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 🙂

Forget-Me-Not Easter Greetings

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked March 24, 1910 from San Jose, California

Price:  $2.00 – Or contact us for price on the whole set.

This is part of our Ethel Main Collection……Ethel’s nickname was “Tottie.”

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

The sender wrote:   “Dear Ma, Will you please put my postals in my album and look at my post card and photo album to see that that mouse don’t eat them. Love to all, Tottie.”

Wishing You Easter Grace

Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked March 22, 1910 from Redwood City, California. Publisher:  International Art Publishing Co. Printed in Germany. Series 1140.

Price:  $4.00

Hmmm, I had thought I had posted all the cards in The Ethel Main Collection, and glad to find out not, in a way. Though that’s proof that some re-organizing needs to be done. (Mentally adding this thought to that long to-do list that’s floating somewhere out there in the ether. 😉 All things in good time, though.) And here’s a beautiful angel for Easter….. she’s here to comfort us, if needed, and maybe remind us of all the good things (no matter our beliefs) that exist that can’t always be seen. I think she has a serene look (then again she is an angel, so that’s a given, probably 🙂 ) Love those wings, too.

Addressed to:   “Miss Ethel Main, 299 Sunol St, San Jose Cal”

The sender wrote:   “Expect me down to see you Sat. night  EM”

Happy New Year To Mrs. B. F. Main

Divided back, embossed postcard. Made in Germany. Postmarked from Santa Clara, California, December 30th. Circa 1909. Year missing in postmark.

Price:  $4.00

A Happy New Year….with lilacs, from The Ethel Main Collection, and we’re estimating 1909 for this postcard due to the others in the collection that were sent to the address on the card showing 1909.
The sender wrote:   “Wishing you a Happy New Year. Hazel.”

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

Thanksgiving Cheer

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked November 27, 1916 from Santa Cruz, California. Printed in Germany. Series 0758.

This poor card is really beat up, but it’s the only one we have at the moment, for the holiday, so Happy Thanksgiving! And it’s another in the Ethel Main Collection. Ethel’s nickname was “Tottie.” The sender wrote:

“Dear Tot, Just a line of greeting, recd your letter today, enjoyed it very much. Yes I have just finished my [?] I will send you the pattern. Glad you have such good luck. I don’t know what I will start next. Maybe a purse. The birds are singing gayly this morn. I will write……..Blanche.”

Addressed to:

“Miss Ethel Main, 3622 18th St., San Francisco, Calif.”

Richest Gifts Of Christmas

Divided back, unused, embossed postcard. Series 209. Printed in Germany. Publisher and printer unknown. Circa 1907 – 1914.

Price:  $4.00

From our Ethel Main Collection, this card has a trade mark logo of either publisher or printer (or both) that is unidentified at this time:  showing below, a capital G inside a rectangular artist’s palette with brushes “attached.”

The front of the postcard shows a pretty typical moonlit tableau of a church in a snow-blanketed country setting, with Christmas bells hanging on the left and poinsettias in the background. Nice though! The verse reads:

“Christmas Greetings.

May richest gifts of Christmas cheer

Bestrew your path to=day.”

The card was addressed to someone’s mother, and the sender wrote:  “Hoping you will have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Love, Helen Main.”

To My Sweetheart

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A Valentine’s Day postcard with Cupid riding up in the clouds in a small golden chariot that is overflowing with forget-me-nots, and being pulled by two doves. This one is signed presumably by the sender on the bottom right of the front of the card, but the name is hard to make out. Mailed to:

“Miss Ethel Main, 299 Sunol St., San Jose Calif.”

Undivided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked February 15, 1907 from San Francisco, California. Publisher:  The International Art Publishing Co., New York.

Price:  $3.00

HNY From Sonora, CA

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked December 31, 1909 from Sonora, California. Publisher:  Davidson Bros., London, England and New York, New York. “Davidson Bros.’ Pictorial Post Cards.” Series 3020.

Price:  $5.00

“A Happy New Year”

Yet another in the Ethel Main Collection, this one is from an anonymous sender who writes:

“Dear Mrs. Main. Wishing you all a Happy New Year to all.” 

No doubt Mrs. Main knew who the card was from. Looking up Sonora, California…A historic gold mining town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range, and named in reference to the Mexican miners from Sonora, Mexico who settled the town in 1848. In 1910 it had a population of about 2,029. (The 2014 population shows about 4,802.) The name Sonora reminds me of two things:  one – that I’ve been through the town, or stopped briefly in it years ago, before the old postcard/photo/trade card love/obsession hit; I want to go back to visit to see what treasures await, and two – the line from the movie Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken where I think it’s the hunky love interest that asks for the leading young lady’s name and she answers, “Sonora, Sonora Webster.”
Cool name, I thought, in admiring the character and actress (simultaneously, lol). Based on a true story…Check out this blog article from Horse and Man,  on the subject of horse/rider jumping from a high dive platform into a pool of water. Incredible!

Having veered way off track, but it’s always fun…the postcard front is a study in tones of silver, gold and copper of a winter scene of house, stone bridge and stream. The publisher is Davidson Brothers, of London and New York. According to Metropostcard.com they operated from about 1901 – 1911.

Sources:  City of Sonora. Sonoraca.com
Accessed January 12, 2016.

Sonora, California. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonora,_California. (accessed January 12, 2016).

“Diving Horses” September 23, 2013. Horse and Man. Accessed January 12, 2016.

“D – Publishers.” MetroPostcard.com. Accessed January 12, 2016.

Fruitcake From Ethel

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“A Happy New-Year.”

A heavily-embossed postcard of a poinsettia in a bed of holly and some forget-me-nots bordering a clock which is about to mark the new year. This card is from the Ethel Main Collection and kind of personal. Sounds like it’s from her man, and he sure appreciates her and the fruitcake she sent him. Addressed to:

“Miss Ethel Main, 3622 – 18th Street, San Francisco, Calif.”

As for the publisher, it’s one we’ve not seen yet. It appears to show the initials T – I – C on a banner running round a globe.

TIC Logo

Divided back, embossed, postcard. Unused with writing. Circa 1907 – 1916. Printed in Germany. Publisher:  T.I.C.

Price:  $2.00

Christmas Greetings From Mrs. R. Behrle

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“Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Mrs. R. Behrle.”

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

Another in the Ethel Main Collection, and a beauty – holly and berries on a background of pale blue and cream, with a gold-tone border. The holly, lettering and border is embossed but the background has a smaller embossing to give it a textured look. Notice on the larger sprig of holly, the brown stem sticking up at the top right, with the very small leaf – a realistic touch, since if you were to take a cutting from a tree or plant you’d not normally find each leaf, berry or whatever in top form. It’s the little details like this that let us see into the thought process of the artist.

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked from San Francisco, California on December 23, 1909.

Price:  $5.00