Cupid’s Diary

Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked February 7, 1914 from Pueblo, Colorado. Copyright 1909, H. or K.[?] Wessler. Publisher:  S. L. & Co. 

Price:  $10.00

Publisher, S. L. & Co. is Sigmund Langsdorf & Co.

This card, another in our Alice Ellison Collection, was one in a series that told the story of Cupid’s day – sharpening arrows, mailing valentines and breaking his bow after all the work was done. In ours, Cupid is looking quite tired, not to mention a little beat up, so the card above must have been the last one, or second to last, in the set.

“His spoils were great,

But sad to tell,

Poor Cupids’ suffered

Just as well.”

Addressed to:   “Mr. J. M. Ellison, 730 P. St., Sacramento, Calif.”

The sender wrote:  “Dear Papa. It snowed here last night. We are all well and hope you are to. It will soon be valentine day so I am sending you a Valentine card. from Henrietta Ellison. [?] got me a new pair of shoes.”

A Valentine’s Lament

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard. Circa 1910s. Publisher:  Whitney Made, Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Price:  $7.00

“O, Why Isn’t She Always Here”

A dejected-looking boy and his dog are missing their Valentine. (Sob!) A cute card, and another in our Alice Ellison Collection, this one from Louise to Henrietta.

Roses For My Valentine

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard. Printed in Germany. Valentine Postcard Series No. 405. Publisher unknown. Circa 1907 – 1914.

Price:  $1.00

Valentine Greetings…..

To Miss Ella Ellison from Mary Strauch.

One from our Alice Ellison Collection. (A group of about 125 cards; they’re not all up on the website yet.) This one’s a little beat up and with a coffee stain at the top but contains a publisher mystery. We’ve seen this logo before, a capital G inside a rectangular artist’s palette with brushes attached, but haven’t found proof of the company name, to date.

Poinsettia Christmas Wishes

Divided back postcard. Postmarked December 17, 1923. Publisher unknown. Series 1013 B. Made in U.S.A.

Price:  $2.00

Christmas Wishes

“My wishes for your

Christmas hours

Are just as bright as

these gay flowers.”

Yet another card from The Alice Ellison Collection. Poinsettias in the foreground and behind, we looking out on some evergreens and a winter scene. The publisher on this one is unknown. Maddeningly, I’m without access to the best postcard i.d. reference – Walter E. Corson’s Publisher’s Trademarks Identified. (My only copy got water damage and mold – it’s a long story – and in a fit of disgust I tossed it out along with a bunch of other stuff. Definitely, the letting go of “things” is a heavenly feeling of freedom but I probably should have made an exception on that one.) One presumes that the publisher name starts with “S” since that letter appears in the oval underneath the lovely back header, rather fancy with its scroll-y curvy lines.

Addressed to:   “Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Ellison, Sacramento, Calif, 604 N. St.”

The sender wrote:   “Many good wishes to all The family as ever your sister Annie.”

To Flem Grizzle, Gas City, Kansas

Divided Back postcard, embossed. Postmarked Tioga, Texas, August 23, 1909. Printed in Germany. 

Price:  $15.00

To My Dear Uncle…..

Great color on this one and a welcome change from the black and white entries we’ve been posting!

Addressed to:   “Flem Grizzle. Gas City, Kans.”

The note on the back is a little hard to decipher. Best guess is:   “Hello. How are you. Bef. noon [?] rec your card and [?] & [?] got [?] Harold picture. They are nice. Wish I was up there with you all. I am at home to night and have been all day alone. Ernest and Willie have gone out [with?] their girls. [?]. Yours [?].

Flem was Jesse Flem Grizzle, born October 13, 1871, Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky. He married Ida M. (maiden name unknown) about 1894. From the obit below and several census records, it appears that they had two children, Edith and Harold.

Sources: U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936 – 2007. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Rose Hill, Johnson, Missouri; Roll: 868; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0114; FHL microfilm: 1240868. (Ancestry.com).

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Iola City Directory, 1906, p. 110. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822 – 1995.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Carlyle, Allen, Kansas; Roll: T625_522; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 1. (Ancestry.com).

“Jesse F. Grizzle Dies Here Today.” The Iola Register. May 6, 1953. Wednesday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com).

A Happy Yuletide to Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bowyer

Divided Back, embossed unused postcard. Made in the U.S.A. Series W-72.

Price:  $7.00

A Happy Yuletide

“Merry Christmas to you and yours

Kindest thoughts from me and mine

May nothing happen that obscures

Your fullest pleasure rich and fine!”

The senders wrote:   “Dec 17 1927. Dear Friends we are all well. A Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Mr. & Mrs. A. J. Marine”

Addressed to:   “Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bowyer, Kingman, Kan.”

From the 1915 State Census, J. W., his wife Hattie, and their daughter, Anna are in White Township, Kingman, Kansas.

On the 1930 Federal Census, this is James W. Bowyer, born about 1860 and wife, Hattie J. Bowyer, born about 1868, living in Kingman City, Kingman, Kansas. Both born in Iowa. Per Find A Grave for the couple, James’ middle name is Warren and Hattie’s maiden name is Fowler.

