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

Those Dreamy Eyes

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:52:02 +0000

This is a postcard that's addressed on the other side to Miss Nellie Groves, Greenland, West Virginia. It was postmarked in Maysville, West Virginia, but the date is missing.

Handwritten message: "Hello Nellie, How are you by this time. I am going to school today, when are you coming over. This is from your beau. Henry."

For a similar postcard, see Here Is Looking at You.

Posing with Santa

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 21:30:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Do You Want to Know How to Make Money?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 21:33:35 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A vintage real photo postcard advertising a now old-fashioned type of washing machine.

"Good Morning, Sir: Do you want to know how to make money? It is easy, if you know how. I made and sold washers for 25 years. Many dealers have made big money with my washer. You failed to do much with it. May I help you? All my experience is at your service and will make money for you. Do you want it? Yours for success, J. H. Knoll, Reading, Pa."

A Cat in a Knot in a Tree

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 15:12:43 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"A Cat in a Knot in a Tree." Hmm, wasn't that the title of one of Dr. Seuss's early books?

Women in Disguise

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 17:41:36 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Women in disguise for Halloween? Or just for an amusing photo?

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Twentieth Century Studio, 263 North Eighth Street, Philadelphia, Pa."

Here Is Looking at You

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 19:12:12 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

All I Got for Christmas Was a Bug!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 18:52:46 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Mouse over the image for a closer view of the bug toy.

Either that's a giant mutant insect getting ready to attack that poor kid or it's a toy of some sort, perhaps something like the mechanical crawling beetle pictured in the Victoria and Albert Museum's image collection.

All I Got for Christmas Was a Bug! (Detail)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 18:52:44 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

See also the full photo of the bug toy (below).

Either that's a giant mutant insect getting ready to attack that poor kid or it's a toy of some sort, perhaps something like the mechanical crawling beetle pictured in the Victoria and Albert Museum's image collection.

Wow, the Gal Has a Plow!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 20:43:22 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Handwritten on the other side of this real photo postcard: "Fannie Kline."

The unique elements in this photo--the tilted orientation, massive stone house, little chicken/big horse juxtaposition, shadow people at the bottom, and unenthusiastic look of the woman posing with the plow--all combine to make for an odd yet amusing scene.

Katunka Tribe No. 453 Degree Team, York, Pa.

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 21:11:00 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park group as a "strange clothing" photo.

This real photo postcard shows a group of men who belonged to "Katunka Tribe No. 453," which was the York, Pa., chapter of the Improved Order of Red Men, or IORM for short. The York chapter no longer exists but the national group is still around (despite the fact that "Red Men" is now considered an offensive term for Native Americans) and calls itself "America's Oldest Fraternal Organization" on its Web site.

When you realize that none of the men in this photo were Native Americans, it seems awfully strange--at least from our modern perspective nearly a century later--that they dressed in Native American garb (however inauthentic their interpretation of the clothing may have been) for their group ceremonies and rituals.

In case you're interested in additional information, Blake Stough discussed the history and controversial aspects of the York IORM group in his article Politically Incorrect or Not--Still A Part of York County History on the Preserving York blog (the article included this photo with my permission).

The Face in the Tree

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 21:04:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Getting ahead among the roots and rocks.

The dealer from whom I purchased this photo speculated that it may have been taken at Devil's Den or some other rocky area on the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania, but I have not been able to confirm this.