Album Umbrellas and Parasols from Alan Mays

Help Wanted

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 03:40:02 +0000

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of socks - striped, Argyll, tights, fishnets, men's/women's garters, etc.

"Help Wanted. W-22."

A real photo postcard of a woman with a parasol. The woman's dress and stockings are hand tinted with blue stripes, and her hat is yellow.

Printed on the other side: "This is a Genuine Photograph, Hand Colored. Made in the United States."

Addressed on the verso to Miss Laura Mengel, Hamburg, Pa., and postmarked in Reading, Pa., on October 10, 1917.

Handwritten message: "From your girl friend Verna. Ain't she cute on the other side?"

Waiting at the Gate

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of leave-taking photos (at the door, next to the car, or near the front gate as visitors are getting ready to depart).

A young man and woman pause at the front gate as a photographer snaps a photo. Are they getting ready to leave to go somewhere together, or have they just returned?

Both of them appear to be dressed up, and the man is holding an umbrella while the woman has a rolled-up piece of paper in her hands. Two buildings stand across the road, and a hill with trees is visible beyond them. In the foreground, a young boy is grinning and looking up at the photographer.

This is an unused real photo postcard with only a name, "Doroles," written on the back. The Velox stamp box (with diamonds in the corners and "Place Stamp Here" in the middle) on the other side indicates that it may date to as early as 1907 to 1917.

Fourth of July Parade, Liberty, Maine, 1908 (Details on Right)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 03:56:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A group of women look up the street to catch a last glimpse of a Fourth of July parade that took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908. A couple of flags are hanging from the top of the porch where the women are standing, and horses and wagons are visible at hitching posts next door.

For more information, see the full real photo postcard.

Fourth of July Parade, Liberty, Maine, 1908 (Details on Left)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 03:56:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Participants in a Fourth of July parade--some with costumes and umbrellas--march past a store with a "stoves" sign.

For more information about this parade, which took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908, see the full real photo postcard.

Fourth of July Parade, Liberty, Maine, 1908

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 03:56:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

I chose Fourth of July celebrations in order to pick a theme about events, happenings, or celebrations (or any other topic) for the fourth week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Caption on this real photo postcard: "Liberty, Me."

Addressed on the other side to Mrs. William Wellington, Terryville, Conn., and postmarked Liberty, Me., Aug. 26, 1908.

Handwritten message: "This is a 4th of July view as you will see. Many thanks for your card. Caroline B. Brown."

As the message indicates, this is a photo of what appears to be the tail end of a Fourth of July parade that took place in Liberty, Maine, in 1908.

On the left-hand side (see a close-up view), some men are standing in front of a store that's displaying a "stoves" sign, while a number of participants in the parade--some wearing costumes and carrying umbrellas--pass in front of them.

On the other side (see a close-up of the right side), there are some women on a porch looking up the street to catch a last glimpse of the parade. A couple of flags are hanging from the top of the porch, and horses and wagons are visible at hitching posts next door.

Hayward's—Silk Umbrellas a Specialty

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 May 2019 06:01:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A woman uses an umbrella to protect herself and her daughter from the menacing approaches of a giraffe and seal in this nineteenth-century advertising trade card by M. F. Tobin for Hayward's, a dry goods store in New York City.

Hayward's

131 Eighth Avenue, bet. 16th & 17th Sts., New York.

Silk umbrellas, $1.00 & $1.50 a specialty. Repairing & recovering.

Copyrighted 1881, M. F. Tobin, N.Y.

Woman in Five Poses with Hat, Magazine, and Parasol, ca. 1908 (Magazine Comparison)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 03:56:00 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Over on Flickr, anyjazz65 kindly identified the Collier's magazine that the woman is holding in one of her five poses from a photobooth photo. It's the September 1908 issue, and I've put together this composite image in order to compare the original magazine cover (at left) with the part of the cover that we see in the woman's hands (on the right).

For the full cover, browse down to the 9/1908 issue on the Collier's page at the Cover Browser site, or go directly to the image for the September 1908 cover.

For more information, see the original strip of five photos, or take a look at my rearranged copy with the photos in two rows.

Woman in Five Poses with Hat, Magazine, and Parasol, ca. 1908 (Rearranged)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 03:56:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

For more information, see the original strip of five photos.

Woman in Five Poses with Hat, Magazine, and Parasol, ca. 1908

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 03:56:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park topic of photobooth photos (or any interesting head and shoulders studio portraits if you don't have any from photobooths).

A photo strip with portraits of a woman wearing a hat, reading a Collier's magazine, and holding a parasol, along with two photos without props. For easier viewing, I cropped and rearranged the photos into two rows (the parasol photo is repeated).

The Collier's magazine is the issue from September 1908. See my comparison of the original cover with the one the woman's holding.

Lovey-Dovey Couple in Boat

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 03:55:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A photo of people exchanging "a look" that the photographer has captured perfectly for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Never mind that it's a fake look in a fake boat—the photographer who created this real photo postcard has captured a studio scene of a man and women looking into each other's eyes and pretending to be in love. I just hope that the swan got out of the way before it got caught in the wake of the speeding boat!

