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

Three Guys on a Glider Swing

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 20:40:38 +0000

For a similar real photo postcard, see Three Gals on a Glider Swing.

Thanksgiving Feast with Phonograph, Lamp, and Wallpaper (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 06:59:02 +0000

Note the cylinder phonograph on the sideboard, the kerosene lamp on the right, and the wallpaper in the background, See also the full version of this photograph and a photo of a similar cylinder phonograph.

Thanksgiving Feast with Phonograph, Lamp, and Wallpaper

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 06:59:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the monthly topic of family gatherings for Thanksgiving or other occasions.

A family pauses for a photo before they dig in to their Thanksgiving dinner. Despite the turkey, pies, and other dishes on the table, my eye was drawn to the kerosene lamp hanging from the ceiling, the elaborate design of the wallpaper in the background, and the cylinder phonograph hidden in the shadows on the sideboard. See a cropped version of the photo for a better view of these items. For another photo with a similar phonograph, see Young Man Posing with an Edison Cylinder Phonograph.

This is a real photo postcard with a divided back (introduced in 1907) but no stamp box, address, or message.

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.

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 Giant among Santas

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 02:45:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of with Santa.

"Merry Christmas."

Two girls and a man pose for a photo next to a remarkably tall Santa Claus. This real photo postcard has a "Devolite Peerless" stamp box on the other side, and it's likely that it dates to the 1950s.

House of David Band, Benton Harbor, Michigan

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 21:43:28 +0000

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"61. House of David - Benton Harbor, Mich."

The House of David was a religious commune in Benton Harbor, Michigan, whose members performed in touring bands (like the one above), played on baseball teams, and ran an amusement park that featured miniature trains (like the ones below). Benjamin Purnell (see below) and his wife Mary formed the group in 1903.

Who Was That Masked Man?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 03:52:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Halloween (costumes, masks, jack-o'-lanterns, decorations, ghosts, gravestones, or anything else spooky or scary; no limit—post as many Halloween photos as you'd like).

A photo of a man (or possibly a woman) wearing a grotesque mask, overalls, suit jacket, gloves, neckerchief, and straw hat. He's carrying a cane in one hand and a package wrapped in newspapers in the other.

Could this be a Halloween costume? If so, is he dressed as a farmer? Or do the cane and package suggest a stick-type bindle characteristic of a hobo?

This is an unused real photo postcard with an AGFA-ANSCO stamp box on the other side, which indicates that it may date to the 1930s or 1940s.

A couple of other details point to a specific locale. First, under magnification, the heading on part of the bundled up newspapers says, "New Era," so it's possible that it was the Lancaster New Era, a paper published in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Secondly, a pouch of "Good Bite" chewing tobacco with a fish logo is sticking out of the breast pocket on the man's suit jacket. The Good Bite brand of chewing tobacco originated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

For some other disconcerting masks, see Costume Creepiness.

Uncle Sam, Sunbury, Pa., 1931 (Detail)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 03:12:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Who was that masked man? Why, Uncle Sam, of course, though his appearance here was for Halloween rather than the expected Fourth of July holiday.

You may also want to take a gander at the full photo.

Uncle Sam, Sunbury, Pa., 1931

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 03:12:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Uncle Sam makes a holiday appearance for—the Fourth of July?

Nope, it was a prize-winning Halloween costume in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, on October 31, 1931.

A handwritten note on the back of this snapshot describes the scene as "Uncle Sam in full costume, Oct-31-1931. Best masked person at Sunbury street frolic. Grand champion premium of $1.50."

You can take a closer look at that champion mask, or check out a different Uncle Sam from Michigan.

Season's Greetings, 1950

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 16:56:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Seasons Greetings, 1950." Handwritten signature on the other side of this photographic greeting card: "The Weidman's."

For the Weidman family Christmas card from 1949, this young girl posed with Santa outside on the porch instead of inside on the stairs. See Season's Greetings, 1949—From Our House to Your House.

Season's Greetings, 1949—From Our House to Your House

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 16:56:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of boots (high button boots, rain boots, farm boots, etc.).

"Season's Greetings, 1949. From Our House to Your House."

A young girl, who's decked out in winter clothes and boots, poses with Santa Claus (or a reasonable facsimile), who's also wearing boots.

The girl posed with Santa again in 1950 for another photographic Christmas card. See Season's Greetings, 1950.

