Category Archives: Art Deco

Merry Christmas To One And All

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Christmas card, circa 1920s – 1930s.

Price:  $5.00           Size:  4 and 7/16 x 3 and 7/16″

On the reverse,  “From Bessie & Dickey. To the Jones family.”

Let’s see….in researching all the Joneses on the census records with a Bessie and Dickey in the vicinity…..(totally kidding, of course)…..But, you know, if there was just one out-of-the-ordinary name there, I would. Anyway, this is a nice, Art Deco style, we presume, card, and I’ll confess that I find Art Deco not always easy to identify, other than the more obvious. I love the old holiday cards that have that elongated look to the houses, and true, this one only borders on that, but it’s got that upward flow to it from the rising smoke and tall tree trunks.

A Happy Birthday From Percival

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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.

Boy In Tire, California 1929

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Old photo, decorative border, 1929.

Price:  $5.00          Size:  About 3 and 7/8 x 2 and 7/8″

Well, we know the place and year of this photo from the easily read license plate. (A definite departure from the usual norm of trying to “will” a plate into focus. 🙂 )

It’s an Art Deco design that frames this cute shot of a little boy sitting inside the upright spare (Goodyear) tire. He’s in overalls and wearing a couple of strands of beads, with a big smile and clutching something in one chubby hand. An adult, probably his dad, is in the background. As for the car – Model T Coupe? We’ll have to check with our go-to site for car questions, Antique Automobile Club of America. There is no writing on the back (though from a genealogy standpoint we feel like we’re looking at somebody’s grandpa, with great-grand in the back) but it’s a nice slice of Americana – back when the family car was also one of many play destinations for the kids.

A Buzza Company Christmas Card

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A Buzza Company Christmas Card c1A Buzza Company Christmas Card c2

“A Happy Christmas Day

I hope you find this Christmas Day

The best you ever spent;

I hope it dawns with happiness

And closes with content.”

Signed,  “Sis. Margaret.”  A beautiful Buzza Company Christmas card of candles and holly done in unusual colors of purple, aqua, pink, shimmery gold-tone and with black accents bringing out the Art Deco style.

George E. Buzza (1883 – 1957) founded The Buzza Company in Minneapolis, MN and started printing greeting cards in 1910. In 1928 he sold 52 percent of his stock in the company and moved to California. There he went into partnership with a former business associate and was president of the Hollywood greeting card company, Buzza-Cardozo. Buzza was hugely successful and is known for his innovative use of color, and employing well-known artists and writers.

See the detailed Find A Grave entry for George Earl Buzza, as well as the Buzza lofts article below. This Christmas card is the second Buzza card we’ve found, so we’ll start a new website category, and since there are a number of newspapers articles available we’ll put up a separate post for this publisher in the near future (to be able to add a little to others’ excellent research.)

Christmas card, circa 1910 – 1920s. Publisher:  The Buzza Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Price:  $20.00       Size:  3 and 1/8 x 6 and 3/4″

Sources:  Koutsky, L. (2013, April 23) Checking out the buzz at Buzza Lofts. The Journal. Retrieved from:  http://www.journalmpls.com/voices/voices/checking-out-the-buzz-at-buzza-lofts

Find A Grave Memorial# 109769477. April 30, 2013. Find A Grave. Web accessed December 25, 2015.