Album Souvenir Photos from Alan Mays

Sending You My Picture So You Will Fall in Love

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 03:24:02 +0000

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the topic of nautical.

The handwritten message on the other side of this real photo postcard says, "I['m] senting [sending] you my pitcher [picture] so you will fall in love with me. Your friend, A.M., USS Mercury."

There's no stamp or postmark on the verso, but the card is addressed to Miss Ida Nelson, Lakeport, N.H.

Printed on the other side: "This Photo can be Enlarged or Duplicates made at the Modern Studio, 46 Sands St., Brooklyn, N.Y."

This is a divided-back photo postcard with a type of Azo stamp box (four corner triangles with two pointing up and two pointing down) that suggests a date as early as 1917 to 1930.

Tourists Riding an Elephant

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 02:32:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of yep, that's an elephant.

Two tourists sit awkwardly atop an elephant in this souvenir photo. The back is blank, but similar photos posted online date to 1950s India.

Elephants that carry tourists in this way can suffer spinal damage, and at least one country, Indonesia, has banned all elephant riding.

Garden of the Gods Tourists

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 04:54:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A second photo of the tour group who visited the Three Graces rock formation at the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two of the women are wearing plain dress, including bonnets, which suggests that they may belong to an Amish or Mennonite group.

The Three Graces, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 04:54:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of strange background – real or studio.

In this picture, five tourists are posing in an automobile. In the background behind them is the unique rock formation known as the Three Graces, which is located in the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. See a second photo of the tourists for a close-up of the group.

Boy Scouts with High Rock Backdrop, Pen Mar, Maryland

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:44:05 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Two of two Vintage Photos Theme Park photos for the theme of a pair of pictures (two photos related in some way).

Two Boy Scouts stand next to a rustic wooden bench in front of a painted backdrop of the three-level High Point observation tower located near Pen Mar Park in Maryland.

This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (squares in all four corners) printed on the other side, which indicates that the photo may date between 1924 and 1949. The back is blank with no message, name, address, stamp, or postmark.

For a similar souvenir photo, see Two Girls with High Rock Backdrop, Pen Mar, Maryland. For additional photos and postcards from the park, see my Pen Mar album.

Two Girls with High Rock Backdrop, Pen Mar, Maryland

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:44:33 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

One of two Vintage Photos Theme Park photos for the theme of a pair of pictures (two photos related in some way).

These two girls posed for a souvenir photo at Pen Mar Park in Maryland. They sat on a rustic wooden bench in front of a painted backdrop depicting the three-level High Point observation tower situated on an overlook a couple of miles away from park.

Pen Mar Park was an amusement park and resort area located in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland and Pennsylvania. The park was a popular summertime destination in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box (two corner triangles pointing up and two pointing down) printed on the other side, which indicates that the photo may date between 1910 and 1930. The back is otherwise blank with no message, name, address, stamp, or postmark.

For a similar souvenir photo, see Boy Scouts with High Rock Backdrop, Pen Mar, Maryland.

Mirror Photo of Pier Alexander Spencer

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:16:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of studio portrait.

Name handwritten on the other side of this photo: "P. Spencer."

Added in different handwriting: "Pierre Alexandre Gilles Spencer, 5th son of Benjamin Rush Spencer and Angelique Marie Martin Spencer."

As indicated in the handwritten note, Pier Alexander Spencer (1866-1947) was one of the thirteen children of Lilly Martin Spencer (1822-1902), a popular nineteenth-century artist who "primarily painted domestic scenes, paintings of women and children in a warm happy atmosphere."

This type of trick photo, which is sometimes called a multigraph or photo-multigraph, used mirrors to make it look like a set of quintuplets was seated around a table. The distinctive table covering visible here -- with a fringe of tassels dangling over the side -- identifies the photo as one that came from the White Way Photo Studio in New York City. Compare this photo with other multigraphs from the studio, such as Mirror Photo of Woman Playing Cards, White Way Photo Studio, New York, N.Y., and Moustachioed Mirror Man, White Way Photo Studio, New York, N.Y.

For additional examples of multigraphs, see my Mirror Photos album.

A Carload of Sailors

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 04:57:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of a sailor.

Printed on the other side: "Electric Studio, 406 Main St. & 159 Church St., Norfolk, Va. 612 E. Baltimore St., & 911 Penna. Ave., Baltimore, Md."

Six sailors in uniform pose in an automobile for a souvenir photo. This is a real photo postcard with a divided back and a type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side that suggests a possible date that may be as early as 1907 to 1918. The card is unused, and there's no address, postmark, or message on the verso.

Flying High over Yarmouth

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 01:11:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Watch the skies! -- UFOs, airplanes, birds, clouds, or anything else that might be up there.

The hard-to-read handwritten note on the other side of this divided-back, real photo postcard says, "Rose sitting, [Lill?] Jennings standing, ... and myself at Yarmouth."

The Yarmouth location and the roundels on the wings of the airplane suggest that this is a souvenir photo from England. But what's the meaning of "O.K" and "R.U." on the fuselage? And was there actually a three-seater biplane that looked something like this?

