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

Opening Party Ticket, Fox's Hall, South Worcester, N.Y., December 15, 1887

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 10 May 2026 05:19:57 +0000

A Victorian-era ticket with a unique border and striking typefaces.

Typefaces: Bank-Note Italic Ornamented, 1875 ("Opening Party") , Mystic, 1882 (“Fox's Hall, South Worcester, N.Y.”).

Thanks to Florian Hardwig for identifying the typefaces.

Opening Party at Fox's Hall, South Worcester, N.Y.

Thursday Evening, Dec. 15, 1887
Music by Belcher's Full Band.

Yourself and lady are respectively invited.

Bill $1.50.

J. D. Beard, Manager. E. Fox, Prop'r.

City Band of York, Pennsylvania, 1915

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 02:18:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

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

Drumhead: “City Band of York, Pa."

Credit line: "Photo by M. J. Murnane, York, Pa., 1915."

Printed on the back: "M. J. Murnane, No. 227 W. Market St., York, Pa. At the Bridge."

This is a divided-back real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side. The time frame of 1907 to 1918 is commonly associated with this type of design, and that matches the 1915 date of the photo.

The name of "Elwood Slaugenhaupt" -- he was born in 1917 and died in 2000, according to Find A Grave -- is written on the other side. Slaugenhaupt would have been too young to have been one of the musicians pictured in the photo.

The Conductor of the Band at the Zillertal Beer Hall, Hamburg, Germany, ca. 1960s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 04:54:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of booze and music.

"Hamburg-St. Pauli. Zillertal bleibt Zillertal." ("Zillertal remains the Zillertal.")

Partially visible on the wall in the background: "Schaug das'd in Schwung kimmst!" (According to one source, this translates as "I see you come to life" in the Bavarian dialect).

This is a souvenir real photo postcard from the Zillertal, a Bavarian-style beer hall that was located in the notorious Reeperbahn area in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, Germany. The man wearing a suit and holding a baton is a tourist pretending to be the conductor of the house band, whose lederhosen-clad members are surrounding him. Other souvenir photos typically show the band with groups of tourists holding mugs of beer.

See the Zillertal, Hamburg section of the Reardon Smith Ships site for photos of the exterior and interior of the Zillertal along with two more souvenir pictures.

House of David Band, Benton Harbor, Michigan

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

Alan Mays has posted:

"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.

A Signal from Mars? (Lassoing a Toy Horse)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:20:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

The rope of a lasso surrounds a tiny toy horse.

For more information, see another detail from the same photo along with the original version.

A Signal from Mars? (Woman with Sheet Music)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:20:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A woman poses for a photo and pretends to sing as she holds the sheet music for A Signal from Mars: March and Two Step.

For more information, see another detail from the same photo along with the original version.

A Signal from Mars?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:20:10 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of over the shoulder (something or somebody).

Everyone in this puzzling photo is holding something. The man on the left is holding a cane over his shoulder, and the second man has a rope wrapped around his left hand. Both men are watching the woman in the middle, who's holding sheet music and singing. The woman on the right, who's seated in a chair, is holding a lute and is playing it to accompany the woman who's singing. The woman standing beside the singer and both of the men are all holding rolled-up papers of some sort.

A closer look at the photo reveals some curious details. First, the sheet music that the woman is holding is entitled A Signal from Mars: March and Two Step, which was published in 1901 (hear a piano version on YouTube). Since the piece is an instrumental "march and two step" without any lyrics, why is the woman pretending to use it as she's singing?

Secondly, the rope that the second man is holding extends down to the floor where it's coiled around a small horse pull toy. Why did the man lasso a tiny toy horse?

I don't have any answers for the questions that this photo poses. Although the painted backdrop and patterned floor covering suggest that this picture was taken in a photo studio, I wonder if this might be a scene from a theatrical production. There was a popular comedic play with a similar title—A Message from Mars—that toured the United States between 1903 and 1905. As far as I can determine, however, A Message from Mars was not a musical, and there was no connection to the sheet music for A Signal from Mars.

Clara Bull, Music Teacher, Andover, Kansas, ca. 1880s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 03:26:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Clara Bull of Andover, Kansas, used this business card to advertise the music lessons she offered in the early 1880s. Her name appeared in various newspapers during that time (see below).

Clara Bull,

Music Teacher, Andover, Kansas.

Terms: $10 for Term of Twenty-four Lessons.

"Miss Ota Johns of Pleasant and Miss Clara Bull of Sedgwick county were entertaining callers Saturday. Miss Bull has been teaching music in Pleasant."
—Augusta Republican (Augusta, Kansas), Wed., Sept. 20, 1882, p. 3.

"Miss Clara Bull, Andover" was one of the "Successful Teachers" in a "list of successful applicants at the teacher's examination of July 31st and August 1st."
—El Dorado Republican (El Dorado, Kansas), Aug. 22, 1884, p. 3.

"Miss Clara Bull will instruct the youth of Alhambra this winter. We hope she will be as successful in this as she has been in music teaching."
—Augusta News (Augusta, Kansas), Oct. 9, 1884, p. 8.

Typefaces: Ringlet ("Clara Bull"), Lady Text ("Music Teacher"), and Program ("Andover, Kansas").

Thanks to Florian Hardwig for identifying and dating the typefaces (see his discussion of Clara Bull, Music Teacher business card at Fonts In Use). Since Lady Text was issued in 1884, Clara Bull's card must date to that year or later.

Singing and Strumming—and Shooting?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 03:50:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of sing, sing, sing!—folks making music vocally.

