Nov 26
Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“Glowing radiantly in the twilight sky, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur is a shining symbol of Malaysia’s national capitol.” I received this card in yesterday’s mail from Lay Hoon, who has her own very nice Travel Postcard blog.
On her own blog, she wrote about this card and these towers, which are also known as KLCC: “…(L)ocated in the heart of the capital city, the crown of the Kuala Lumpur contains a complex of office buildings, conference halls, a sprawling park and an upmarket shopping complex.” They sound similar to some Twin Towers of my own previous acquaintance; I will be sending a card of our own towers to Lay in tomorrow’s post. Her card took 19 days to reach me; I imagine that the return trip will be about as long.
To me, she writes: “I find that your website is like a treasure hunt for me. It seems lots of valuable treasure inside.” High praise from a fellow collector; thank you. And thanks for my first card from Malaysia!
Like a treasure hunt.
Want to see your postcard on this site? Send me one!
Oct 28
Administration Building Overlooking Meditation Pool, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida
This Tichnor Bros. postcard is literally like new, despite dating from about the mid-1940s. Here’s what the card has to say about Florida Southern College: “A four year accredited coeducational college established in 1885 and located in the heart of the citrus belt in beautiful central Florida. Students from 36 states and 14 countries study here in a year-round delightful climate.”
As one might guess from looking at the building, it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. In fact, Wright designed his “Child of the Sun” campus and all of the buildings on it in 1939, and envisioned that construction would take about three years. Male students were admitted to the college with the understanding that their tuition would be paid in the form of construction labor. Unfortunately, World War II intervened, causing both a shortage of labor and an increase in the cost of building materials. However, the female students were able to complete many of the buildings while the men went off to war.
Since 1992, this building has served as the campus’s Visitor Center. Oddly enough, the college does not have a school of architecture.
Oct 23
Broadcasting the Navy's Greatest Hits!
The description on the back of this card is so long that there’s only about an inch of space in which to compose your message. “The United States Naval Radio Station at Radio, Virginia. Situated at the southwestern end of Fort Myer Military Reservation opposite Washington, D.C. Build by the United States Navy Department (Bureau of Steam Engineering). Land ceded to the Navy Department by the War Department. Rated power of station 100 kilowatts. Towers, one 600 feet high 150 feet square at the base, two 450 feet high 120 feet square at the base, located at angles of an isosceles triangle, large tower at the apex base of triangle 350 feet between centers of towers, perpendicular to base 350 feet. Normal range: day 2,000 miles, night 3,000 miles. Cost about $250,000.”
For extra credit, draw the triangle described.
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Oct 16
City Hall, Philadelphia, Pa., Masonic Temple in Left Foreground
This is a Curteich “C.T. Art-Colortone”, number 3A-H575, published in 1933 — but not used until 1941. “City Hall covers an area of 4½ acres and has a floor space of 14½ acres (that’s over 630,000 square feet — Ed.). The height of the tower is 548 feet and the width of the base is 90 feet. The site upon which the building stands was originally Center Square and was, early in the 19th century, the site of the original water works.” At the top of the tower is a statue of William Penn. Until about 25 years ago, it was illegal to construct any buildings higher than old Billy Penn.
“Bill” writes from the train station on December 23, 1941: “Dearest Marian, Am waiting for the 4:01 A.M. train for New York so I thought I would drop you a line. Good-by for now. Love Bill.” What’s interesting is that, only a couple of weeks after Pearl Harbor, the card (from which someone scavenged the stamp) already has a “Buy Defense Savings Bonds and Stamps” postmark.
Bill is brief and to the point.
Oct 06
This real photo postcard (RPPC) is indeed an actual photograph, with postcard markings stamped on the back. The stampbox indicates that the paper was made by a company called AZO and, based on the stampbox’s particular design, the date of manufacture can be narrowed down to sometime between 1904 and 1918. Unfortunately, it is hard to narrow it down any further with any degree of certainty.
The detail at right of the three people in the photograph is exactly a one inch square. After putting this detail through several filters and enhancements, I am reasonably sure that the folks pictured are African-Americans. Click on the image for yourself to see a larger version.
