This seems rather dull as postcards go, does it not? Published by the Harlequin Romance people, I suppose that it’s meant to imply that some poor virtuous lady has been enticed into leaving her bonnet and parasol behind, and is currently having her bodice ripped in that stand of trees off to the left. But the card does have the saving grace of the sinister visage of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) on the verso.

Rather that post some of Poe’s usual gothic work, I present to you a poem for our times, an economical little piece entitled Epigram for Wall Street:

I’ll tell you a plan for gaining wealth,
Better than banking, trade or leases —
Take a bank note and fold it up,
And then you will find your money in creases!
This wonderful plan, without danger or loss,
Keeps your cash in your hands, where nothing can trouble it;
And every time that you fold it across,
‘Tis as plain as the light of the day that you double it!

For even more economy of verse, visit this week’s issue of Sunday Stamps.

Hot off the mailman’s hands, this handmade card arrived today, crafted by Lauren from love and ladybugs. It’s a shame that the scan doesn’t do justice to the three-dimensionality of the card. The time that went into this card means a lot to me, and I am sending something appropriate — though much less artistic — to her in return.

A view of the Meridianas, moored in Klaipėda, Lithuania. She was constructed in 1948 and was used to train sailors. Today, she is primarily a tourist attraction and restaurant. You can see additional views of Meridianas at Wikimapia.

“Mysterious Postcard Collector” sent this very nice photo through the mail, as a postcard, of an original photo of the Loveland Ski Area — along with a request to send him or her a million postcards. Well, not all from me; this individual has somehow gotten the idea into his (let’s stick with the generic pronoun, shall we?) head of amassing one million postcards. Naturally, I obliged. It’s a challenge for me to store my own collection (somewhere between one and two thousand, I think) and, necessity being a mother, I am hoping that he’ll come up with some good ideas for the rest of us.

Since the goal seems to be quantity, not quality, I say let’s oblige him. If you’ve got an old advertising postcard, unwanted card, or just plain ugly card, why not pop it in the mail?

Emily sent this head-scratcher from Massachusetts a few weeks ago; I’ve been puzzling over it in between the 50+ hour weeks I’ve been working for the past month. It’s handmade and, while I enjoyed receiving it and find it interesting, I can’t help but think that she mixed up my card with the one she was going to send to the PostSecret guy. I have never received a card like this; it is unique in my collection. It makes me wish I had the time and talent to create handmade cards that others would like. Another wish: that I could decode Emily’s message.

Thea in Queensland, Australia, with whom I swap postcards regularly, thought she would make me work for my postcard this time around. This postcard-sized puzzle arrived in an envelope in 48 pieces. I thought I might delegate this to 6-year-old Grandson #2, but then I looked a little more closely. If you examine the individual pieces rather than the completed picture, you will notice that almost every piece is an abstract mess of wavy lines or dots.

The joke’s on Thea, though. I let the puzzle sit for four days, being extremely busy with work; the missus decided to put most of it together for me. She figured out Leonardo; I filled in around the edges.

This “postcard” came from a Da Vinci exhibition near her home, with working models of Leonardo’s vehicles and some of his other inventions, built according to his plans.

Is it me, or does this sturgeon look surprised? “The Lower Dells has always had an abundant supply of sturgeon. This photo by H. H. Bennett, pioneer landscape photographer of the Dells, was made in the late 1880s. The spear fisherman stands at the cribs near the present dam.”

This Wisconsin postcard came from Tim in Indiana via Maine or, as Tim puts it, “a Wisconsin postcard sent by a Hoosier with a Maine postmark.” Turns out that Tim has three Mailer’s Postmark Permits, one of which was issued in Meddybemps, Maine. Mail postmarked by the mailer has to be mailed from the post office which issued the permit, so Tim would have had to postmark this card with an advance date, put it in an envelope, mail it to Meddybemps, and ask the postmaster there to mail it on the correct date. As you can see, the postmaster didn’t wait; this postcard is postmarked next Tuesday.

Sure, it seems like a lot of trouble, but who else can postmark their own mail with the word “Meddybemps”?

George Barbier (1882 – 1932) was a French illustrator, whose work is in the art deco style and was produced while art deco was very much en vogue. Barbier made a living in illustration as well as in theatre and costume design; he died at the height of his popularity. This work, L’hiver (Winter), is less stylistic than some of his other works but, if you squint, you can see a little Alphonse Mucha in there, and possibly some Maxfield Parrish in the landscape in the background.

This card was produced in and mailed from Singapore, which I had thought was in Southeast Asia but which might actually be somewhere in France. Thanks Ammy!

