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

Ella and Her Husband on the Front Steps of Their New Home (Cropped)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 04:28:02 +0000

Ella and her husband Mervin (or Merwin) pose for a photo on the front steps of their new home. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

Ella and Her Husband on the Front Steps of Their New Home

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 04:28:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Handwritten message on the back of this real photo postcard (no address or postmark): "Dear Cousin, Am sending you a picture of our new house. Ella." "Mervin" or perhaps "Merwin" was added after "Ella" by someone else.

The photo may date as early as 1904 to 1918 (it has an AZO stamp box with four corner triangles pointing up on the other side). Unfortunately, there's no indication of the location.

Take a gander at a cropped version of the photo for a closer look at the couple.

Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Clover Watching Themselves, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921 (Full Version)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 03:45:56 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

The full photo as mounted on a cardboard backing. For more information, see the cropped version.

Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Clover Watching Themselves, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 03:45:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

I chose photographic tricks and amusements for the free-for-all (post as many photos on as many different themes as you'd like) during the fifth week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

On the left-hand side of this photo, we see a woman taking a bite out of an apple offered to her by a man—shades of Adam and Eve! On the right, we see the same couple, and they've noticed the other version of themselves—the woman is pointing in their direction and the man is looking over at them.

According to the typed label attached to the back, this is a photo of "Mr. & Mrs. Emerson Clover, Central Park, Whittier, California, March 31, 1921."

I haven't uncovered any information regarding how Emerson J. Clover (1854-1926) and his wife, Alice K. Clover (1864-1947) created this trick photo, but the double exposure is well done. Central Park in Whittier, California, still exists. Part of a circular fountain or other structure in the park is visible beyond the tree.

See also the full version of the photo, which is mounted on cardboard.

My Wife's Gone to the Country

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 16:07:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An amusing postcard that draws upon the "Oh You Kid!" craze of 1909 for its humor. This card was a bit risqué for its time, suggesting that a husband might fool around with other women while his wife is away. The caption on the card comes from the song, "My Wife’s Gone to the Country! Hurrah! Hurrah!,” which was one of the "Oh You Kid!" songs published as sheet music in 1909:

My wife’s gone to the country, hurray! hurray!
She thought it best
"I need the rest"
That’s why she went away
She took the children with her, hurray! hurray!
I love my wife, but oh, you kid!
My wife’s gone away

In this age of social media, it's difficult to appreciate just how popular this--nudge, nudge, wink, wink--idea of "I love my wife, but oh, you kid!" became as it circulated in print through sheet music, postcards, and newspapers. Jody Rosen, however, documents its wide-ranging influence in a fascinating article that appeared in Slate magazine. See "How a Sexed-up Viral Hit from the Summer of '09–1909–Changed American Pop Music Forever."

For some additional postcard and sheet music examples, see my Oh You Kid! and Its Variants album.

Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Shoemaker, Dakota, Illinois

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 05:07:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A postcard-sized example of ornamental penmanship featuring a flourished bird. The piece is unsigned and may date to as early as the 1880s or 1890s.

"Compliments of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Shoemaker, Dakota, Ill."

Joseph Shellenberger Shoemaker (1854-1936) was a well-known bishop in the Mennonite Church. He and his wife, Elizabeth Sechrist Brubaker (1856-1931), were married in 1877, and they were members of the Freeport Mennonite Church in Freeport, Illinois.

For additional examples of bird flourishes and other ornamental penmanship, see my Writing, Lettering, Flourishing album and the Clinton Clark Scrapbook, which was uploaded to the Internet Archive by IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting).

Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Employee Pass, 1908

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:53:18 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

See also a 1909 version of this pass.

Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1908

Pass T. D. Leader and wife, foreman carpenters, Altoona Car Shops, over the Eastern & Western Pennsylvania Divisions, during the year 1908, unless otherwise ordered when signed by G. W. Creighton.

Not good on Penna. Special or Penna. Limited or Trains 43 or 44.

Employee. 2217.

G. W. Creighton, gen'l supt., Eastern Penna. Div.

S. C. Long, gen'l supt., Western Penna. Div.

Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Employee Pass, 1909

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:53:16 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

See also a 1908 version of this pass.

Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1909

Pass T. D. Leader and wife, foreman carpenters, Altoona Car Shops, over the Eastern & Western Pennsylvania Divisions, during the year 1909, unless otherwise ordered when signed by G. W. Creighton.

Not good on Penna. Special or Penna. Limited or Trains 43 or 44.

Employee. 593.

G. W. Creighton, gen'l supt., Eastern Penna. Div.

S. C. Long, gen'l supt., Western Penna. Div.

Alice G. Junker, Yreka, California

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 17:56:42 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Compliments of your neice Alice."

Handwritten note on the back of this photographic calling card: "Mrs. A. E. Junker, Yereka, Cal. Taken some years ago."

Based on the handwritten additions, this card and its inset tintype photo belonged to Alice G. Junker, who was married to Albert E Junker. In 1910, when Alice was 44 years old and Albert was 48, they lived in Yreka Ward 2, Siskiyou County, California. It's likely that the calling card dates to the 1880s or 1890s.

The Weary Farmer (Up to Date), by Frank W. Swallow

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 21:37:32 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"The Weary Farmer (Up to Date), designed & pub. by Frank W. Swallow, Exeter, N.H."

I'm not sure why Frank W. Swallow of Exeter, New Hampshire, published this early twentieth-century postcard, which ridicules the "Weary Farmer," his family, and the hired help for living a life of luxury. One clue might be the well-off real estate dealer, who's standing in front of his office, where the sign says, "No deserted farms left. Fair farms, $5,000.00 to $50,000.00."

Was there an economic downturn at some point that caused families to abandon their farms? Did Swallow feel that some farmers and real estate agents were profiting from the misfortune of others?

I haven't solved this mystery yet, but in the meantime here's the cast of characters portrayed on the card:

The Farmer is fanning himself while lying on a hammock and sipping sweet cider from a straw.

The Hired Man is sitting beneath a tree as he smokes a cigarette and reads a dime novel (Diamond Dick) with his unused shovel and hoe by his side.

The Son is out on the golf course.

The Real Estate Dealer is wearing expensive clothing, including a diamond ring. An automobile is parked in front of his real estate office, where there's a sign that says, "No deserted farms left. Fair farms, $5,000.00 to $50,000.00."

The Hired Girl is sitting in a rocking chair as she dries the dishes.

The Wife and Daughter are dressed in fine clothes as they sip their tea.

The Cow, however, is toiling away on a treadmill, supplying the power and the raw material--milk--for the butter and cheese machines, which apparently provide enough income to allow everyone else besides the cow to live a life of leisure.

My Wife's Up in an Airship

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 15:02:47 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"My Wife's Up in an Airship. Words by Arthur Longbrake. Music by Ed. Edwards. Published by Longbrake & Edwards, 50 N. 8th St., Phila., Pa. Miss Camp."

Handwritten: "Jane H. Banks. J.H.N., 7-22, 1911."

An amusing sheet music cover featuring an early airplane ("airship" referred to any type of flying machine in 1911 when this was published, but today the term is used only for dirigibles). It's disappointing, however, to discover that the lyrics of the song (see below) express the "henpecked" husband's spiteful wish that the airplane will take his wife away permanently because "It's my one chance you see / To live here happily."

For York University's copy of the sheet music, which includes a PDF version of the inside pages, see My Wife's Up in an Airship (the Web address is an alias that takes you to YorkSpace, York University's digital repository).

My Wife's Up in an Airship

Words by Arthur Longbrake. Music by Ed. Edwards.

Jonesy was a henpecked man
For him life was a joke,
His wife made him give up his dough
She always kept him broke;

One day she said I'm going up
In an airship for a ride,
Then Jones pretended to be scared
But he smiled on the side.

And when she sailed away
Some friends heard Jonesy say,

Chorus:
My wife's up in an airship
Hooray! hip, hip, hooray!
I hope she likes the trial trip
So much she'll want to stay;

For should she stay up in the air
Ye ho! my lads, ye ho!
With her up there most anywhere
I'd have some peace below.

Jonesy said I wished her luck
When she left mother earth,
But if that airship would get stuck
I'd give all I am worth;

I hope the lad who drives the ship
Will attempt a spiral glide,
Or land her in the middle of
A river three miles wide.

It's my one chance you see
To live here happily.

