Looking Glasses

     Whilst checking through my inventory for postcards showing monocles, I observed that there have been several ways of holding lenses up to one’s face.  Ordinary glasses or spectacles spread the burden between ears and nose, while the monocle is held in place with the muscles of the face.  But there have been other alternatives.Continue reading “Looking Glasses”

Screen Scrooges: Sufferings of the Late Mr. Marley

     “It is required of every man,” the Ghost returned, “that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.  It is doomed to wander through the world-ah, woe is me!-and witnessContinue reading “Screen Scrooges: Sufferings of the Late Mr. Marley”

New Moon Over Your Shoulder?

     Some other time, we shall discuss the weighty question of why our ancestors had so many jokes about bathrooms and their functions and the functions of people using them in their world of postcards.  It could be because postcards were consider such a quick, informal form of communication that we could toss in aContinue reading “New Moon Over Your Shoulder?”

To Make a Long Story Short

     We have examined, from time to time, the pleasure our postcard artists took in the infinite mixings and matchings of romance, but we have been primarily concerned with girth.  The artists found other ways to express romance in inches.  (Mind.  Gutter.  Please.)      The tall, thin man and the short, round woman were veryContinue reading “To Make a Long Story Short”

The Seven Deadly Virtues

     Today, we are going address unfair animadversions against human qualities.  I realize that this material has been presented from other angles, but bloggery can be a haven for unpopular viewpoints.  Why don’t people speak more pleasantly about       WRATH: Despite its popularity on social media, recognition of this as a major virtue goes backContinue reading “The Seven Deadly Virtues”

Boat Season Coming Up

     Spring is here now, more or less.  (One forecaster spoke of snow this weekend, but it IS only April.)  It is the time of year when folks start getting out on their boats again.  And seasonal though they might be, boats were regarded with just as much joy by postcard cartoonists as cars.       Continue reading “Boat Season Coming Up”