And A. J. and Florence Marine are listed in the city directory for 1920, farming at their residence of 909 Santa Fe Trail, in Dodge City, Kansas. (Pretty surprising to be able to read the writing well enough and find the Marine family right off the bat in online records.)

The publisher is unknown (as is often the case) but it’s nice to have a dated card for future reference, if anyone’s looking for this postcard back. (I like the hand holding the torch.)

Sources:  Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; Roll: ks1915_116; Line: 7. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1930; Census Place: Kingman, Kingman, Kansas; Page: 23B; Enumeration District: 0016; FHL microfilm: 2340440. (Ancestry.com).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91867759/hattie-josephine-bowyer: accessed 24 December 2022), memorial page for Hattie Josephine Fowler Bowyer (27 Mar 1868–17 Oct 1954), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91867759, citing Walnut Hill Cemetery, Kingman, Kingman County, Kansas, USA; Maintained by Betty Rose M. (contributor 47456505).

Etrick’s Directory of Ford County,1920. Pg. 80. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

Temple Guardians, Bali, Indonesia

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused. Circa 1910s – 1930s. Publisher:  Gevaert.

Price:  $75.00

This seems to be a rare card – we’re not finding any duplicates online – and the subject matter is great!

It was after a couple of days of research, and at the point of giving up (much online scrutiny of gods, deities, masks, carved repeating patterns, etc. in a surprising number of potential countries) that the location in question was happily revealed. Not surprisingly, it was the larger figures in the postcard photo, with their protruding top teeth, tongues hanging out, curving tusks, bulging eyes and bull-like nose, that took us (in that moment of certainty – like space-warp instant travel) – to the island of Bali, Indonesia. (It would be nice to be able to identify each carved figure but that turns out to be more challenging:  There can be multiple manifestations, including both female and male representations of the same god.)

Below, our Google search result, and see the link in “Sources” for more information from the Bali Culture Tours website:

Sources:  “Balinese Gods With Their Manifestations And Their Meanings.” Bali Culture Tours. (accessed July 26, 2022).

“Images of Indonesia Deities.” Google.com search. (accessed July 26, 2022).

A Happy Birthday From Percival

Vintage birthday card, circa 1930s. Made in the U.S.A.

Price:  $5.00         Size:  6 and 1/4 x 4″

“A Happy Birthday

I’m sending this Greeting

To joyfully say,

May you have many Happy

Returns of the Day.”

A striking card for its colors and design:  Bright and pale pink, purple, blue (what was the Crayola crayon color for that blue? It’s driving me nuts 🙂 ) black, thin gold trim throughout…..Two houses in the background (with pink roofs), tree in the foreground (windy day or it might remind you of Dr. Suess, like Thing 1 and Thing 2 but, not really), long flower bed (with daffodils). Similar cards can be found indicating Art Deco, and I’m no expert, but definitely the repeating gold pattern at the bottom of the card, gives it that look. I wish I knew who the artist was, or the publisher. We’ll keep a look out for more info.

Old Advertising Card McNeil’s Pain Exterminator

Trade Card for Dr. T. S. McNeil’s Pain Exterminator. Circa 1870s – 1880s.

Price:  $10.00         Size:  4 and 1/4 x 2 and 1/2″

The most detailed information on T. S. McNeil, found in some quick searches, comes from a Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA) article (see link in sources below.) The authors explain that T. S. McNeil was a minister who went into the medicine business; the title of “doctor” was honorary. A number of ads can be found in old newspapers for McNeil’s Pain Exterminator (formulated in 1848) including a rather long one from 1906, stating the product was sold in 15 states, as well as in Liverpool, England and on the west coast of Africa. By the look of the card, we’d guess the date 1870s through the 1890s, but to try to narrow it down, we searched city directories. The address showing on the card for McNeil Medicine Co., Proprietors, 500 N. Third Street and 242 W. State Street, Harrisburg, PA was not found, however a few entries from 1891 – 1895 show 1111 N. 3rd St., (so if we were betting, we’d bet that the card is from the 1880s.) Thomas S. McNeil was born in 1814 in Virginia and died, unfortunately quite young, in 1847 from a drowning accident.

Sources:  Alcodray, N.I. and Bause, G.S. (2021). “Thomas S. McNeil, An Enterprising Pastor.” (https://www.lycoming.edu/). Accessed May 13, 2022.

“McNeil’s Pain Exterminator (Established 1848) Goes to West Coast of Africa.” The York Daily (York, Pennsylvania). July 13, 1906, p. 8. (Newspapers.com).

Boyd’s Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton, 1891. p. 321; 1895, p. 226. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

Easter Greeting Lilies And Cross

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked March 25, 1910 from Santa Clara, California.

Price:  $2.00 or contact us for pricing on the set

From The Ethel Main Collection

Addressed to:   “Mrs. B. F. Main, 253 – 14th St., San Francisco Cal.”

The sender wrote:   “Dear Grandma, Have a boil on the side of my cheek. Girl bit me when I was dancing. Hate to see her do that. Easter greetings to all. Elmer W. Main  Top heavy.”

This guy was quite the card, or is he being serious about the girl? No, don’t think so. But either way 🙂