An unidentified country musician poses in front of a microphone bearing the call letters for radio station WVLN in Olney, Illinois. Although the microphone and guitar suggest that he sang and played for a show on the station, I haven't been able to determine who he is. I was surprised to see that he was wearing a holster with a revolver. I hope he stuck to the singing and strumming and avoided any shooting.

This is an unused real photo postcard with no date or any other additional information on the other side.

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.

Easter Chick Recital

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 16:04:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"A Happy Easter." These strange but distinguished chick musicians appear on a postcard that was postmarked in Baltimore, Md., on April 5, 1912.

John K. Trewetz Billhead, Musical Novelties, Lancaster, Pa., 1880s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 04:15:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

John K. Trewetz (1864-1938), a well-known musician who lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, advertised a patented "bellophone" on his billhead, but I haven't been able to uncover any information about it.

David Bachman Landis of Pluck Art Printery created this billhead for Trewetz.

M ________

To John K. Trewetz, Dr.

Musical Novelties, 350 West Orange St.

Lancaster, Pa., ________ 188__

Bellophone. Patented.

Parade of Christmas and New Year Wishes

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 02:57:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of children in uniform.

A wonderfully amusing photographic greeting card with a montage of parading children and pets. Larry is wearing his drum major uniform, Dorothy is playing her flute, and even Dino the dog and Poppy the cat are taking part.

The Taylors join the parade to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Larry, drum major.
Dorothy, flute tootler.
Dino, circus barker.
Poppy, untrained animal.

Halloween Masquerade Ball Ticket, Queen of Sheba Temple No. 137, Lancaster, Pa., October 31, 1940

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 03:10:44 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Halloween dance ticket printed by Landis Art Press, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who used the same decorative half moons on other tickets. See, for instance, Sophomore Barn Party Ticket, East Petersburg, October 27, 1920 and Hell'o'een Masked Dance Ticket, Lancaster, Pa., October 29, 1920.

Masquerade Ball

Will be given by the Anniversary Committee of Queen of Sheba Temple No. 137 on Thursday, October 31, 1940 in new Elk's Auditorium, 452 South Duke Street, Lancaster, Pa.

Music by Duke Norman. Prizes awarded. Best dressed. Most comic.

Admission 55 cents.

Clarence and His Marching Band on Labor Day in Bridgeton, ca. 1910s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:45:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Handwritten message on the back of this real photo postcard (no address or postmark): "My dear Aunt Clara, this post card was taken in Bridgeton on Labor Day. See if you can find me. Clarence."

The AZO stamp box on the other side (four corner triangles pointing up) suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918.

Clarence and his marching band probably played in Bridgeton, New Jersey. I took a close look at the uniforms, music sheets, and drumhead but wasn't able to spot any names, insignia, or other details that would help to confirm the location or identify the band.

Light Music

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 03:56:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

I chose musicians in order to pick a theme about people (or any other topic) for the first week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

The handwritten message on the front of this real photo postcard (see the left-hand side) is: "Vara Light, 928 Maple St., Lebanon, Pa. Answer soon."

There's no stamp or postmark on the other side, but Vara Light addressed the postcard to "Miss Sarah Zimmerman, Linglestown, Pa.," and also wrote a message: "This is a picture taken at Mt. Aetna last summer. The one standing is my uncle, a minister. Also the one with the violin [meaning that the violinist is also one of her uncles?]. The lady with the guitar is my aunt. Am working now in Lebanon. Tell Miles to answer my card."

This postcard back has an AZO stamp box (four corner triangles pointing up), which suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918. Vara Katherine Light married William Hoehle Keller on September 1, 1910, and at that time her address was 330 N. 9th Street, Lebanon, Pa. It seems likely, then, that the card dates to sometime prior to their wedding.

I haven't been able to identify which of Vara's aunts and uncles might be the musicians in the photo, but they may have been siblings of her father, Harry Henry Light, who was a prominent businessman in Lebanon, Pa.

I previously posted a Small-Town Parade with Cornet Band and Church Float photo for the theme of people playing musical instruments in 2014 and another photo showing Pop Morehead's Family for the theme of musicians and musical instruments this past April. For other photos and ephemera, see my Music and Musicians album.

The Marietta Dancing Class, Second Sociable, Marietta, Pa., Feb. 22, 1887

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 May 2019 05:57:20 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A ticket or invitation for the "Second Sociable" held by the Marietta Dancing Class in Marietta, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1887. I haven't been able to locate any information about the dancing class or Samuel B. Gramm's role as instructor. The date of February 22 suggests that the dance may have been a celebration for George Washington's Birthday.

The Marietta Dancing Class

S. B. Gramm, instructor,

Invite you to attend their Second Sociable,

on Tuesday evening, Feb'y 22d, 1887, at the Marietta Rink

Music by Taylor's Orchestra.

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.

Easter Serenade for the Picnic Chicks

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 08:48:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Easter Greetings."

Compare this postcard with Best Easter Wishes from Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Chick and Family.

The Instrumental Aires at the Sapphire Room, Hotel Floridan, Tampa, Florida

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 18:16:03 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"The Instrumental Aires, featured at the Sapphire Room, Hotel Floridan, Tampa, Florida."

A real photo postcard showing the three suave fellows who performed as the Instrumental Aires at the Hotel Floridan (now the Floridan Palace Hotel). An ad from 1955 identified the musicians as "Bill Horn, direct from 2 years in Las Vegas, Bill Byers, Tampa's favorite vocalist, [and] Rickey Powell, wizard of the strings" (I'm not sure who's who in the photo, however).