As you may recall from our last thrilling episode, we were discussing the Women Driver Joke. I was noting that there are mighty few traces of that sort of traditional male humor among my inventory of comic postcards. In fact, in THAT column, I showed how many early cards I have which show perfectlyContinue reading “Hazards of the She-Driver”
Tag Archives: jokes
The Woman at the Wheel
After the wave of popular applause for the column posted hereintofore on the history of the Mother-in-law Joke (did I say “wave”? I meant “trickle”. Okay, maybe a comment from one drip.) I thought we might consider the postcard history of a younger old joke. We are going to consider Women Drivers. ThisContinue reading “The Woman at the Wheel”
If You Don’t Ask….
Along about 1904, that is, just before the first Golden Age of postcards, an author published a novel featuring a heroine who was looking for a man. The book gained some notoriety (and sales) because she was not looking for a good husband, a good provider, or a good father for her children. TheContinue reading “If You Don’t Ask….”
Dark History, True Facts, and Mother Goose
I am seeing an uptick in the number of articles the Interwebs has to offer on the True Story Behind various works of literature, and it is obviously time to take advantage of the trend. I shall therefore indulge in a pastime which has obsessed people since the early nineteenth century, and enlighten youContinue reading “Dark History, True Facts, and Mother Goose”
Summers Behind Us
Labor Day no longer means an end to the vacation season, of course. Like wearing white or buying watermelon, vacations are available at any time of year. In fact, we are moving right into the season when the snowbirds will start their annual migration away from snowy parts of the world to those withContinue reading “Summers Behind Us”
Dogs Resting
One of the things which has aroused distaste among some observers and amused jealousy among others is the things dogs can get away with doing right out there in public. Yes, other domesticated animals do the same things, but few people walk through the streets with their cows or ferrets or reindeer. TheContinue reading “Dogs Resting”
Bystander Beasts
I was checking through the new inventory, searching for bloggable data and found, as usual, that there are plenty of outhouse cards, fishing cards, and dog cards. What this says about the priorities of our ancestors I am hesitant to declare. In any case, the dogs are busy with all the usual dog activities:Continue reading “Bystander Beasts”
Rolling Right
The question of how to install the roll of toilet paper is, I am told, one of the most hotly-debated questions of the past century or so. Only the fact that the roll takes a while to be used up is apparently the only thing that keeps it from being as large an issueContinue reading “Rolling Right”
Do Not Adjust Your Set
Our ancestors, to judge by postcard cartoon art, certainly were a gaudier lot than they seem in those black and white photos in the family album. We have discussed hereintofore the frequent appearance of checkered coats and trousers for men (the larger, the more likely). And as far as stripes and polka dots areContinue reading “Do Not Adjust Your Set”
Postcard Jukebox
We have discussed this hereintofore, but more cards come into the inventory and I need to venture anew into the fact that the cartoonists who produced pictures had the whole of pop culture to draw upon. One of the easiest ways to get a grin or a nod from a prospective buyer was toContinue reading “Postcard Jukebox”
