To Lena From Gladys

Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked December 29, 1913, Almena, Kansas.

Price:  $3.00

A Happy New Year

A pink rose and some forget-me-nots are framed in blue. (The embossing from the reverse is maybe even nicer – very elegant in white.) And this card was sent to our old friend Lena Davis who we haven’t visited in a while – her cousin Gladys writes:

“Almena Kans. Dec. 30 1913. Dear Cousin, Rec’d your card glad to hear. How is Grandma & all the rest. John’s mother and Sophie are sick took down Wed. We went Sat. and just got home they are better now. Don’t know when we will be up but don’t wait on us. How is Laura, Write soon, Glad.”

Filipina In Baro’t Saya, Real Photo Postcard

Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard. Juan Dela Cruz Studio. AZO stamp box, circa 1924 – 1949.

Price:  $12.00

A beautiful young woman in the traditional Filipino dress, baro’t saya, is posing for this portrait that was taken at the Juan Dela Cruz Studio. An unrelated online image was found on Flickr listing this studio location as Tondo, Manila, Philippines, and with an estimated date for that image as 1927. Our photo above of the unknown beauty may have been taken around this time, as well. The broader time frame of circa 1924 – 1949 comes from the AZO stamp box style on the reverse of the card.

The sender of this RPPC signed the back of the postcard but unfortunately, her signature is mostly covered by the black photo album paper the card had been glued to. We can only read what looks like the last two letters of her name (e-t). She wrote:

“Dear Aquiong, A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Lovingly….”

Sources:  Ensemble-Philippines-The Met. Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/158138. (accessed December 30, 2017).

De Leon, Eduardo. “A studio portrait of a Filipina named Loleng. Juan Dela Cruz Studio, Tondo, Manila. 1927.” 25 Nov 2014. Online image. Flickr. 30 Dec 2017. https://www.flickr.com/photos/edlei/15695528537/in/photostream/

“Real Photo Postcard Stamp Boxes ” AZO (squares in all four corners). Playle.com. (accessed December 30, 2017).

Amelia, December 1911, Binghamton NY

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, December 1911. CYKO stamp box.

Price:  $15.00

“Dec – 1911. A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to you, Amelia.”

Addressed to:   “Laura Weed, 23 College st, City.”

Here’s a pretty lady, maybe in her seventies, posing for the photographer and wearing a satin dress over a lace blouse with high-neck ruffled collar, wire-rimmed eyeglasses and an unusual-looking “hat-box” shaped hat. The name for this style of head wear is unknown (maybe someone can help us out with this one) and it’s really not terribly outlandish in comparison to many others from this time period. And though we probably think that the blouse under the dress rather spoils the look, I bet the overall effect of the colors in the hat and of the dress (wish we could see) were gorgeous….and uplifting!

So, with the name and street address on the card we were able to trace Laura’s location to Binghamton, New York. She was Mrs. Laura A. Weed, wife of Manford Weed. Most likely, Amelia lived in the same city as her friend Laura, however there are a number of Amelias that might fit:  Some possible surnames for Amelia are Wilcox, Tierney, Parsons, Gregory, Back, Bailey and Couse.

Sources:  Calkin-Kelly Directory Co.’s Binghamton City Directory, 1914. p. 491. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Calkin-Kelly Directory Co.’s Binghamton City Directory, 1915. p. 491. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Kirkwood, Broome, New York; Roll: T624_926; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0045; FHL microfilm: 1374939. (Ancestry.com).

Holiday Wishes For Verna Watkins

Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked December 22, 1909, Dayton, Indiana. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $12.00

“Dear Verna – I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Lizzie Goldsberry.”

Addressed to:   “Miss Verna Watkins, Lafayette Ind. R.F.D. No 4.”

Here’s our second angel-tree-deer postcard (see prior post). Our angel in this one is again barefoot in the snow, but this time with wings very visible, and it’s a beautiful scene with wonderful color variation for the snow…dolls in the deer’s “saddle” baskets…church and sunset in background.

There’s an Elizabeth A. Goldsberry showing up in 1909 in Lafayette, Indiana at R.F.D. 3 and she is probably the sender of this card, and a Peter with wife Lizzie at R.F.D. 24 in Dayton, Indiana from the same city directory record.

