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

Santa Claus in Athens, Greece, December 30, 1961

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

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.

The Man with the Iron Mask—Walking Round the World

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 17:54:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A postcard addressed to W. F. Esling, 26 The Grange, Beccles, and postmarked Colchester, July 16, 1908.

Has this gentleman arrived your way yet?

Handwritten message on the other side: "Dear Fred, Has this gentleman arrived your way yet? He was in Col. a day or two ago. I don't think he will manage it, do you? Thanks for nice P.C. I don't know where we are going at L-- yet but will let you have address, that is, if you like. I am looking forward to going. Yrs., Edith. Going to Ipo. on Thurs. to have photo taken."

So who was this gentleman that Edith wrote about, and why was he traveling around England in 1908? Furthermore, why was he wearing a helmet and pushing a baby carriage with a "Walking Round the World" sign?

After some searching, I found that the man's name was Harry Bensley, and he had to walk around the world to fulfill a bet that he lost. It required him to wear an iron mask (a helmet from a suit of armor) to conceal his identity, and he also had to push a perambulator (baby carriage) throughout his travels. He called himself "The Man with the Iron Mask" (inspired by the seventeenth-century Man in the Iron Mask), and the only way he could support himself during his journey was by selling postcards and pamphlets (see my gallery showing some of his other postcards that appear on Flickr).

I don't think he will manage it, do you?

In her message on the postcard, Edith expressed doubt that the gentleman would manage to complete his walk, and her suspicions were well founded. Newspaper accounts provide documentation that Bensley did travel through part of England in 1908 (see Tim Kirby's Research for an impressive Google Map that traces his route). Some sources claim that he continued walking through other countries for the next six years, stopping only when World War I began in 1914 (see the Official Story), but there doesn't seem to be corroborating evidence for this. In any case, it's clear that he did not "walk round the world" to meet the terms of his bet.

All bets are off!

In fact, it turns out that there wasn't even a bet! Bensley made the whole thing up! See, for example, Harry Bensley - Man in the Iron Mask: Hoax, a posting on the Big Retort blog. It reproduces an article, "The Great Masked Man Hoax: The True Story of an Astounding Fraud," which appeared in Answers magazine, December 19, 1908. The article is written in the first person but doesn't identify the Masked Man as Harry Bensley.

If Bentley was the Masked Man in the article and if we can believe this story, then we learn that Bentley concocted his scheme in 1907 while he was in prison. He set off on his journey on January 1, 1908, and immediately received newspaper publicity about his walk and the alleged bet. His main motivation, as far as I can figure, was to earn money from the sale of his postcards and pamphlets. He kept up the ruse for ten months, claiming that he traveled 2,400 miles while pushing a heavy perambulator and wearing an uncomfortable helmet the entire time.

For additional details about the whole strange affair, see Iron Mask: The Story of Harry Bensley's "Walking Round the World" Hoax (Bear Alley Books, 2018), a brief, unpaginated book by Steve Holland.

Other walking wagers?

While looking for information about Harry Bensley, I came across EastMarple1's Flickr photo of John Clark of Douglas, Isle of Man alias "Marcello The Walking King," 1905, who "alleged that he was walking around the world in 1905 for a wager of £1,000." That makes me wonder whether there were other travelers besides Bensley and Clark who said they were walking for similar reasons, real or imagined.

Patriotic Toddler

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 24 Sep 2017 04:44:27 +0000

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A photo with decorative border or frame for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

"Reporting for diaper duty, sir!"

With an elaborate border consisting of an eagle, flag, canons, bombs bursting in air, and other patriotic and military symbols, it's surprising that this real photo postcard features an image of a child rather than a soldier.

How We Pass the Time at Pittsburgh, Pa.

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 02:41:25 +0000

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One in a series of amusing "How We Pass the Time" postcards published in the early twentieth century. This noon-time example is postmarked 1911, and it illustrates how "Pittsburgh" has been spelled with and without a final "h" at different times.

How We Pass the Time at Pittsburg
A stroll at noon, a quiet spoon,
The time it passes all too soon.

