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

Reider Family Picking Blackberries, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1913

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 02:12:02 +0000

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

Caption (vertically along the left-hand side): "Reider Family Picking Black-Berries, Lanc. Co."

A real photo postcard of Edward H. Reider (1875-1942) and his family. It's addressed on the other side to Mr. David Spangler, Lebanon, Leb. Co., Penn., Rout. 2, and postmarked in Elizabethtown, Pa., on September 10, 1913.

Message: "Elizabethtown, Pa., Sept. 1, 1913. Friend, We are all well as you see on the face of this card. Hoping youence [i.e., you-uns or youns] are all the same. Truly yours, E. H. Reider."

Sending You My Picture So You Will Fall in Love

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 03:24:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the topic of nautical.

The handwritten message on the other side of this real photo postcard says, "I['m] senting [sending] you my pitcher [picture] so you will fall in love with me. Your friend, A.M., USS Mercury."

There's no stamp or postmark on the verso, but the card is addressed to Miss Ida Nelson, Lakeport, N.H.

Printed on the other side: "This Photo can be Enlarged or Duplicates made at the Modern Studio, 46 Sands St., Brooklyn, N.Y."

This is a divided-back photo postcard with a type of Azo stamp box (four corner triangles with two pointing up and two pointing down) that suggests a date as early as 1917 to 1930.

Gazing at the Gorge, Royal Gorge, Canon City, Colorado

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 02:15:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of top of the rock.

Printed on the back of this souvenir real photo postcard: "Glenn L. Gebhardt, Royal Gorge Pavilion, Canon City, Colo."

This vantage point is labeled the "Wonder View" on other early photos. It overlooks the Royal Gorge, a deep canyon of the Arkansas River located near Cañon City, Colorado.

Three Gals on a Glider Swing

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 20:40:36 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

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

Three Guys on a Glider Swing

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

Alan Mays has posted:

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

Ruth and Sara on Board the L-21 Submarine, August 25, 1917

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:44:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of fancy studio backdrops.

A novelty photo with two young women in sailor costumes. The elaborate painted backdrop depicts an ocean of heavy waves with two ships billowing smoke on the horizon. A biplane is barely visible in the sky above them. The painted foreground features a submarine labeled "L 21 U.S." The submarine's hatch is open, its periscope is up, and it's flying an American flag.

Submarine hull: "L 21 U.S."

Handwritten caption: "R. Dodd. Sara Miller. 8-25-1917." Writing on the back also identifies the young women as "Ruth Dodd" on the left and "Sara Miller" on the right with the date given a second time as "8/25/1917."

For a similar real photo postcard, see Daddy on the Deck of the F-6 Submarine.

Woman in the Outhouse at Creek Run Farm

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 03:31:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of birdhouses, doghouses, outhouses, etc. (any type of house besides a regular residence).

As a woman enters an outhouse, she reaches back to close the door and sees that someone taking her photo. You can tell by the look on her face that she's annoyed at the photographer.

This picture comes from a real photo postcard that's glued to a piece of black paper. Although the back of the card -- and any message or other information that may be there -- isn't visible, the dealer's notation calls this a "[B]rownie Photo at Creek Run Farm."

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.

Valentine's Day Snow Sculpture, Poultney, Vermont, 1948

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 01:48:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Valentine's Day - hearts, cupids, arrows, love, or what have you?

This real photo postcard features a snow sculpture of Cupid standing next to a heart with an arrow through it. A building is in the background, and two cars are parked along the street in front of the building. Two women are walking near one of the trees on the left.

The card is addressed on the other side to Edith Towey, 1744 Summerfield St., Brooklyn 27, N.Y., and it was postmarked in Poultney, Vermont, on February 13, 1948. The location of the snow sculpture is listed on the verso as "Green Mountain Junior College, Poultney, VT," and a handwritten "Valentine's Greetings" appears above the name of a studio, "H. B. Rood Photo, Poultney, VT."

According to a brief biography by the Poultney Historical Society, Harry B. Rood (1871-1960) lived in Poultney his entire life. He began working in his father's photography studio in the 1890s and continued as a photographer after his father's death.

At the time Rood took this photo, Green Mountain Junior College was a two-year college for women and then became a four-year college for both men and women in 1974, when its name changed to Green Mountain College. Ames Hall, the campus building that appears in the photo, is still standing, but the college itself closed in 2019 after experiencing financial difficulties.

Goofy Guys Backwards and Frontwards (Fronts)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:53:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Three funny fellows pose facing the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows with their backs to the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard, which incudes both pictures.

Goofy Guys Backwards and Frontwards (Backs)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:53:06 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Three funny fellows pose with their backs to the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows facing the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard, which incudes both pictures.

Goofy Guys Backwards and Frontwards

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:53:08 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Rückenfigur or "back to camera" - any photo in which one or more of the subjects have their backs fully or partially facing the camera.

On this real photo postcard, which combines two separate photographs, three funny fellows pose twice, first with their backs to the camera and then a second time as they face the camera. The three are sitting on a board or plank that extends between two chairs. In the first photo, all of them have bowler hats on their heads, and the guy in the middle has what looks like a picture frame hanging over his shoulder and down over his back. A stool and a wooden box with a handle are visible on the floor in front of them. The wall behind the men is partially covered by a painted backdrop, so presumably they're having their picture taken in a photo studio, though no studio name appears on the front or back of the card.