Last month PostMuse got a postcard just like this one from Am, posted it on Postcrossing, and invited one and all to fill in the blank. Am must have thought my comment was cute and she likes this blog (not to mention Girls Go Postal) so she sent another one along. It’s an ad/contest card for the Singapore Art Show, which started on 21 August and ends tomorrow, 4 October. (Actually, I think it’s already tomorrow in Singapore as I write this.  Oh well.) One was invited to “paint, scribble, etch or glue your answer” onto the postcard and send it in.

My smartass — uh, witty — comment was, “Art is running late, but he’ll be here in a few minutes.” By all means, feel free to fill in the blank yourself.

I have yet to see a postcard from Thailand that is anything less than stunning, but this one from Bangkok is in a class by itself. In fact, according to the card, this photo by Phisit Senanansakun is the winner of the second “Amazing Thailand Through the Lens” Contest. I don’t know what that is, but this photo certainly deserves honors.

Almost as remarkable as the photo is the 9-baht stamp used on this postcard, which depicts a royal barge (on the same river, no less) and is nearly as long as the postcard itself!

The smaller stamp depicts someone called “Theng”, the Jester, and inexplicably celebrates International Letter Writing Week 2008. Perhaps Theng used his off-hours to write to his penpals and complain about the daily grind. Maybe you should use your off-hours to check out the other blogs celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday today!

Here are two postcards which recently arrived from Hong Kong. The first, postmarked 10 September, is one of a “Hong Kong Letterbox Series” by a publisher called “Goods of Desire”:

This postcard was supposed to have gone out on 9 September as part of a swap on Swap-bot honoring the date 09-09-09. But, since Karen sent me such an awesome card, I guess I can forgive her. Karen is working on planning a trip to London and is doing it in a unique way: she’s asking that denizens of London send her postcards and tell her the places she should be sure to visit while she’s there. You can read more about it on her Facebook group page Experimental Travel in London: Postcards Treasure Hunting.

Next, a Postcrossing card, postmarked 13 September; it features a lot of neon, and an electric tram:

“For nearly 100 years electric trams have provided reliable public transport along the north of Hong Kong Island. At night they trundle through a blaze of electric signage.” Trundle? This one appears to be approaching the speed of light.

Both of these cards have an identical HK$3 stamp, and at first I was appalled: three bucks for an international postcard? Then I did the math and realized that it works out to about 38 cents American. That’s a bargain!

Sure, it’s gorgeous, and I’d be happy to keep a plant in it, but is it art? This item is referred to as Plant Stand rather than a plant stand, so I guess I’m supposed to think that it is. It was created by Charles Rohlfs (1853-1936) in 1903; he is credited with originating Mission-style furniture. According to the postcard, this piece is part of someone’s private — ahem — art collection. Probably with geraniums.

“View of harpooner ironing a Sperm Whale. From The Capture a lithograph made in 1862 by Endicott & R. S. Gifford, corrected by Benjamin Russell.” What sort of corrections could have been required? Did the Giffords read Moby Dick and think all whales were white? Did they draw Captain Ahab’s leg in there somewhere?

This Plastichrome postcard, probably produced in the late 1970s or early ’80s, describes itself as “Classic Whaling Series #1″. I can’t help but wonder if there was ever a second card in the series. What’s neat about this postcard is that it came to me just the other day from a Postcrosser, who found it in an old bookstore.

Another tidbit from the card says that it was produced from the lithograph owned by The Book and Tackle Shop, and was in fact distributed by them as well. The Book and Tackle Shop was established in 1953, and still conducts business from Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

I find this photo postcard of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields church at Trafalgar Square to be very striking.  What makes it more interesting is that it was taken from atop an empty plinth in the Square by Carol, who sent this to me.  As a participant in an art project entitled One & Other, which started on 6 July and ends on 14 October, 2,400 participants will each spend an hour on the empty fourth plinth in the square, and may do whatever they wish.  Many just stand around; many perform mundane activities; a few are outrageous.

You can read and watch more about the project, you can watch it live, and you can even go back in time and watch Carol’s time on the plinth, Sunday, 19 July from 3 – 4 AM.

Ralph Thomas has a year-long project going in which he designs a new postcard each month, a la those ads that used to appear in comic books when we old guys were kids, then silkscreens them onto cereal-box cardboard.  He sends out six per week, and I was lucky enough to get one yesterday!  Visit his website to find out how to get one of your own.

