Wild Postcards

A view of the wooden ship Meridianas, moored in Klaipėda, Lithuania.

“Artist’s conception of the 1101-foot long, 252-foot canted deck Attack Carrier, the Navy’s most powerful offensive weapon. Built by the Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, she was christened by Mrs. William B. Franke (wife of the then-Secretary of the Navy. — Ed.) on September 24, 1960. A flight deck, five city blocks [...]

“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 [...]

“Loading cotton at the Port of Corpus Christi, for ports throughout the world. For many years cotton was the main export commodity; however, in recent years, petroleum, petroleum products, chemicals and agricultural products have become major export commodities. In 1949 the Corpus Christi Waterway ranked 9th in tonnage among U.S. ports.” This card is a [...]