entertain guests, and was sometimes completely locked away from the rest of the family on non-guest days. The parlor was not just a spot for entertainment and refreshment, see: itContinue reading “Rocking the Album”

Children’s Corner

We gave you a Monday off for Memorial Day, which we hope you enjoyed traditionally, at the graveyard and the grill. But now we must get back to excerpts from this Old Joke Quiz Book, in which you supply the punchlines to these vintage japes. We are starting to run out of the originalContinue reading “Children’s Corner”

Who Brings Baby Storks?

This sort of thing used to depress me no end. Selling unused baby books was sometimes entertaining, as one glanced at the sorts of things the publisher thought you would want to record forever, plus the odd illustrations they added to the pages. Those that were filled in, however, were depressing. Was no oneContinue reading “Who Brings Baby Storks?”

State Your Preference

I suppose it’s another sign that I am not a serious student of world affairs, but I kind of like it that the state in which I live has a state pie. I have not consulted the public record to see if there was a major debate concerning carbs or calories or fat content;Continue reading “State Your Preference”

Well Plaid

Artist Frederick J. Cavally did a magnificent set of ethnic stereotype postcards in 1910 or thereabouts. He seemed to like doing faces—a number of his non-ethnic postcards feature a large funny portrait with a message—but this really exercised his talents. Each ethnic group was portrayed in two cards, one a male portrait and oneContinue reading “Well Plaid”

Write On, Brothers!

Once upon a time, tuna fritters, when “social media” was that fence you leaned over to gossip with the neighbors, people had to think of reasons to get together and discuss mutual concerns. Some of these grew out of the guilds, or professional associations of their time, some of these sprang up in theContinue reading “Write On, Brothers!”