Chorus

Man and Woman with Their Dog

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 02:17:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A selection for the Vintage Photos Theme Park of a photo that pulls at your heartstrings—poignant.

A touching portrait of a man and woman with their little dog perched on a chair.

C. Fry, Auctioneer, Burbank, Ohio / How a Man Can Be His Own Grandfather

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 03:38:44 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An auctioneer's business card with a humorous explanation of "How a Man Can Be His Own Grandfather" on the other side. This same genealogical calculation was the basis for "I'm My Own Grandpa," a 1947 novelty song by Lonzo and Oscar, but the idea of becoming one's own grandfather has been circulating in newspapers and elsewhere for more than 190 years.

C. Fry, Auctineer.

Burbanks, P.O. Box 100, Wayne Co., Ohio.

How a Man Can Be His Own Grandfather

I married a widow who had a daughter. My father visited our house frequently, fell in love, and married my stepdaughter. Thus my father became my son-in-law and my stepdaughter my mother, because she was my father's wife. My stepdaughter had also a son; he was of course my brother and at the same time my grandchild, for he was the son of my daughter. My wife was my grandmother, because she was my mother's mother. I was my wife's husband and grandchild at the same time; and as the husband of a person's grandmother is his grandfather, I was my own grandfather.

A Sailor Strolling with His Family

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

Alan Mays has posted:

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.

A Painful Alternative--A New Home or a Divorce!

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:53:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"New Home Sewing Machine Co, 1127 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. D. S. Ewing. A painful alternative. I will have a New Home machine! A New Home or a divorce, take your choice, sir!"

A Victorian-era before-and-after trade card demonstrating the dire consequences that faced husbands who did not purchase New Home sewing machines for their wives.

Swat the Fly, Protect the Family

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:36:20 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"A happy family is a healthy family. Swat the fly. Kill him, he spreads disease. Protect the family. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health."

See also Swat the Fly, Save the Babies.

Newlyweds at the Hughes Dairy Bar, Tioga, Pa., 1949

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:21:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An undated red-border Kodachrome Duplicate slide.

Hughes Dairy Bar was located along Route 15, north of Tioga, Pa.

For another view of this same car, which is a Ford Super Deluxe convertible with a 1949 license plate, see Just Married, 1949.

Just Married, 1949

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:21:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

An undated red-border Kodachrome Duplicate slide.

The honeymoon getaway car is a Ford Super Deluxe convertible with a 1949 Virginia license plate.

This same car also appears in Newlyweds at the Hughes Dairy Bar, Tioga, Pa., 1949.

Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 16:33:12 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A hold it photo (people holding something) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Caption: "By durn, Samenthy, this beats the old pump all holler. Push jest a leetle harder and she'll be here."

Sign on wall: "Hotel Astorf-Waldoria. Ring once for bell boy, twice [for] ice water, three [times for] hot water." Name on trunk: "Silas Green, Wayback, O."

Printed along the sides: "The 'Perfec' Stereograph. (Trade mark.) Patented April 14, 1903. Other patents pending. H. C. White Co., Publishers. General offices and works, North Bennington, Vt., U.S.A. Copyright 1903 by H. C. White Co. 5587 (2)."

This comic stereoscopic card (see the full card below) shows two country bumpkins who are visting the city and staying at the highfalutin Hotel Astorf-Waldoria (a thinly veiled reference, of course, to the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City).

Unfamiliar with big-city ways and new-fangled technology, Samantha (or "Samenthy," as her husband Silas pronounces it) is pushing the call button (normally used to summon hotel staff) while Silas holds a water pitcher below the mouthpiece of the wall-mounted telephone. In their naivety, Samantha and Silas have misunderstood the sign ("Ring twice for ice water") and have mistaken the phone for a pump that will provide water once the button is pushed.

In 1903, at a time when indoor plumbing and telephones were less common in rural areas, viewers of this stereographic photo could laugh at the silly antics of this foolish backwoods couple from Wayback, Ohio.

Looking at the image a hundred years later, we can catch a glimpse of the different styles of clothing, wallpaper, carpet, and furniture that were popular back then, and we can also consider how the modern technology that we take for granted today--faucets with running water and mobile phones--has made the humor here obsolete.

Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903 (Stereographic Card)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 16:33:10 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A comic stereoscopic card. For additional information, see Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903.