Album Messages, Captions, Inscriptions from Alan Mays

You Can See Mischief

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 04:04:11 +0000

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of making mischief -- the photographer or the subject being mischievous.

Message (punctuation added): "Hello, how are you getting along? You can easy see mischief on this. J.C.A."

In this photo, the mischief that is easy to see is the result of one woman holding a clump of snow as if she's going to push it into another woman's face. The second woman is grabbing the first woman's arm to prevent her from moving the snow any closer.

This is a real photo postcard with an undivided back. It's addressed on the other side to Mrs. T. A. Camer, Jamison City, Pa., R.F.D. The stamp bears a cancellation but there's no postmark with a visible date or location. A penciled notation -- probably added by a postcard dealer -- indicates a date of 3/28/06, though I'm not sure where that came from.

Some Trouble!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 06:41:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of a written caption or comment (added to the front or back of a photo, the funnier or snarkier the better).

Handwritten caption: "Some Trouble!" License plate: "2352. Mass." (the year on the plate is illegible).

Looks like the photographer had some trouble with an unintended triple exposure. The photo was cut from an album and trimmed unevenly like this when I purchased it.

Fallen from the Crust, Jacksonville, Florida, March 31, 1906 (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 03:24:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

For the message accompanying this picture, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

Fallen from the Crust, Jacksonville, Florida, March 31, 1906

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 03:24:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of unique or outrageous hats.

This is a real photo postcard sent from Jacksonville, Florida, to Newton, New Hampshire, on March 31, 1906.

Printed on the other side: "Post Card, Souvenir, Jacksonville. J. A. Hollingsworth, Tourist Photographer, Hogan St., Opp. Park Hotel, Jacksonville, Fla."

Message written on the front: "Jacksonville, Fla., March 31. Whatever you do, don't come to Florida. Look at this picture and see how we have 'fallen from the crust.' Am so weak that I can hardly manage my auto. Hope to be better by tomorrow. Will."

If Will could afford an automobile like the one he's pretending to drive, then he must not have "fallen from the [upper] crust," as he jokingly suggests.

See a cropped version for a better view of Will and his wife, their hats, and the automobile.

Midway Diner, July 13, 1950

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 03:06:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of this was the [you name the decade] (please explain why the photo represents the period).

"Midway Diner, where we ate our dinner. On our trip to Atlantic City. Thursday, July 13, 1950."

This was the 1950s -- just barely -- but diners like this have played a significant role in fifties nostalgia. As Wikipedia observes, "In television and cinema (e.g. The Blob, Happy Days, Grease, and Diner), diners and soda fountains have come to symbolize the period of prosperity and optimism in America in the 1950s. They are shown as the place where teenagers meet after school and as an essential part of a date."

Based on other photos I purchased along with this one, I believe that the family members who ate their dinner here on July 13 were traveling to Atlantic City, New Jersey, from their home in or near Allentown, Pennsylvania. This suggests that the Midway Diner was located somewhere in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, but I haven't been able to determine exactly where.

As I was getting ready to post this picture, I discovered that I used a different diner photo for a previous 1950s theme for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. See Good Food Federal Diner, Brookline Avenue, Boston, Mass., 1956.

The King Cometh (Detail)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 03:58:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An enlargement showing "The King" in his car. See also the full version of the photo.

The King Cometh (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 03:58:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Notice all the people watching the king's car from the roof and windows of the lower building on the left. Crowds have also gathered in front of and on top of the building across the street.

See also a close-up of the king's car and the full version of the photo.

The King Cometh

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 03:58:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A photo of people on rooftops for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

This is a snapshot of "The King" taken from high up in or on top of a building overlooking the streets of an unknown city. A pair of U.S. flags extend across the top of the photo, and something's blocking the view in the lower right-hand corner (but the blurry object provided a handy place to write a caption).

Crowds of people have gathered on rooftops, in windows, and along the streets to watch the king go by. He's riding in an open car accompanied by another automobile and two motorcycles with sidecars. Anyone recognize the location?

See a cropped version of the photo for a better view of the people watching from the rooftops and windows. Another enlargement provides a close-up of the king's car.

On a Toot in Chicago, Illinois, January 18, 1908

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 05:47:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A photo of three women, three men, or three children for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

"On a toot in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 18/08. E. R. Negur. R. S. Hambliton. P. C. Pell."

A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Ethel Barber, Oberlin, Ohio, 99 S. Prof. St. Postmarked at Chicago, Ill., Jan. 20, 1908, and at Oberlin, Ohio, on the same date.

Handwritten message: "Sun., 1/18/08. The auto on the other side is busted now, or I would take you riding. I left Roy take it & he broke it. The streets are crowded with extra news boys all about war with Japan. Heard Burr McIntosh lecture tonight, and he claims war will come soon. Heard [Gum Savlans?] this a.m."

Claude J. Diliplane—If You Put This Alongside the Pig, He'll Smile (Back)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 03:58:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Claude J. Diliplane was serving in the U.S. Army during World War I when he wrote this self-deprecating message on the back of his photo. For more information, see the front of this real photo postcard.

Transcription (edited with added punctuation):

Ruth,

I think if you put this alongside the pig, he'll smile. Try it and see.

Some Pig

Claude J. Diliplane
Fort Myer, Va., July 18, '18

Claude J. Diliplane—If You Put This Alongside the Pig, He'll Smile

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 03:58:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

[Oops, looks like I was a little late last night in posting my "messages, captions, inscriptions" photo, and Phil beat me to the punch with his "all dressed up and nowhere to go" photo for this week's theme. I'd be glad to remove this from the group if anyone has any objection to my tardiness.]

