Do you know where we get the phrase “Peeping Tom” for a man who tries to get a look at women in a state of undress? Well, that’s a pity, because I’m going to tell you the story anyhow. There are plenty of versions of the story of Lady Godiva. My favorite isContinue reading “Sorry, Tom (or) Not Safe On the Sidelines”
Tag Archives: history
I See By Your Outfit
Today’s consideration of fine old jokes takes us to the wild west, and the garment known as chaps. The word is short for chaparreras, which American cowboys shortened to chaps, at first pronounced shaps. They apparently start appearing in tales of the west in the 1830s, and were intended to keep a cowboy’s legsContinue reading “I See By Your Outfit”
SO…DID THEY MEAN….
The joke archaeologist, digging around in bygone postcards, has turned up several which might or might not be a little naughtier than they look. Some of them I can help with, while others have confused me. Take the simple example above. Caption and concept were popular in cards around the start of the lastContinue reading “SO…DID THEY MEAN….”
The Collectible Trade
In our last thrilling installment, we were discussing collectibles, and how collecting said collectibles, especially those which are produced as collectibles, is subject to change without notice. And it occurred to me that I have a few examples of what was once the hottest collectible in the market: the trade card. Not to beContinue reading “The Collectible Trade”
The Jaspers and the Rubes
We have mentioned, in an exploration of joke archaeology hereintofore, that jokes made by one group of people against another were regarded as being in poor taste as early as three generations ago, while others continued without a lot of controversy. The town/country joke went on for centuries (Aesop covered t) but it hasContinue reading “The Jaspers and the Rubes”
Man’s Work?
The First Golden Age of Postcards, when the fad was at its peak and millions of these little analog text messages were selling every year, roughly from 1907 to 1914, saw a growing public notice of the movement of women into the work force. Women had always kind of BEEN part of the workContinue reading “Man’s Work?”
If It Sells, It Doesn’t Need To Make Sense
To be frank, I find it easier to believe that the world is painted on the inside of a massive cosmic eggshell than that, once upon a time, a bunch of devious authorities got together and decided “Let’s tell them the world is a slightly flattened sphere and see how long we can fakeContinue reading “If It Sells, It Doesn’t Need To Make Sense”
Footnotes Afoot
Dealing with postcards of other days and ways can bring me to the occasional “Huh?” moment. While this can be entertaining to onlookers, it DOES leave me with the problem of providing footnotes to my wares. Take this entertaining cartoon, in which our hero, from out of town, asks a policeman, “So, Mr. Watchman,Continue reading “Footnotes Afoot”
PRESIDENTIAL TALL TALES XII
So we move on into the twentieth century in ou quest for presidential conspiracy theories dealing with every President of the United States. To be considered for our list, the theory in question should be about as old as the administration in question, or at least nothing something somebody came up with on theContinue reading “PRESIDENTIAL TALL TALES XII”
PRESIDENTIAL TALL TALES XI
As noted, the ground is getting treacherous underfoot as we sally forth in search of conspiracy theories about the U.S. Presidents. Ideally, you will recall, we are looking for stories more or less contemporary with the Chief Executive which have since been dismissed by most “mainstream historians”. We hit quicksand hunting for anything aboutContinue reading “PRESIDENTIAL TALL TALES XI”
Blogsy Babbles 