In the second photo, the guys seem even goofier as they face forward with funny expressions. The man on the left has a mischievous look on his face, and he's holding a small kettle with the handle of a spoon or some other utensil sticking out of the top. The guy in the middle has opened his mouth as if he's laughing or yelling. The bowler on his head is jauntily tilted to the side, and his right hand is blurred -- was he pumping his fist or gesturing toward the basket that he's holding in his lap? And what's in the basket? The third man is grinning, probably because instead of a hat he's wearing something on his head that looks like a lampshade with ruffles. He has his arms wrapped around himself as if he's cold, and he's holding a pitcher under one arm.

The undivided back (for an address only) on the other side of this real photo postcard indicates that it dates before 1907 (when both an address and a message were allowed on the verso), and the Cyko stamp box design (in use as early as 1904) printed on the back also fits this time frame.

Telephones and Stoves

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

Alan Mays has posted:

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.

Citizens' Military Training Camp, Fort Sheridan, Illinois

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 03:58:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of X marks the spot (an X to indicate something or someone on the photo).

"C.M.T.C. Camp" is the label that appears below the main tent area in this photo, which is credited in the lower right-hand corner to the "Chicago Aerial Survey Co." This is a real photo postcard, and the type of Azo stamp box (with squares in all four corners) printed on the other side suggests that the card dates between 1924 and 1949.

Over 400 tents are visible in the photo, and the message that's part of the image says: "Had a fine trip here, all O.K. Here is my home for a month. X marks my tent. Everything looks fine so I'm sure I will like it here. Will write a letter soon." The postcard is unused, however, and no one has added an X to indicate a tent.

This C.M.T.C. Camp was located in Illinois at Fort Sheridan (now closed except for the Sheridan Reserve Center) and was one of about fifty Citizens' Military Training Camps, which were month-long training programs held each summer from 1921 to 1940 at U.S. Army posts.

Flying High over Yarmouth

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 01:11:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Watch the skies! -- UFOs, airplanes, birds, clouds, or anything else that might be up there.

The hard-to-read handwritten note on the other side of this divided-back, real photo postcard says, "Rose sitting, [Lill?] Jennings standing, ... and myself at Yarmouth."

The Yarmouth location and the roundels on the wings of the airplane suggest that this is a souvenir photo from England. But what's the meaning of "O.K" and "R.U." on the fuselage? And was there actually a three-seater biplane that looked something like this?

Halloween Party Prisoners

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 02:33:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of funny costume or outfit (for Halloween or any other occasion).

Handwritten note on the other side of this photo: "Mary K. Anderson. Helen Troxell. (B. B. Kids). Halloween Party."

As the note suggests, Mary and Helen evidently dressed in black and white stripes in imitation of prison garb to wear as Halloween costumes Judging by the painted backdrop and window frame, they posed for the photo in a studio setting.

This is a divided-back real photo postcard. There's no address, postmark, stamp box, or any other information on the verso that would provide any clues to the location or date of the photo.

Man and Woman in Swimsuits, Atlantic City, New Jersey

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 02:14:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of one sitting, one standing.

A man and a woman -- single at the time but later married -- pose in swimsuits for a souvenir photo at a studio in Atlantic City, New Jersey, sometime in the early twentieth century. The painted backdrop shows waves breaking on a beach.

The woman is sitting awkwardly on a small table, with one foot underneath her and her other foot resting on the bottom shelf of the table. The man is standing next to her and also has one foot on the shelf. They're leaning in toward one other, and they each have one hand on the table top and the other hand on a hip.

Handwritten note on the other side: "Daddy & Mother when Single."

Printed on the verso: "Albert Studio, Ark Ave., and Beach, Atlantic City, N.J."

The Cyko stamp box ("Cyko - Place Postage Stamp Here") on the back of this divided-back real photo postcard indicates that it may date to sometime between 1907 and the 1920s.

Shimmy Dancer from the Hips Down

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 01:15:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

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

The handwritten note on the other side of this real photo postcard says, "I'm a shimmy dancer from my hips on down." But the woman's clothes -- a grass skirt, matching anklets, and a lei -- make her look more like a hula dancer.

This photo postcard has a divided back but there's no address, postmark, or stamp box on the verso.

Two Girls and One Doll (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 May 2024 03:34:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A real photo postcard of two girls and a doll taken by photographer C. C. Kuhn.

For more information, see the full version of the photo.

Two Girls and One Doll

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 May 2024 03:34:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of holding a doll.

Notation on photo: "C. C. Kuhn. Photo.#716."

A photo of two girls -- one standing and one seated -- posed on a piece of carpet among some shrubbery and potted plants. C. C. Kuhn (Carl C. Kuhn, 1888-1948) was a well-known photographer who lived in Cashtown, Adams County, Pennsylvania, at the time he took this photo.

This is an unused real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box design (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side, which suggests a date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918.

For a closer view of the girls and the doll, see a cropped version of the photo. For a close-up of the doll and Kuhn's name on the photo, see an even smaller detail.