Wild Postcards

This is the gate to...?

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.

Well, Scraps is a boy dog, isn't he?

This real photo postcard is printed on AZO paper and, judging from the stampbox, was produced sometime between 1904 and 1918. It was purchased in the same lot as this real photo postcard of a barn and I would not be surprised if it came from the same family.

My trip is indian fast!

While this looks like a photochrome postcard, it is in fact an actual photograph printed on photographic paper. It is definitely an oddity. The drawing is artist signed by Ken Holmes of Pecos, Texas; Ken marked the drawing as ©1941. The other inscription, that of Howard Studio, also of Pecos, may be Ken’s artist studio or the studio at which the drawing was photographed.

The stampbox, pictured at right (and which has undergone some enhancement, as the ink on the back is very faint) shows the letters “EKC”, meaning it was manufactured under a process by the Eastman Kodak Company. Ron Playle says that this stampbox was used on cards made from 1930-1950, which confirms that the card was manufactured contemporary with the drawing.

This card is from Kay Anthony’s collection. She had at least one correspondent in Texas, who may have mailed it to her inside of an envelope. The card is stiffer than the typical photo of today, but still has a very faint crease — which may also indicate that it was manhandled in the mail.

Ve haff vays of makink you pull over.

I love Captain Cool, center, and his squad of traffic goons in this RPPC from 1949. The back of the card doesn’t have any identifiable markings from the manufacturer, but someone was kind enough to make notes for me:

Yeah, we ride Harleys.

Unfortunately, the only German that I can translate from this is “Harley-Davidson”.

Lest you think that these aren’t enough cops to manage all of the traffic violators in Vienna, not to worry; their numbers would more than double by 1950:

Missing: the other photo where they all turn around to show that their leather pants are assless

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Real photo postcard (RPPC) of a barn

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.