Halloween Is the Season When Maidens Dream

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 08:50:47 +0000

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This is the season the maidens dream
Things of future unforeseen.
Dream sweet dreams, oh! ladies fair;
But of the future have a care!

A postcard addressed on the other side to my grandmother, "Miss Annie Sturtz, ~~Fairhope~~ Boswell, Pa." (I'm not exactly certain where my grandmother lived at the time and why Fairhope was crossed out and Boswell written in). There are two postmarks--one from Somerset, Pa., and another from Fairhope, Pa.--both dated Oct. 29, 1908.

The handwritten message on the back of the card is "Annie taking warning. B." My grandmother evidently didn't heed the warning from the unnamed "B." and married my grandfather a year later.

Bringing Home the Halloween Pumpkin

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 16:46:54 +0000

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A Halloween postcard dated 1908.

I Walked through an Elephant Ticket, Margate, New Jersey

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 04:34:02 +0000

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"I walked through an elephant. Lucy, Margate, New Jersey. National Landmark. 1881. 11253."

An undated ticket stub from a tour of Lucy the Elephant, "a six-story elephant-shaped example of novelty architecture" and possibly "the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America," according to Wikipedia.

Till the Cows Go Home

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 21:25:45 +0000

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An undated red-border Kodachrome slide, circa 1950s.

Out for a Stroll in the Park

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 17:36:47 +0000

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"Out for a stroll in the park. Entrance to Highland Park, Pittsburgh, Pa."

How Is This for High?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 17:36:49 +0000

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"How is this for high? Farmers' National Bank, Pittsburgh, Pa."

A postcard addressed on the other side to Blair Echard, R.R. No. 2, Duncansville, Pa., and postmarked Jan. 23, 1912.

Handwritten message: "Dear Buz, We are stepping high in Pittsburgh, as you can see in this card. It is pretty cold here. Hope you are going to school every day and learning something too. Elmer."

For other Pittsburgh postcards with similar illustrations, see Out for a Stroll in the Park and This Beats Walking (below).

The Ghosts of Easter Past

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 05:03:18 +0000

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A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park for the topics of spirit photography / ghostly images / haunted houses (post up to 3 images on any combination of these themes).

Ghostly images of semitransparent kids and a grinning bunny make for a haunting scene in this undated snapshot.

We Met the Space People (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 21:40:05 +0000

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For more information, see the full cover of this booklet:

Girl with Schultüte, 1955

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:22:10 +0000

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A handwritten date of 1955 appears on the back of this Schultüte (school cone) photo.

Kinobild Walking Photo

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 27 May 2015 16:17:36 +0000

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Printed on the back of the card: "Genzel's Kinobild-Postkarte [Genzel's Movie Picture Postcards]."

A unique "walking photo" postcard made to look like three frames from a strip of motion picture film.

Women at Lázně Luhačovice

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 22:38:16 +0000

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A souvenir real photo postcard from Lázně Luhačovice, a spa located in the Czech Republic. The date on the back of the photo is "17 VII 1949" (July 17, 1949).

Walking in St. Petersburg, Florida, 1952-53

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 03:41:05 +0000

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"St. Petersburg, Florida, the Sunshine City, season 1952-1953."

The sign in the background of this souvenir "walking photo" (it looks like the poor fellow was glancing away and probably wasn't immediately aware that his picture was being taken) may refer to a "Suwanee" hotel or motel, which evidently had "air conditioned rooms available."

Oh You Candy Kid

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 19:56:27 +0000

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May I. C. U. Home? Yes! / No!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 21:33:34 +0000

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"May I see you home?"

May I See You Home?

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 21:33:32 +0000

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"W. L. Alexander. May I see you home? Or will I have to set on the fence and watch you meander by?"

A Sailor Strolling with His Family

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 22:56:38 +0000

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A real photo postcard for the Taylor-Tot Stroller Vintage Memories group.

A street photographer evidently snapped this photo of a sailor and his family as they walked past a W. T. Grant Co. store in some unidentified town. The sailor and his wife seem surprised--and perhaps even annoyed--by the photographer, but their daughter seems to be excitedly holding on to a toy as she enjoys the ride in her Taylor-Tot stroller.