Better Than Haying (Full Version)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 03:36:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

What is it that's "Better Than Haying," as the caption says? For an explanation, see the cropped version of this real photo postcard.

Better Than Haying

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 03:36:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A fishing photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park topic of knitting, fishing, and kissing (photos of people who are knitting, fishing, or kissing; post examples of all three if you have them.).

"Better Than Haying" is the caption of this real photo postcard by Vermont photographer Edwin T. Houston, who published it in 1906 (take a look at the full version to see Houston's inscription at the bottom of the photo).

Just about any activity would be better than "haying," or making hay by hand, which is a laborious chore that usually has to be done on a hot summer day. The farmer in the photo, with his dog by his side, is taking a break from haying by casting his fishing line into the water.

The farmer has literally turned his back on his haymaking tools, which are visible on the left-hand side of the photo. We can see the teeth of a rake, the blade of a scythe, and the handle of a third tool, which must be a hay fork with its tines stuck in the ground.

So the humorous moral of the story told by this carefully constructed scene is, of course: Fishing is better than haying!

Two Santa Clauses in Naples, Italy, January 1, 1962

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 15:32:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Second of two in a series of two or more photos that tell a story (number them, if appropriate) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "Naples, January 1, 1962."

Janet, Kit, and George Buck pose with two Santa Clauses in Naples, Italy, on New Year's Day in 1962. These two Santas, with their masks, slightly different clothing, and one holding a cane, seem to me to be rather mismatched and maybe even a bit creepy, but Kit is smiling broadly and looks happy.

Janet and Kit previously had their picture taken with a giant Santa in Athens, Greece, on or before December 30, 1961.

Based on the note that Janet wrote on the back of that first photo, the family was continuing to travel and expected to arrive in Germany by January 6, 1962. These two photos provide a glimpse into what must have been a busy and fun-filled European trip.

Santa Claus in Athens, Greece, December 30, 1961

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 15:32:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

First of two in a series of two or more photos that tell a story (number them, if appropriate) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

This is a real photo postcard addressed on the other side to "Mrs. Mollie Neperiny, Lacrosse, Kansas USA." There's no stamp or postmark, however, so it was evidently sent in an envelope rather than mailed separately as a postcard.

Handwritten note on the back: "30/12/61. Aboard the ship San Georgia. Bound for Napoli. We are in Athenia now. Expect to arrive in Germany about 6 Jan. 62. Will send Xmas present then. Too many thefts at Turkey in mail. Will explain in letter. Received your pkg. George, Jan, Kit."

As far as I've been able to determine, George, Janet, and Kit (or Katherine?) Buck were traveling in Europe--from Turkey to Greece and then on to Italy and Germany--in December 1961 and January 1962.

Janet and Kit are posing in front of a giant Santa located on a square in "Athenia" (Athens), Greece. The blurred figures of the pedestrians behind them suggest that the camera was set to a slow shutter speed--perhaps it was a cloudy day. The building in the background on the left appears to be under construction. The one on the right has shops on the first floor, and a sign with Greek letters is partially visible on its roof.

As Janet wrote in her note to her mother Mollie, the family was bound next for "Napoli" (Naples, Italy). Take a look at the second photo to see the Santas they encountered there.

Santa's Up on the Housetop!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:34:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Looks like good ol' Santa Claus and his reindeer are up on the housetop with lots of toys for all the girls and boys!

This is a Victorian-era sample of an advertising trade card.

"Christmas Card—Card No. 3. 3 colors."

Santa Sends a Wireless Message of Christmas Cheer

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 02:42:11 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Santa sends you a message of Christmas cheer."

Santa Claus always stays up to date with the latest technology. Here he is in the early part of the twentieth century using wireless telegraphy (also called radiotelegraphy) to tap out a Morse code message on a telegraph key. The boy is using a crystal radio set to listen to the dots and dashes of Santa's message. Judging by the smile on the kid's face, I'll bet that he found out that he's on Santa's Nice List.

Santa has also been an early adopter of other communication and transportation technologies, including telephones, typewriters, airships, biplanes, and other kinds of airplanes.

Mr. E. H. White, Calling Card with Photograph

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 05:37:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Victorian-era calling card for "Mr. E. H. White" along with his photograph, which looks like it may have been copied from a CDV. Anyone recognize the typeface?

For similar cards, see my album of Calling Cards with Photographs.