Photos, videos and docs of Alan Mays, with the keywords: "1920s"

Telephones and Stoves

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 03:05:34 +0000

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

This is a real photo postcard used as an advertisement by the Keely Stove Company of Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The card dates to 1920, and it shows a woman with a candlestick telephone. She's getting married and wants a Keely Columbian Stove just like her mother has, so she's telephoning Herr & Co. in Lancaster, Pa., to order one. In other versions of the ad that I spotted online, the same woman is phoning J. A. Best & Co. in Allentown, Pa., and Bennett & Billington in Canajoharie, N.Y.

I have another copy of this postcard that was addressed to Miss Fannie Groff, Kirkwood, Lanc. Co., Pa., R.R.#1, and mailed in New Providence, Pa., on Nov. 3, 1920. The handwritten message on that copy doesn't refer to the advertisement itself but the writer does mention "phoning" and "call[ing] . . . on the phone":

"Tue. eve. [Nov. 2]. Dear Fannie, I received your letter this morning. I guess you think I am a great one for not phoning to you, but I was so busy today. And Jacob came up to vote [Warren G. Harding won the U.S. presidential election held that day], and because it rained he is staying up so I was not at Margie's to stay all night. Fannie, I won't be down this week, but I will come next Fri. eve. as far as I know now, if it suits you. We are invited to a kitchen shower on Sat. eve. Write to let me know if it will suit. And I will write later or call you up on the phone. R.E.M."

History of this Genuine Photo

The mother of this young lady has a Columbian Stove manufactured by The Keely Stove Co., Columbia, Pa. She is about to get married and telephones to Herr & Co., 7 E. King St., Lancaster, Pa., for she wants one just like Mother's.

515. Schaefer Ross Co., Inc., Rochester, N.Y.

I'll Eat Oranges for You in Los Angeles — You Throw Snowballs for Me

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:53:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tree (in a studio photo).

Caption: "I'll Eat Oranges for You — You Throw Snow Balls for Me."

This is a real photo postcard sent sometime after Thanksgiving in 1922 from "Aunt Orpha" in California to "Master George Myers" in Burbank, Ohio.

Printed on the other side: "Orange Grove Souvenir. Novelty Studios, 520 S. Broadway & 414 W. 7th, Los Angeles, Cal."

Handwritten message: "My dear George. This man is a male nurse. He was in training when I was. We had a turkey dinner [on] Thanksgiving. What did you have? Aunt Ella was with us and your Uncle Tom's niece. By-by. Your Aunt Orpha."

The "eat oranges" / "throw snowballs" caption appeared on souvenir photo postcards like this one that tourists in sunny California could send to relatives enduring winter weather back home. For another example, see I'll Eat Oranges for You—You Throw Snowballs for Me.

A Happy New Year from Geologist Benjamin Kendall Emerson, ca. 1920s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 15:40:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of eyeglasses, goggles, and other eyewear.

"A Happy New Year, Ben. K. Emerson."

A New Year's greeting from bespectacled American geologist Benjamin Kendall Emerson (1843-1932). This is an unused real photo postcard with a PMC stamp box (suggesting a date between 1920 and 1935) on the other side.

For some other photos with identifiable eyewear, see Spinning a Tale of Dogs in Glasses and Mother and Son with White-Rimmed Sunglasses.

A King and Queen in St. Augustine?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 04:41:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A scepter photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of canes, batons, spears, etc.

This regal real photo postcard bears a dealer's notation on the other side that says, "St. Augustine, 1920s." The design of the Azo stamp box (with four corner squares) on the verso suggests a possible date ranging from the early 1920s through the 1940s.

I haven't been able to determine where this king and queen may have been holding court. There are some people sitting on the porch of the building in the background, so perhaps this is a tourist site in St. Augustine, Florida, or elsewhere.

Montour Park Fall Opening—Third Annual Corn Roast and Dance, Danville, Pa.

