Tag Archives: Postcards

CRUSHES OF YORE

     I am not sure we have ever discussed in this space the phenomenon of the pin-up joke, a classic of humor for decades.  Of course, you know what a pin-up is: THAT goes back for centuries (possibly millennia, depending on whether those cave paintings and ancient sculptures were offerings to a fertility goddess orContinue reading “CRUSHES OF YORE”

Having It Both Ways

     A few months gone, we discussed in this space the concept of the trade card, a Victorian sales device issued by stores who realized that if people started collecting these, they would come to the store to see if a new one was ready.  Getting someone into the store was half the battle, afterContinue reading “Having It Both Ways”

Three of the Culprits

     This column frequently touts the work of postcard cartoonists Walter Wellman and Ray Walters, with occasional salutes to other people whose work is now easiest to find on fossilized tweets from the past.  But the collections coming in to inventory over the past month or so have included the work of several artists weContinue reading “Three of the Culprits”

Wonder Winterland

     I resent global warming.  I want the seasons back the way I remember them.  It isn’t a matter of “When I was a kid”.  It’s a matter of “fourteen or fifteen years ago, I could rely on one really good, solid blizzard every winter.”  But noooo, all you people who drive to work andContinue reading “Wonder Winterland”

Delight in de Window

     Now, in pursuing my research on your behalf into the question of peeping Tom postcards (there’s no end to the trouble I go to for your reading enjoyment, but that’s just the kind of blogger I am),  I thought I would consider the question of what is NOT a peeping Tom postcard.      ForContinue reading “Delight in de Window”

Sorry, Tom (or) Not Safe On the Sidelines

     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”

Don’t Rock the Postcard

     Now, although this is the Interwebs, we really need to be fair to both sides here.  For every maritime disaster postcard, there are a hundred showing boats and ships going about their business without calamity.  The places which sold postcards sometimes had a vested interest in reminding you of the peaceful, calming effects ofContinue reading “Don’t Rock the Postcard”

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”