Wild Postcards

For Postcard Friendship Friday, a postcard that should have gone to the mailbox of a friend or suitor, instead of to this collector.

This was certainly a surprise in my mailbox: a real photo postcard (RPPC) received through Postcrossing from Richard, who took great care in sending it to ensure that it arrived safely.  Although he did not enclose a note, I am very appreciative of his efforts.

The stampbox indicates that this card was manufactured in Germany, probably around 1912.  It’s very well produced and well-preserved; it’s a card that I might have chosen for myself.

Be sure to check out the other blogs celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday.

For Postcard Friendship Friday, a postcard that should have gone to the mailbox of a friend or suitor, instead of to this collector. This was certainly a surprise in my mailbox: a real photo postcard (RPPC) received through Postcrossing from Richard, who took great care in sending it to ensure that it arrived safely.  Although [...]

For this week’s sortie into Postcard Friendship Friday, let us consider this photograph of friends.  Two of them are clearly soldiers, and the notation “1918″ puts them at the end of World War I.  But whence?

I puzzled over the origin of this card for quite a while.  First there was some ambiguity as to the handwriting on the back — the only clue whatsoever on this real photo postcard.  Tig lieu, perhaps?  Researching several permutations finally yielded success after I decided that the word was “Jiglau”.

It turns out that “Jiglau” is a variation on the spelling of Iglau, which is the German name for Jihlava, a city in the Vysočina Region of what is now the Czech Republic.  Its predecessor, Czechoslovakia or the Czechoslovak Republic, was created on October 28, 1918.  Previously, it had been part of Austria-Hungary.

Let us assume that two of these young men are newly minted Czech soldiers, and that the three of them are posing to celebrate the end of hostilities and the birth of a nation.

Be sure to check out the other blogs celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday.

For this week’s sortie into Postcard Friendship Friday, let us consider this photograph of friends.  Two of them are clearly soldiers, and the notation “1918″ puts them at the end of World War I.  But whence? I puzzled over the origin of this card for quite a while.  First there was some ambiguity as to [...]

Here is a terrific example of the photography of Byron Harmon, a nature photographer who worked out of Banff, Alberta in the early part of the 20th century. If we assume that the photo was taken late in the day, then the shadows indicate that these Three Wise Goats are heading towards the East, possibly in search of a Star.

Toni McLaughlin has a copy of this card as well (look for #807) and there are some interesting differences. For starters, the color is different, which could either indicate that my card has faded more over the years, or that the developing process or chemicals were not identical. Additionally, there are some marks on my card that are not present on hers. Since the marks are on the photo but not on the border, that implies to me that the photographic plate may have been marred in some way between the time each of these photo postcards was developed.

Here is a terrific example of the photography of Byron Harmon, a nature photographer who worked out of Banff, Alberta in the early part of the 20th century. If we assume that the photo was taken late in the day, then the shadows indicate that these Three Wise Goats are heading towards the East, possibly [...]

I wish I were able to discern some text on the pillars or sign shown in this RPPC. I tried scanning this card at resolutions of 2400 dots per inch and up but, unfortunately, the resolution of the photograph itself isn’t nearly that high. Where does this gate lead? A park? A private estate? A cemetery, perhaps?

The stampbox on this card indicates that it was manufactured between 1905 and 1908; the fact that the card has an undivided back (meaning that the back is for the address only, and that any message was to have been written on the front) further implies that it was made before March of 1907, when divided-back cards became legal.

I wish I were able to discern some text on the pillars or sign shown in this RPPC. I tried scanning this card at resolutions of 2400 dots per inch and up but, unfortunately, the resolution of the photograph itself isn’t nearly that high. Where does this gate lead? A park? A private estate? A [...]