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

Men Behaving Badly — Celluloid Photographic Medallion

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 02:17:02 +0000

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of bad habits.

The man at upper left is smoking a cigar as he opens a bottle of wine. The man at upper right also has a cigar in his mouth and is holding a bottle in one hand as he reaches down with the other to give the man at lower left a drink.

There's no date, location, or manufacturer indicated on this celluloid photographic medallion, which consists of a metal backing and a photograph covered by celluloid, an early type of plastic.

For additional examples, see my album of Celluloid Photographic Medallions and the George Eastman House's collection of Celluloid Medallions & Buttons on Flickr.

See also Gerald Perlman and David Trachtenberg's book, Collecting Celluloid Photo Medallions, published by Victoria Victoriana Antiques in 2014.

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.

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.

Souvenir Photo of Man and Woman at the Wawona Tree

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 03:30:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A photo of people in or by distinctive trees for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

A man and woman pose with their automobile at the Wawona Tree, a giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California. The sign on the left says, "Wawona, diameter 26 feet, height 227 feet, roadway cut in 1875" (Wikipedia, however, indicates that 1881 was when the opening was cut through the tree).

The Wawona Tree fell to the ground in 1969 after a heavy snowfall. It was about 2,300 years old.

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.

Man with Long Beard, Valley Falls, Kansas

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 11 May 2026 03:44:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of hippies (certified or imitation).

Photographer: "[Arthur] Mason's Art Studio, Valley Falls, Kansas."

A nineteenth-century cabinet card photo of an unidentified man with a long beard. If he were alive today, perhaps his beard would have qualified him as a hippie or possibly a hipster.

For other hip longbeards, see Man with Beard, Topeka, Kansas, Rasputin and the Amorphous Enigma, and Benjamin Purnell, Founder of the House of David, Benton Harbor, Michigan.

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."

Lounging on the Lawn in Ladies' Lids (Full Version)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 03:37:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An undated photo mounted on cardboard. See also a cropped version for a close-up of the two men.

Lounging on the Lawn in Ladies' Lids

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 03:37:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of lying down.

This is an undated photo mounted on cardboard. See also the full version.

Lobster, Hamburger, and a Coke

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 04:56:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of forks, knives, and/or spoons.

Yum! The photographer caught this woman in midbite as she lifted a forkful of lobster to her mouth. This is an undated slide with no location information.

Dog and Pony Show

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 02:09:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of just for fun (inspired by one of Rick’s albums).

Well, maybe it's not a full-fledged dog and pony show, but someone took an amusing picture of these two in what looks to be a farm setting.

This is a real photo postcard with no address, message, postmark, or other identifying details. On the back of the card is an Azo stamp box design (with squares in all four corners) that suggests a time frame that may range from 1924 to 1949.

Dandy with His Easter Candy (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:38:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A table and console radio covered in all sorts of Easter candy. See also the original photo.

Dandy with His Easter Candy

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:38:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of lollypop, lollypop -- featuring a lollypop, candy cane, or other confection.

This is a 1959 snapshot of a dandy young fellow who is dressed in a suit and holding an Easter bunny toy. The table next to him is covered with Easter baskets and a variety of candy confections. There's even more candy on top of the console radio that's on the other side of the table. See also a close-up of the candy.

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.

Dreaming of a Gold Christmas

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 02:53:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of holiday happenings -- any kind of end-of-year holiday gathering, celebration, or decoration.

Gold is the color of the day in this holiday scene that includes a gold Christmas tree, a gold sculpture on the wall, and gold wrapping paper and bows on the some of the presents. Even the carpet has a yellowish-almost-golden hue.

There's no date on the photo. What do you think -- 1960s?

Welcome to Pennsylvania — Respect the Speed Limit and Enjoy the Scenery

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 04:55:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of signs and billboards (any type of sign—traffic, store, warning, printed, handwritten, big, small, etc.—or any kind of billboard advertisement or announcement).

A woman poses next to a sign welcoming visitors to Pennsylvania in this undated snapshot. "Kodak Velox Paper” is printed on the other side of the photo, which may indicate that it dates to sometime between 1950 and the mid-1960s.

Welcome to Pennsylvania

For Safety - Respect the
50 Mile Speed Limit

Take Time

Enjoy Our Scenery