Before we abandon the subject of clotheslines and their place in the lives of ages gone by, there is one more theme in postcards to be considered. It is a mysterious concept, and an elusive commodity nowadays, but SOME of our ancestors prized it highly. They called it “Privacy”. It is one ofContinue reading “Still On the Line”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Representative Humor
Once upon a time, of course, religion and politics were two things you didn’t discuss unless you were among friends, and sure of your audience. This was before the invention of social media Nowadays, unless you’re screaming your convictions each day, you are an unaware, unpatriotic, and probably unworthy of your account. ThisContinue reading “Representative Humor”
Online
Just in the interest of full disclosure, our ancestors did not consider sex and romance to be the only concepts associated with clotheslines. There were practical considerations as well. Our ancestors were a little more accustomed to the great outdoors than we are, and their towns and cities contained a good many moreContinue reading “Online”
Love Line
So after two weeks of discussing potties, indoor and outdoor, on the modern postcard (or at least those I have on hand), what can we discuss? Well, looking over the array, I noticed a strange preponderance of postcards dealing with something else most humans used to do outdoors and now primarily do inside theContinue reading “Love Line”
Stand Up, Stand Up
For centuries, our ancestors loved to tell jokes about doctors, lawyers, and priests, authority figures who spoke Latin. I hope somebody will eventually take my suggestion and do a dissertation on the subject, but for now, they tell you you should never venture on a joke about religion unless you are really sure ofContinue reading “Stand Up, Stand Up”
Going to Town
It is only fair, I think, having given three columns over to the postcards which celebrated the nostalgic days of the outhouse, to point out that modern indoor facilities gave postcard cartoonists a chance to express their world views. You have enough faith in humanity, I hope, to believe that potty humor does notContinue reading “Going to Town”
Goimg, Goimg….
There are those who have exclaimed at the array of outhouse postcards seen so far, and wonder why our ancestors (to say nothing of some bloggers) insisted on dwelling on such a subject. The fact of the matter is that human beings refuse to take our bodies for granted. Every normal function has becomeContinue reading “Goimg, Goimg….”
So Young, So Old
In the original manuscript of my book of old joke quizzes, the chapter of jokes about kids followed the chapters on love and marriage, and cited the remark that “There will never be a victor in the battle of the sexes because there’s too much fraternizing with the enemy.” For newcomers to thisContinue reading “So Young, So Old”
Another Game of Go
There was no way we could cover the complex issues covered in modern American outhouse postcards in one column. I promise we will not dive too deeply into the sociological implications of the cards, as we are certain to come up in worse condition than we went in, but I hope you have notedContinue reading “Another Game of Go”
Going On the Road
You weren’t expecting to see a fishing postcard again so soon, eh? Well, Cheddar Macaroon, you actually are NOT seeing one. This card is a representative of another mighty theme in postcard sending in the mid-century: the Outhouse Postcard. Technically, an “outhouse” is any farm building which has been constructed outside the mainContinue reading “Going On the Road”
