Laurel Cottage Genealogy
Genealogy Services, Old Photos, Postcards, Trade Cards, Etc.

Mystery Church

Posted on August 5th, 2014 by

Mystery Church pc1Mystery Church pc2

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused. AZO stamp box, circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $7.00

Real Photo Postcard showing a side view of a large church in the Gothic Revival style, of stone construction, showing a tall spire, several smaller spires, many stained glass windows, and various crosses (how many do you count?) Besides the beauty of the church itself, for me the most striking thing about this photo is the contrast between the building with all of it’s intricate detail, seemingly out in the middle of a field. Of course, we can see upon closer inspection, that there is a road and some utility poles to the right, and get the sense that many, if not all, of the trees in the photo were likely planted by hand when the church was built, but still, I like the initial illusion of this grand and graceful structure appearing unexpectedly placed in its rural, almost isolated setting.

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Categories: Churches, Mosques and Temples, Mysteries, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Real Photo Postcards

Woman With Shoulder Yoke

Posted on August 5th, 2014 by

Woman With Shoulder Yoke pc1Woman With Shoulder Yoke pc2

Undivided back, unused postcard. Publisher unknown. Circa 1901 – 1907.

Price:  $5.00

This postcard shows an artist’s close-up view of a beautiful dark-haired young woman gazing off into the distance. She wears a lace head covering, a grey blouse or dress, with a red collar or necklace, and a wooden shoulder yoke used for carrying buckets. There are several windmills in the background. I am not sure what the pom-pom looking things are that are attached at each side of the yoke.

There is no visible artist’s signature, nor publisher information, but since this is an undivided back postcard, presumably printed in the U.S., the date would be from December 24, 1901 up until March 1, 1907.

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Categories: People, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Undivided Back, Windmills, Women

Oldřich Cihelka, Artist

Posted on August 1st, 2014 by

Some of the artwork of Prague-born Oldřich Cihelka was reproduced for the postcard market and a number of postcards can be found for sale online (including our Laurel Cottage site.) Here is a cropped example of the artist’s work. (See the posting on this website under “Little Salesians” for the full postcard version.)

Cihelka Artwork

Most online sources show Oldřich Cihelka’s year of death as 1948, though some have 1958. The website Art Consulting has the following short biography:

“Oldrich Cihelka (1881 – 1948 Praha),maliar,grafik, ilustrátor. Žiak Maxa Pirnera na AVU Praha v r.1897-1903. Autor kresieb a ilustrácií, historických obrázkov pre národné školy. Bol členom združenia výtvarných umelcov- Jednota, cez ktoré prezentoval svoje maľby a kresby.”

A quick online translation for the above shows:

“Oldrich Cihelka (1881 – 1948 Prague), painter, graphic artist and illustrator. Pupil [of] Max Pirner at the Academy of Arts in Prague, from 1897 – 1903. Author of drawings and illustrations, historical images for national schools. He was a member of the association of visual artists-Unity through which his paintings and drawings were presented.”

Source:  Oldřich Cihelka. n.d. Art Consulting. Web accessed 31 Jul 2014. [http://www.artconsulting.sk/?act=dielo&id=19036]

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Categories: Postcard Artists

Little Silesians By Oldřich Cihelka

Posted on August 1st, 2014 by

Little Silesians By Oldrich Cihelka pc1Little Silesians By Oldrich Cihelka pc2

Divided back, artist signed, unused postcard. Publisher or printer:  Zora. Series or number G. Z. 0174. Date circa early to mid 1900s.

Price:  $15.00

Z kraje Bezručova which is the first line on the back of the postcard at the top left, appears to translate from Czech to English as “From Region of Bezrucova.” So, this postcard is regarding little or young Salesians of the Bezrucova Region of Salesia. Salesia is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Oldřich Cihelka (1881-1948?) was a painter, graphic artist and illustrator, born in Prague. Most online sources list his year of death as 1948, however some give the year as 1958.

Sources:  Moravia and Salesia. n.d. Hello Czech Republic. Web accessed 1 Aug 2014 [http://www.czech.cz/en/88015-moravia-and-silesia]

Oldřich Cihelka. n.d. Art Consulting. Web accessed 31 Jul 2014. [http://www.artconsulting.sk/?act=dielo&id=19036]

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Categories: Couples, Hats, People, Postcards Artist Signed, Postcards Unused, Traditional Costumes

Well Nancy

Posted on August 1st, 2014 by

Well Nancy pc1Well Nancy pc2

Divided back, unused with writing. Circa 1910’s.

Price $5.00

“Well Nancy I will send you a picture of our old home. Bettie[?] and ? was away when the photo man came and Gladys and I were washing so we just stood out with our dirty close on. hansome aint we. The dog was the only one that was dressed up. ha ha.”

Real Photo Postcard showing an old farmhouse with two ladies and their dog posing for the camera. The above note to Nancy by our unknown author with the sense of humor (unknown except that she is one of the ladies in the photo) is a good one.

Estimated date may be the 1910’s. There is no stamp box and the back header shows a divided back line separating the phrases “Correspondence Here” and “For Address Only” which are under the words “Post Card.”

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Categories: Dogs, Houses, People, Photos Without Names, Postcards, Postcards Unused With Writing, Real Photo Postcards, Women

Two Beautiful Ladies

Posted on August 1st, 2014 by

Two Beautiful Ladies pc1Two Beautiful Ladies pc2

Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box, circa 1907 -1918.

