Following the Bunny

We can read about the allure of postcards, and how they and their messages can lead us to faraway places with strange-sounding names.  The ones I deal with do take me on certain journeys, which most people call rabbit holes.  Take these kids, reminiscent of a certain school of popular art in the 1950s andContinue reading “Following the Bunny”

Dog Wear: Necks Installment

If you have been following along, you have watched as we considered postcards which showed animals in suits, and animals who wore primarily hats.  We then discussed animals (mainly cats and dogs) with bows.  Today we shall conclude this train of thought at Collars.  (I hope.  I know I have already discussed spectacles worn byContinue reading “Dog Wear: Necks Installment”

BOW JEST

     Here is one of the widely popular postcard cartoons, produced by various cartoonists over several decades.  Its success is a result of leaving the punchline up to the viewer’s ability to say “OH!  Got it!”  But we are not here to discuss that but to continue our discussion from our previous thrilling installment, whichContinue reading “BOW JEST”

Toppers

     Now, in last Friday’s thrilling episode, we were considering postcards which showed animals wearing human clothing.  We did not exhaust the subject (the number of teddy bear postcards alone would have produced a massive bit of bloggery).  But we did neglect the world of postcard critters who limited themselves mainly to headgear.      OneContinue reading “Toppers”

Duds for Doggies

    To those of us who grew up with the open collar suburban outfit of Mickey Mouse, and who now live in a world in which Hello Kitty hand sanitizer and Hello Kitty Polaroid cameras are being marketed to us every day (saw each of those this week; look it up if you don’t believeContinue reading “Duds for Doggies”

Hazards of the She-Driver

     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”

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”