Verna Watkins, is probably the daughter of Ray and Sadie Watkins, who appears with her parents and older brother Ernest on the 1910 Federal Census for Perry Township, Tippecanoe County. According to this record Verna was born in Indiana, about 1899. Perry is located just north of Dayton, both being located in the Lafayette vicinity.

Sources:  R. L. Polk & Co.’s Lafayette Directory with Tippecanoe County, 1907. p. 538. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Perry, Tippecanoe, Indiana; Roll: T624_381; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0177; FHL microfilm: 1374394. (Ancestry.com).

A Merry Christmas From J. F. Dodd in 1906

Divided back, unused, embossed postcard, 1906. Publisher unknown. Series 108.

Price:  $7.00

A merry Christmas

This card, probably printed in Germany, shows an angel in a flowing pink gown carrying a small evergreen through the forest. Accompanying her is a deer bringing Christmas presents. True, we don’t see wings for the angel but then she is barefoot in the snow ( 🙂 this line strikes me funny for some reason) but anyway angel seems to be indicated. And many other cards can be found with this type of angel-tree-deer theme. (We have another one that we’ll put up next.) But underneath this beautiful scene is something that might be easily missed:  Two seated gnome-like characters (!) appear in the yellow area, like bookends only looking the wrong way.

As for the names on the back:  the card was from J. F. Dodd, Christmas 1906, for Stanley….Tisette/Tintle/Tintte…or ? His surname is pretty hard to read.

A Wish For Your Gladness

Divided back postcard. Postmarked December 22, 1928 from Sacramento, California. Series or number 1181 D. Publisher unknown.

Price:  $8.00

A beautiful Christmas postcard from The Alice Ellison Collection of a ringing bell with a poinsettias, mistletoe and a scene of a cozy home at sunrise in the background:

Christmas Greetings

“A wish for your gladness

As Christmas bells ring,

And all the bright blessings

These holidays bring.”

Addressed to:   “Mrs. Ellison & Family, 1015 O Street, Sacramento, California”  and signed, “Greetings of the Season from Mr. and Mrs. Gomes.”

Chimney Top Musicians

Vintage Christmas Card, circa 1920s – 1930s.

Price:  $5.00        Size:  5 and 1/4 x 3 and 1/4″

“To All Of You – A Merry Christmas”

Five birdie musicians – singing and playing the cello and accordion, with the maestro directing – are spreading joy from atop snow-covered chimneys. The gold-tone in the card is of the type that has that sort of a shimmer to it, so the actual card is even nicer than the scanned image. And it was signed,  “From The Haskins”  but the same wish applies from us here at Laurel Cottage to you!

From Our House To Yours, The Sanders, 1960

Christmas card, deckled edge, 1960.

Price:  $5.00          Size:  About 4 and 1/4 x 5″

Jumping ahead a couple of centuries from the last post…..Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, a beautiful and happy couple at Christmastime. And they’re decked out, she in her pearls and lace and he in his dress shirt with totally awesome wide necktie.

This card was found in an antique shop in Morgan Hill, California.

Warmest Wishes From Kate And Charles Tegtmeier

Christmas card, circa 1920s – 1930s.

Price:  $5.00

Find the “hidden” cat on this card!

A charming American Colonial or Old English style illustration in black and green….

“With warmest wishes

and a hope sincere

For a Merry Christmas

and a Glad New Year.”

Deciphering the surname of Kate and Charles was a good challenge, and after some tries we found the best guess to be Tegtmeier, or not quite so likely, Fegtmeier, and there are at least two couples that might fit, one in New York and the other in Illinois, from census records.

Ruth Welch Siver Christmas Postcard

Divided back, artist-signed, unused postcard. Circa 1922. Artist:  Ruth Welch Siver.

Price:  $12.00

“A Merry Christmas

And Many More

A Happier New Year

Than Ever Before.”

Here’s another artist-signed card – not very Christmas-y but so charming! The same illustration of the two children was found on another Siver postcard which was postmarked in 1922, hence the estimated date for this card. Biographical info on the artist is now posted.