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of messages, captions, inscriptions (a written comment, description, or explanation added to the back or front of a photo).

Claude J. Diliplane (1887-1950) of Reading, Pennsylvania, served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War I, from May to December 1918. He was 31 years old when he noted on the back of this real photo postcard that his picture was taken at Fort Myer, Virginia, on July 18, 1918.

He also jokingly said, "I think if you put this alongside the pig, he'll smile. Try it and see." He closed with "Some Pig" before signing his name.

Claude was 62 years old and working as a machinist when he tragically died on Monday, January 30, 1950, from injuries he received from being hit by a car at Second and Penn Streets in Reading the previous Saturday night ("Pedestrian Dies of Auto Injuries," Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 31, 1950, p. 8).

Move the Sun Please, We Just Can't Help Squinting

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 05:38:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Move the sun please, we just can't help squinting. M.C.L."

A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Mr. Earl Cady, Laramie, Wyo., and postmarked in Laramie on April 27, 1909.

For other squinty photos, see the Flickr group Squinting at the Sun. Vintage Photographs.

We Will Never See It Again—The Ferris Wheel at the St. Louis World's Fair, 1904 (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 04:16:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

We Will Never See It Again—The Ferris Wheel at the St. Louis World's Fair, 1904

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 04:16:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A cyanotype real photo postcard for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of pick a particular format (daguerreotype, cabinet card, CDV, real photo postcard, cyanotype, slide, Polaroid, or what have you?).

Handwritten message: "It's been a long time since we saw this, and we will never see it again. I'm sorry it has been destroyed. I haven't forgotten the promised pictures of St. L. You shall have them some day. Yours, J.W."

Addressed on the other side to Miss Virginia Stone, Pulaski, Va., and postmarked at Tazewell, Va., on Jan. 24, 1907 (the year is illegible on this card but I have another St. Louis cyanotype from J.W. that was postmarked on Aug. 25, 1907).

J.W. and Miss Virginia Stone were two of the more than 19 million people who visited the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. The Ferris Wheel that's visible in this blue-tinted cyanotype photo was originally constructed in 1893 for the Chicago World's Fair. The wheel was disassembled in Chicago, transported to St. Louis, and rebuilt in time for the fair in 1904 (mouse over the image above for an enlarged view of the Ferris Wheel).

After the St. Louis World's Fair ended, the Ferris Wheel met its fate on May 11, 1906, when it was dynamited and sold for scrap. "It's been a long time since we saw this," said J.W. in his note to Virginia in 1907, "and we will never see it again. I'm sorry it has been destroyed."

The Missouri Historical Society's World's Fair Ferris Wheel album on Flickr contains photos showing the installation and demolition of the wheel.

A Picture of My Niece Who Has the Consumption (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:47:53 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Jennie B. Dorsey, left, and her aunt, Mrs. Amanda J. (Dorsey) Watkins, in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard:

A Picture of My Niece Who Has the Consumption

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:47:55 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A picture that tells a sad story (either in the photo or written on the back) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

The woman at left on the front of this real photo postcard is Jennie B. Dorsey, who was visiting her aunt (her father's sister), Mrs. Amanda J. (Dorsey) Watkins, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 1911 (mouse over the image above for a close-up view of the women).

As Amanda wrote on the back of the card, "This is a picture of my niece who has the consumption," which was another term for tuberculosis, an incurable infectious disease at the time. On the front of the card, Amanda added, "She has been failing ever since she returned to her home in Scranton, Pa."

Sadly, Jennie did pass away the following year on April 3, 1912. She was only 24 years old, and her death certificate listed the cause of her death as pulmonary tuberculosis.

This real photo postcard was postmarked in Columbus, Ohio, on July 13, 1911. It was addressed to Miss Lizzie Seitz, Post Office Box, Muncie, Ind.

Message on the front of the postcard:

Jennie Dorsey & Mrs. Watkins in Clarksburg, W.Va. She has been failing ever since she returned to her home in Scranton, Pa.

Message on the other side:

Dear Miss Seitz,

This is a picture of my niece who has the consumption and I on our lawn, and this is the house we live in. We are at the camp for 2 days. We are not very well in body. Will write more in a letter soon. We all send love.

So sorry about your eyes. Use salt water diluted and get the juice of a grape vine. Be careful, don't use strong medicine. Be careful and rest them all you can. I cured mine with salt water.

Uncle Ira with His Pigs on Wig Hill (Full Version)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 14:33:09 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Uncle Ira with His Pigs on Wig Hill, the homestead that grandpa H. I. Johnson [built]."

For a better view of Uncle Ira and his pigs, see the cropped version of this real photo postcard (below).

Uncle Ira with His Pigs on Wig Hill

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 14:33:11 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A real photo postcard with a note: "Uncle Ira with His Pigs on Wig Hill, the homestead that grandpa H. I. Johnson [built]."

See the full version for the uncropped photo and accompanying note (below).

Lee and Lester Shooting Birds Off the Church Steeple, Luthersburg, Pa., 1907

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 18:33:37 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Millicent Edinger, 6709 Leeds St., Philadelphia, Pa., and postmarked Luthersburg, Pa., May 16, 1907.

Handwritten message: "Please send us some cards with views from your city. This is Lee & Lester shooting birds off the church steeple."

I sure hope Lee and Lester didn't actually hit any birds or the steeple!

A Study in Handbags

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 22:23:14 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "A study in hand bags."

I thought at first that this might be Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, but I haven't been able to confirm it. Unfortunately, I can't make out any of the inscription on the plaque that's bolted to the side of the brickwork. Does anyone recognize the location? Can anyone identify the type of fortification structure or the kinds of artillery?