Price:  $8.00

Here’s another Real Photo Postcard with an AZO stamp box and divided back, circa 1907 – 1918. This one shows an older and younger woman standing side by side posing for the camera. Both wear blouses and long skirts. The woman on the right wears a belt of tooled leather. Possibly they are mother and daughter but that would not be a ready assumption, just because they don’t really look that much alike, although they both seem to have somewhat darker skin, especially the woman on the left. One wonders what their ethnicity is:  Native American? The setting for the photo takes place outside on a lawn or maybe in a tended field with some small deciduous trees in the immediate background. It looks like there are some boards laying on the ground, and what might be a fence or bridge in the far distance, too blurry to tell. Nothing in this one really gives any major clues for the location, but it’s a great photo nonetheless.

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Categories: People, Photos Without Names, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Real Photo Postcards, Women

Out Standing In Their Field

Posted on July 31st, 2014 by

Out Standing In Their Field pc1Out Standing In Their Field pc2

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, Unused. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $5.00            

Real Photo Postcard showing a gorgeous photo of four beautiful ladies (three women and a child) posed in a field of tall grass. One of the women holds an umbrella, which may have been just for providing shelter from the sun, but it could have been brought along for the rain too, as we can see that the sky holds some dark clouds. I think the family relation is probably a mother and child and the mother’s older and younger sister. There is something quite interesting about this photo, though. If flipped in Photoshop it will show that the woman holding the little girl wears the ring on her left hand rather than on her right. If the photo was reversed when processed by the photography studio, then that changes the assumption of who the child’s mother is in the photo. (Unless the woman is wearing an engagement ring, and the mother is the woman in the center.) However, the little girl, and woman holding her, both wear checkered dresses, and we can well imagine that the little girl might have been proud to be wearing “a dress like Mommy.” Also, the woman in question appears to maybe be pregnant. Here below is the image reversed in Photoshop, and I think that this is the correct interpretation. In any case, this is just a beauty of a photo. Too bad there were no names or even a place name written on the card, but it’s a divided back card and the stamp box is an AZO with all four triangles pointing upward, which dates the postcard from about 1907 – 1918.

Out Standing In Their Field pc1 reversed

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Categories: Children, People, Photos Without Names, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Real Photo Postcards, Umbrellas and Parasols, Women

Harve Marsing And Alma Thayn

Posted on July 30th, 2014 by

Harve Marsing And Alma Thayn pc1Harve Marsing And Alma Thayn pc2

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused with writing. AZO stamp box. Circa 1912 – 1915.

Availability status:  SOLD

Here’s a Real Photo Postcard that was found recently at The Vintage Paper Fair in San Francisco and shows a great sepia-toned photo (even though faded or light) of two men on horseback, with their likely location being Utah, estimated dated about 1912 – 1915.

As it turns out Harve Marsing, a.k.a Harva or Harvey (on the left) is the nephew of Alma Thayn, also spelled Thayne (on the right.) Harve Marsing’s parents are Alma Marsing and Annabelle Thayne. Alma Thayne and Annabelle Thayne are brother and sister. Their parents are John L. Thayne and Annabelle (sometimes spelled Annabellia or Annabella) Reid. Harve looks to be maybe about 16 – 18 years of age, making Alma about 27 – 30 years of age in the photo. Harve Marsing was born July 11, 1897 (some records show 1896 but his WWI Draft Registration shows he recorded 1897.) Alma Thayne was born December 30, 1885. Both men were born in Utah.

Sources:  Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection – Individual Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: “Marriage of John Lehi Thayne to Annabell Reid.” (Ancestry.com)

“Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1937,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VRLC-MV8 : accessed 29 Jul 2014), Alma Marsing and Annie Thayne, 27 Jul 1895; citing , Wasatch, Utah, United States; FHL microfilm 0482527.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Desert Lake, Emery, Utah; Roll: 1683; Page: 17B; Enumeration District: 0197; FHL microfilm: 1241683. (Ancestry.com)

“United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918”, index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/29N1-Q8N : accessed 29 Jul 2014), Harvey Marsing, 1917-1918.

Find A Grave Memorial# 38316496 for Alma Thayne. (findagrave.com)

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Categories: Animals, Cowboys and Old West, Hats, Horses, Men, People, Postcards, Postcards Unused With Writing, Real Photo Postcards

Little Girl And Donkey

Posted on July 29th, 2014 by

Little Girl And Cow c1

Old card, circa 1890s.

Price:  $4.00   Size:  3 and 1/2 x 2 and 5/8″

Adorable small print of a little blond girl and her donkey. At least I think that’s a donkey. The girl wears a red dress and has her white apron extended for holding the greenery that the animal is eating. The donkey in particular has such a sweet expression. There is nothing on the back except for the markings of the scrap book glue, but someone surely appreciated this image since it’s survived for so long. Estimated date 1890’s.

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Categories: Animals, Children, Donkeys, Miscellaneous Cards and Other, People

It’s High Time

Posted on July 22nd, 2014 by

Its High Time pc1Its High Time pc2

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked Frontier, Wyoming, May 1908. Publisher unknown.

Price:  $6.00

A funny one showing a guy who’s been picked up, to his complete surprise, and has sailed through the air on the hook of a crane, to come face to face (no pun intended) with a large clock on the side of a building. It’s nighttime, there’s a full moon, he’s in spats and has lost his straw boater and his walking stick, but still has his monocle in place. Good thing, that way he can see that “It’s high time…”  The senders finish this sentence as,  “you were writing, dont you thing so!”  And it’s signed,  “L. G. & A. G.”  (L. or S? And did whoever wrote this mean to say “thing so?”)

Addressed to:  “Miss Ella Ellison, 26 St. & Cheyenne Ave, Pueblo, Colo.

On the back the senders wrote,  “A Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.”  I was going to say that I normally do holiday ones in season, and say something about Christmas in July but just noticed that this is postmarked in May. A kind of funny card all the way around!

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Categories: Humorous, Men, Moon, People, The Alice Ellison Collection