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 23:52:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A cardboard poster from Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania, that dates to the 1920s or 1930s (September 12, 19, and 26 fell on Saturdays in 1925, 1931, and 1936).

For a similar poster from the same town, see Eddie Gilligan and His Cosmopolitan Orchestra, Riverside Park, Danville, Pa., Sept. 14, 1925.

Montour Park Fall Opening

Third Annual Corn Roast and Dance
Saturday, Sept. 12

Saturday, Sept. 19
Pfeiffer's Imperials

Saturday, Sept. 26
Alexander's Orchestra, with a Charleston Contest.

Sophomore Barn Party Ticket, East Petersburg, October 27, 1920

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 03:10:42 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

David Bachman Landis of Landis Art Press (formerly Pluck Art Printery) printed this Halloween party ticket for the sophomore class of a local high school or college. Perhaps it was for students at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and they may have taken the special 7:00 p.m. streetcar from Lancaster to East Petersburg, which is located about six miles away. Or possibly it was for a group in East Petersburg itself.

Compare this ticket with two others that Landis that printed, one for a dance held two days later--Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920--and another for a dance that took place two years later--Black Cat Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 27, 1922.

Soph. Barn Party

East Petersburg, October 27, 1920.

Special car leaves square 7:00 p.m.

Price per couple, $.150 [$1.50?].

A Halloween Masquerade Invitation! October 23, 1920

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 03:10:48 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

I'm guessing that a masquerade held near the end of the month of October in the year MCMXX (or 1920 in Arabic numerals) would have had something to do with Halloween. One of the classes—juniors, sophomores, or freshmen—at an unidentified high school or college evidently created this invitation to ask the seniors to come to a party "garbed in costumes appropriate for th' occasion."

Also, someone used a pencil on the invitation to darken the masquerader's ruffle and add lines to some of the squares in the plaid clothing design.

A Masquerade!

When? Saturday, October 25, MCMXX at 7:30 o'clock.

Where? In the Conference Rm., News Bld'g.

Hark, ye seniors: come garbed in costumes appropriate for th' occasion.

Greetings for Halloween—Invitation for Revelry on Mystic Halloween, 1923

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 03:10:46 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A 1923 invitation for a Halloween get-together at the Edwin Forrest House, which was the location of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now the Moore College of Art and Design).

I haven't been able to determine whether "Amy Lee" and "Mrs. Kuhir" were associated with the school in any way.

Greetings for Halloween

We invite you to meet with us at Edwin Forrest House at the hour of any o'clock to hold revel on the mystic Hallowe'en.

Handwritten note on the back of this postcard: "To Mrs. Kuhir, All good wishes from Amy Lee. 1923."

Printed on the back: "Series No. 297, Hallowe'en, 6 designs."

Continental Congress Session at York, Pa., 150th Anniversary Celebration, Poster Stamp, 1927

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 23:01:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A poster stamp advertising the celebrations in 1927 that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the sessions of the Second Continental Congress that were held in York, Pennsylvania, after British troops occupied Philadelphia.

"150th Anniversary, York, Penna., of the session of Continental Congress at York, Pennsylvania, from Sept. 30, 1777, to June 28, 1778. Big celebration, Oct. 13, 14, 15, 1927."

Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Clover Watching Themselves, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921 (Full Version)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 03:45:56 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

The full photo as mounted on a cardboard backing. For more information, see the cropped version.

Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Clover Watching Themselves, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 03:45:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

I chose photographic tricks and amusements for the free-for-all (post as many photos on as many different themes as you'd like) during the fifth week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

On the left-hand side of this photo, we see a woman taking a bite out of an apple offered to her by a man—shades of Adam and Eve! On the right, we see the same couple, and they've noticed the other version of themselves—the woman is pointing in their direction and the man is looking over at them.

According to the typed label attached to the back, this is a photo of "Mr. & Mrs. Emerson Clover, Central Park, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921."

