I understand, honest I do. You spent a lot of time and money on your building. You’re proud of it. The architect promised this would be a building which would stand the test of time, and you want people to see it. By what right do I call the child of your corporate dreamsContinue reading “Architectural Pride”
Tag Archives: Postcards
Yawns Out Yonder
Once upon a time, there existed a series of plain oblong volumes called “Boring Postcards”, in which the editors reprinted what they considered some of the blandest, least interesting postcards ever produced. They eventually begged for mercy and terminated the series, as the more postcards they showed off, the more people sent to them,Continue reading “Yawns Out Yonder”
That Bustling Throng
Once upon a time, Chicago decided to retool the Loop. State Street, in those days a bustling shopping district, was redesigned with bigger sidewalks and smaller streets. Motor vehicles were banned except for cabs and buses, and the whole area was renamed the “State Street That Great Street Mall”. Vast sidewalks would give peopleContinue reading “That Bustling Throng”
On My Summer Vacation I….
The unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, has come and gone, despite the fact that June is not quite here yet, and the vacation season is upon us. Vacations became a major subject with postcard artists around mid-century, when postcards stopped being everyday communication ad became brief messages from far away (postage went up,Continue reading “On My Summer Vacation I….”
Mouths of Babes
We have discussed hereintofore the ways in which postcards were the texts of their generation: a quick message (which, in some areas, allowed a person to send a message in the morning, get an answer before lunch, and reply by sunset). We have also discussed how the characters on the card could speak forContinue reading “Mouths of Babes”
Why Is She There?
The postcard shown here came into inventory with a number of other World War II postcards, and it attracted my attention for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, where a pilot might encounter a cavalryman trying to execute a jumpy, why the pilot is wearing a parachute (unless he’s going toContinue reading “Why Is She There?”
Scurvy Rapscallions
A jolly collection which came into inventory here in Blogsytown is about one fifth of a set of Corsaires. These are colorful portraits of freebooters and privateers (I don’t see ANYOE using the word “pirates”) from Dominique Leroy here–a captain also known as the Pistol Corsair, who was captain of the Foudroyant (Lightning)—to ship’sContinue reading “Scurvy Rapscallions”
Fairy Tales & Such
Folklore has been passed on in many ways throughout the years, from Grandma’s tales to the Interwebs. By “folklore” I mean to suggest any sort of knowledge passed on outside of classroom, from stories of Jack and his adventures with princesses and/or giants to that limerick about the Young Lady from Ryan. Such informationContinue reading “Fairy Tales & Such”
Incoming
As you will certainly recall from our last thrilling installment, this column has been using the power of the Interwebs to warn you of summer dangers which the self-styled guardians of our safety will not talk about. Though you may search online as you please, no one but the postcard cartoonists have bothered toContinue reading “Incoming”
Under the Sea(t)
We have spoken, hereintofore, of the postcard as an early form of social media, as a repository of bygone songs and jokes, and as a certificate for travelers to verify the places they had visited. The postcard had many more roles in our history than as a means of saying “My Room Marked WithContinue reading “Under the Sea(t)”
Blogsy Babbles 