Update: check out more Ralph Thomas postcards on these other postcard blogs:

• The Incredible Mobot at Just Letter Rip
• Real Full Size Nuclear Sub at The Missive Maven

Patty at Just Letter Rip stumbled across this blog and decided to send me a postcard.  (Always a good idea; you could send me one yourself.)  Of course, if you send something to Patty, too, chances are you’ll get something cool and crafty in return.  Patty exchanges both postcards and letters, whereas I usually get writer’s block when confronted with any writing space larger than the left side of a postcard.

This postcard shows “The Brooklyn Bridge seen from Brooklyn Heights soon after its completion in 1883.”  This looks like the kind of thing General George Washington could have used, when he was busy losing the first battle of the Revolutionary War (the Battle of Brooklyn, in August 1776).  The British destroyed two militias, but Washington was able to save the bulk of his force by rowing them across the East River under cover of fog, while the British lay siege to Brooklyn.

Before the battle, the British commander, Lord Howe, tried unsuccessfully to have a letter delivered to Washington to propose a meeting.  We presume today that Washington would not accept the letter because he doubted that any talks would be useful.  At the time, however, he used protocol as an excuse: officially, the British refused to recognize the Continental Army or Washington’s military rank, and so the letter was addressed to “Mr.” Washington.  Henry Knox, Washington’s artillery officer, wrote this account to his wife:

(Lord Howe) sent a flag of truce up to the city. They came within about four miles of the city, and were met by some of Colonel Tupper’s people, who detained them until his Excellency’s pleasure should be known.  Accordingly, Colonel Reed (Washington’s adjutant) and myself went down to the barge to receive the message. When we came to them, the (British) officer… rose up and bowed, keeping (on) his hat.

“I have a letter, sir, from Lord Howe to Mr. Washington.”

“Sir,” says Colonel Reed, “we have no person in our army with that address.”

“Sir,” says the officer, “will you look at the address?” He took out of his pocket a letter which was thus addressed:

George Washington, Esq.
New York

“No sir,” says Colonel Reed, “I cannot receive that letter.”

And you thought today’s postal addressing guidelines were picky.

Thea sent me this card “in honor of the didge languishing on (my) wall.”  Yes, it’s true: I have a didgeridoo that I treat as an objet d’art because of my complete inability to make a single note come out of the thing.  I think I just have too much chin for it.

My wife and I have a living room parlor that is as Victorian as possible under modern circumstances, and one of the things that Victorians did was to decorate with (read: show off) souvenirs of their travels.  Unfortunately, we haven’t been to Australia; the didge was a gift from a friend.  Above the didge, however, is a Sunday supplement from a 1939 Canadian newspaper showing King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother), still in its contemporary frame, and is a genuine souvenir of our trip to the Maritime Provinces.

As much as I’m tempted to say that this card originated from somewhere in the Ozarks, it actually came from Olga, a Russian woman living in Norway.  Even before I saw Olga’s name on the card, I could tell that her handwriting was distinctly Russian, especially from the way she writes her lower case “b” and “g”.

This card of very recent vintage was published in Norway by Normanns Kunstforlag (Normann Art Publishers).

I’m not trying to sell you anything for Postcard Friendship Friday, but I’m sure that this salesman had a very compelling pitch.  This photo was taken around 1915 by a Georgia photographer with the delightfully alliterative name over Cicero C. Simmons, whose career spanned 45 years, until he retired in 1925 at the age of 68.  The picture was probably taken in Talmo, Georgia, which is a small town located along the old Athens Highway.

I picked up this postcard about five or six years ago at the Athens Welcome Center.

Since I still haven’t reimbursed myself for my sleep deficit that’s been going on since the 4th of July, and I have nothing especially brilliant on tap for Two for Tuesday, I’m going to cheat and just post yesterday’s mail: two “official” Postcrossing postcards.  The first postcard came from a sender right here in the USA, postmarked 1 July:

It’s a reproduction of Marc Chagall’s “Over the Town” which he apparently worked on for four years, from 1914-1918, and currently hangs in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.  This card contained no message except for a return address label (a label!).  In fairness, there is a smiley face drawn next to the Postcrossing postcard ID — but would it kill you to say hi?

By contrast, the second card is from a ten-year-old girl named Sanna, in Finland, postmarked 30 June:

Unfortunately, the card yields no useful information about the scene or its location.  Sanna, however, seems especially chatty.  The message, as well as my address, were apparently (and laboriously) hand-written first in pencil, then traced over in ink: “Hi! My name is Sanna. I’m 10 y.o. I’m from Finland. I like dogs. I have got two dogs. I play the piano. I like bakeing. Bye-bye.”  Not too shabby, considering that she’s ten and English is not her native language — but my point is that she’s only ten, and she gets the point of sharing postcards with others.