Halloween Party Prisoners

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 02:33:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of funny costume or outfit (for Halloween or any other occasion).

Handwritten note on the other side of this photo: "Mary K. Anderson. Helen Troxell. (B. B. Kids). Halloween Party."

As the note suggests, Mary and Helen evidently dressed in black and white stripes in imitation of prison garb to wear as Halloween costumes Judging by the painted backdrop and window frame, they posed for the photo in a studio setting.

This is a divided-back real photo postcard. There's no address, postmark, stamp box, or any other information on the verso that would provide any clues to the location or date of the photo.

Man and Woman in Swimsuits, Atlantic City, New Jersey

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 02:14:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of one sitting, one standing.

A man and a woman -- single at the time but later married -- pose in swimsuits for a souvenir photo at a studio in Atlantic City, New Jersey, sometime in the early twentieth century. The painted backdrop shows waves breaking on a beach.

The woman is sitting awkwardly on a small table, with one foot underneath her and her other foot resting on the bottom shelf of the table. The man is standing next to her and also has one foot on the shelf. They're leaning in toward one other, and they each have one hand on the table top and the other hand on a hip.

Handwritten note on the other side: "Daddy & Mother when Single."

Printed on the verso: "Albert Studio, Ark Ave., and Beach, Atlantic City, N.J."

The Cyko stamp box ("Cyko - Place Postage Stamp Here") on the back of this divided-back real photo postcard indicates that it may date to sometime between 1907 and the 1920s.

Glass Bottom Boat Ride at Silver Springs, Florida (Red Border)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:19:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of smiling faces of yesteryear - photos of smiling people.

A Silver Springs souvenir folder with a photo positioned so that it looks like we're peering into the front of the boat to see the smiling passengers inside.

Silver Springs is a Florida tourist attraction -- and now a state park -- known for its artesian springs and glass-bottom boat rides.

For an earlier example, see another Glass Bottom Boat Ride photo and folder.

Women Posing with a Paper Moon (Full Version)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 03:57:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A paper moon picture with fingerprints, smudges, and other imperfections. See also a cropped version of the photo.

Women Posing with a Paper Moon

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 03:57:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of clouds (literally or figuratively — above the clouds, beyond, cloud nine, head in them, silver linings, or what have you?).

Two women pose with a paper moon in front of a painted backdrop decorated with clouds and stars. This is an unused real photo postcard with a divided back but no stamp box.

See also the full version of the photo.

Couple on the Observation Car (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 01:40:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A real photo postcard of a man and woman on an "observation car." See also the full version of the photo.

Couple on the Observation Car

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 01:40:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of cuddle up a little closer (people embracing).

A man and a woman hold each other close as they pose for a photo in front of a painted backdrop that depicts a railroad observation car. See a cropped version for a close-up of the couple.

This is an unused real photo postcard with no name, address, or message on the other side. The DOPS stamp box printed on the verso suggests that the card may date to between 1925 and 1942.

Seeing Portland by Air

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 May 2024 03:58:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of flying.

Photographer Cal Calvert (1875-1930) created an elaborate mockup of an airplane for customers at his studio in Portland, Oregon. In this example of a real photo postcard by Calvert, a man, two women, and three children are pretending to fly over the city of Portland. Mount Hood is visible in the background. The style of Cyko stamp box on the other side dates the card to sometime between 1904 and the 1920s.

Banner on the front of the airplane: "The Rose City." Sign on the rudder at the back of the plane: "Seeing Portland."

Printed on the other side of the postcard: "Cal Calvert, 10 Minute Postcard Man. City Park Gallery at the Washington St. Entrance, Portland, Oregon. Mazeograph Process."

Handwritten note on the other side: "We had this taken for the children's sake. They are in the Catholic School now. Everything was settled May 2nd."

For more examples of Calvert's photography, see Cal Calvert and His Airplane.

People Posing at Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 02:45:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Two couples pose for a souvenir photo in front of the Plymouth Rock Portico that houses the historic Plymouth Rock at Pilgrim Memorial State Park in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White designed the granite portico, which was completed in 1921.

This is an unused real photo postcard without any stamp box or other identifying details. For a view of the rock itself, see Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1965.

Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1965

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 02:45:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of historic sites.

A snapshot of Plymouth Rock at Pilgrim Memorial State Park in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The historic rock is "the traditional site of disembarkation of the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620," as Wikipedia describes it.

Although the sand, bars, and stone walls visible in the photo make the rock's enclosure seem rough and stark, it's actually surrounded by a grand granite portico designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White. For a view of part of the portico, see People Posing at Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Four Couples in a Car, 1942

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 03:49:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of friends. (The very first theme from May 27 to June 2, 2013, in celebration of the Vintage Photos Theme Park's tenth anniversary!)

A handwritten list of names and the year appear on the other side of this real photo postcard: "1942. Harry Trevis, Austin Lolly, Grace Barnard, Billie Miner, Lill Sanberg, Jean Olsen, Bill Ryan, & Jean Kearney."

A group of friends -- four couples -- sit in a car in front of a painted backdrop as they pose for a photo in an unidentified studio (possibly located in Coney Island).