I haven't uncovered any information regarding how Emerson J. Clover (1854-1926) and his wife, Alice K. Clover (1864-1947) created this trick photo, but the double exposure is well done. Central Park in Whittier, California, still exists. Part of a circular fountain or other structure in the park is visible beyond the tree.

See also the full version of the photo, which is mounted on cardboard.

Eddie Gilligan and His Cosmopolitan Orchestra, Riverside Park, Danville, Pa., Sept. 14, 1925

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 18 May 2019 05:35:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A poster advertising a dance with music provided by Eddie Gilligan and His Cosmopolitan Orchestra, a popular jazz band.

The Final Dance of the Clover Club Summer Series

Eddie Gilligan and His Cosmopolitan Orchestra

In a return engagement. The band that made so decided a hit earlier in the season.

Featuring Edward Tracy and Frank Crisman, youthful singing and dancing wonders of vaudeville fame!

Hear them at

Riverside Park, Danville, Monday, Sept. 14th.

Dancing 9 to 1

Ladies, 50c. Gentlemen, 99c.

Woman in Fur Coat

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 16:15:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of all dressed up and nowhere to go (fashionably dressed women and men).

A real photo postcard of a woman in a long fur coat who's standing in front of a painted backdrop. The AZO stamp box on the back of the photo suggests a possible date as early as 1922 to 1926, but "4-47" appears as part of the notation at the bottom of the image (it's difficult to read because the writing is upside down and backwards). Could this date to the 1940s rather than the 1920s?

Man with Alligators and Coconut Tree, Miami, Florida, 1922

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 02:38:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A distinguished gent in a souvenir real photo postcard from "Miami, Fla., 1922," as it says on the tree stump. Looks like the poor fellow is fending off alligators with his cane as he poses in front of a scenic backdrop of ocean, sky, and coconut tree, all of which received appropriate tinting after the photo was developed.

For an untinted photo from the same studio, see Man and Dog with Alligators on the Beach (note that the tree stump is hidden behind the dog).

Merry Christmas Anyway

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 04:11:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

The illustration on this Christmas card from 1930 is a reference to the stock market crash that devastated the economy the previous year and signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. We see ticker tape spewing out of a stock ticker machine as brokers run around in the background trying to place buy or sell orders for stocks as the chaos of the crash unfolds. Despite the volatility of the market, the card's message is to have a "Merry Christmas anyway."

"The Bulls and Bears may have their day / But Merry Christmas, anyway. Your son, Ross."

"You can take stock in this greeting."

Handwritten date on the back of the card: "Dec. 15, 1930."

A Thanksgiving Wish—A Harvest without Measure

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 06:23:10 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Thanksgiving greeting card with Art Deco design and color, dating to the late 1920s or early 1930s.

A Thanksgiving Wish

May this Thanksgiving bring to you
A harvest without measure:
Good cheer and joy and friendships true
And every kind of pleasure!

Black Cat Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 27, 1922

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 05:59:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Halloween dance possibly named after the Black Cat Dance (sheet music, 1916). The site of the dance was Hiemenz's Auditorium, a venue managed by H. John Hiemenz. See also Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920.

Black Cat Dance

Friday, Oct. 27. Danceland Six. (Hiemenz's).

Novelties. Admission, 55 cts.

Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 05:59:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

See also Black Cat Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 27, 1922 for another Halloween dance held in Hiemenz's Auditorium.

Hell'o'een Masked Dance

Hiemenz Auditorium, Friday, Oct. 29.

Kiphorn's Orchestra. Admission, 60 cts.

Cosmopolitan Club, Springfield College, 1926

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 03:20:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

The Cosmopolitan Club was the precursor to the International Students Organization at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Springfield College Digital Collections contains additional Cosmopolitan Club photos from various years.

Halloween Greetings—When the Candles Flicker

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 05:42:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Halloween postcard, circa 1920s.

Hallowe'en Greetings
When the candles flicker
When the wind goes woo-oo
May it mean a fortune
Mighty good for you.