Girl with Parasol

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 03:58:22 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A photo of umbrellas or parasols for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Strunk's Studio, 730 Penn St., Reading, Pa."

A young girl poses with a parasol in J. D. Strunk's photo studio in Reading, Pennsylvania. For earlier cabinet photos by Strunk, see Twin Boys with Bows, Reading, Pa., 1890s and Roy Peiffer on Strunk's Studio Horse, Reading, Pennsylvania.

Reward of Merit Bookmark

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 02:37:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Reward of Merit. Book Mark. To: Nellie Briggs, by Hattie E. Perry, teacher."

New York One-Price Clothing Company

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 18:36:40 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Compliments of New York One-Price Clothing Co., Westfield, Mass."

Canoedling

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 16:25:30 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Canoodling" plus "canoeing" equals "canoedling" in this early twentieth-century postcard.

Groundhog Brand Hams, Bacon, and Lard, 1929

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 21:24:12 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Punxsutawny Beef and Provision Company, Punxsutawny, Penna., packers-manufacturers, beef, pork, veal, lambs, and provisions. H. A. Philliber, general manager. John F. Philliber, business manager. Groundhog Brand hams, bacon, and lard. Weather for today. Date: 11/4/29. Forwarded by: Truck."

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is home to Punxsutawney Phil, the famous rodent who predicts the weather each year on Groundhog Day, which is celebrated on February 2. The Punxsutawney Beef and Provision Company used an illustration of its hometown groundhog--complete with an umbrella and "Weather for Today" newspaper report--as the logo on this 1929 billhead.

For an example of the company's logo on a matchbook cover, see Groundhog Brand Pure Kettle-Rendered Lard.

Groundhog Brand Pure Kettle-Rendered Lard

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 21:42:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is home to Punxsutawney Phil, the famous rodent who predicts the weather on Groundhog Day, which is celebrated each year on February 2.

It's not surprising, then, that the Punxsutawney Beef and Provision Company used a Groundhog Day-themed logo. Notice that the groundhog on the matchbook cover is holding an umbrella and a newspaper with a "Weather For Today" headline.

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"Pure kettle-rendered lard, Punxsutaweny Beef and Provision Company, Punxsutawney, Pa. Weather For Today. Close cover before striking."

"Groundhog Brand ham, bacon, lard, and sausages. Punxsutawney, Pa. Punxsutawney Beef and Provision Company, packers-manufacturers, beef, pork, veal, lambs, provisions. Lion Match, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa."

What Means This Shoe So Very New? Why, "23" Skidoo, Skidoo!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 16:18:12 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

What means this shoe so very new?
Why, "23" skidoo, skidoo!
But if you'll be my Valentine,
This shoe, my love, will not fit you.

The "23 skidoo" fad--a joking way to tell someone to "scram" or "get lost"--was popular in the 1900s and 1910s. For an amazing compilation of information regarding the fad, see the 23 Skidoo Postcards Web site.

Postmarked: Newark, N.J., Feb. 13, 1909.
Sent to: Mr. Miles Tarbell, Groton, Tompkins County, New York.
Message: Yours sincerely, Belle D.

May I See You Home?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 21:33:32 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"W. L. Alexander. May I see you home? Or will I have to set on the fence and watch you meander by?"

The Standard Rotary Shuttle Sewing Machine, the Lightest, Quietest, Swiftest Running Machine in the World

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 21:14:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"The 'Standard,' our name is our motto. 2000 turns in a minute, clear the track! Standard Rotary Shuttle. Compliments of the Standard Sewing Machine Co., Cleveland, O. The Standard Rotary Shuttle Sewing Machine, the lightest, quietest, swiftest running machine in the world. ________, agent. Johns & Co. Lith., Cleveland, O."

In the illustration on this nineteenth-century advertising trade card, the winner of the bike race is riding a high-wheel bicycle--or "penny-farthing"--that was somehow constructed using a giant version of one of the Standard Sewing Machine Company's rotary shuttles as one of the wheels. The cyclist following the winner wasn't using a rotary-shuttle wheel, so it's not surprising that he is falling flat on his face.

The obvious superiority of the winner's equipment hasn't been lost on the three immaculately dressed women and the young girl, all of whom have been watching the race. They're all staring intently at the winning cyclist, and one woman even appears to be waving her handkerchief at him. I suspect that all of the women and perhaps even the girl went out and purchased a Standard rotary shuttle sewing machine as soon as the race was over.

Human Flag, Loyal War Governors Anniversary Parade, Altoona, Pa., 1912

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 05:00:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"The Human Flag, Loyal War Governors Parade, Altoona, Pa., Sept. 1912."

A postcard of the "Human Flag"—women holding umbrellas to form the stars and stripes of the United States flag—during the parade in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Loyal War Governors' Conference.