General Info

  • Collecting

    Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska

    E.C. Patton album, cards 12-14 The three cards for today fall distinctly on Patton’s collecting side. Not a word anywhere suggesting potential purchases. Indeed they may well have been part of his network of post card correspondents. I’m trying not to prejudge how Patton assembled his collection, but these vary from some of the previous in ways that match with other exchanged post cards I’ve seen. First up, a card from Monterrey, Mexico. The front contains all there is of the message. This card basically only carries identification of the sender–Jose’ M. Guerra Cisneros–and the day they sent it. The reverse has the stamped name and address of the sender.…

  • Business,  Collecting,  Travel

    A supply of the necessary?

    E.C. Patton album, cards 8-11 Still early days in this album, but some interesting cards so far (images and/or messages). Four more cards for today. I’m not sure of the sender, whether their signature is the bottom center scrawl or the letters on the right side. The message comes through clear enough, however. “Thanks for Oregon’s capitol we’ll need one (perhaps?) suppose you heard about the Political Graft trying to remove ours to Berkeley. Ha! Lots of excitement here now. I’m patiently waiting for that letter” [unclear] to E.C. Patton, 2 March 1907 The reference to the letter suggests these two may send each other cards (and perhaps both collect)…

  • Business,  Collecting,  General Info

    A complete line of holiday goods!

    E.C. Patton album, cards 4-7 First up of today’s cards–one that could serve as a trade card. The sender managed to combine quite a few purposes in this! It’s an announcement of a sales call, a sample of the firm’s work, and an advertisement. Behrendt evidently made quite a run of these cards to serve as introductions. At least one of his sales force (presumptively male given the “Our Mr.”) got a stamp made with his name to save writing it everywhere. Although that doesn’t mean that S.L. Kayser wrote the card–perhaps the firm had clerks with good handwriting for that part. Certainly the few written words on the card…

  • Business,  Collecting,  General Info

    When is the new year again?

    Due to this and that, I cannot promise how often I’ll be able to post between now and the end of the year. But here’s taste of what we’ll be working through whenever I am able to post (and I do promise to try to mark Thursdays) because I’m looking forward to this: E.C. Patton’s album. There may be some similarities between Patton and McMahon Newton. I strongly suspect Patton was white, as Newton likely was. They may have come from similar upper middling classes. Both albums contain cards mostly postmarked in the early 19th century (naturally, since that’s mostly what I collect). BUT . . . let’s start with…

  • General Info,  Presentation/Appearance

    Graduation, Valentines, Photos, and Ephemera

    This is a hold-over post. I will return to sharing cards as I work through albums. But life is requiring attention elsewhere, so here’s a little something else (postcard-related I promise you!) first. People put more than postcards in postcard albums. Sometimes the inclusions are sufficiently random that one can’t do more than guess at the why (such as leaves, perhaps to flatten them or as souvenirs of places?). Other times, the materials are more numerous and/or speak to aspects of a person’s life and times. Or, perhaps, how they viewed the album. Consider this album, Someone pasted various gift labels and other items in–quite as though it were a…

  • General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection,  Travel,  Weather

    Mama sends her best regards

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards, 6, 47, 116, 12, and 16 And so we bid good-bye to Madge, but not without a few more cards from her! First up, a rather nice-looking rabbit complete with carrot and baby chicken. Complete with a small message on the image side at the top (see the title of this post). Apparently sent by one Maria? Martha? On the reverse–quite a long message. The writer recognizes the difficulty her recipient is likely to have reading it, attributing it to her pen (hence the number of times I guessed or couldn’t even guess at what she wrote). Hello! how do you like Okla? fine I…

  • General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Life happens when you’re not looking?

    Life happens when you’re not looking–and when you are. I plead the press of work (semester starting, search committee work, two library-related research/writing projects in process . . . ) Here’s the next Thomas Gray Haile subcollection card (#41). I’ll post more (possibly finish the subcollection) next week–or in October. Depends on how September works out. Then we have a most interesting inscription. Say I cant get that foolish notion out of my head at all. I hope you wont let M___ beat me. If she has’ent already done that. Are you coming home _ __ this summer? What will I do with my roses if you do not come?…

  • Collecting,  General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Write real soon and often, be good

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 29, 23, 43, 81 Four quick today–or three quick and one longer at the end (Madge, of course). First up: another with condition issues but showing some pretty flowers. A previous owner sorted it into the flower section. A birthday card, although don’t ask me from whom. I’m not entirely sure. Some of the words are partially obscured by the damage. Here’s what I was able to transcribe: Hello How are you we are fine and dandy but you know we fell [unclear] becouse you all diden come but sure re[?] looking for you all Friday [unclear] must be sure and come so ou call…

  • General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Chrysanthemums fill me with hope

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 1, 60, 42, and 61 First up, a new year. The card was evidently sent with that message and nothing else–and as you can see it received more damage than most in this group (which is saying something): Nothing much really to say about this in this instance. I’m sure a collector of date-oriented cards could speak more to it, or perhaps someone familiar with the maker. It’s signed Genia Bryant, and postmarked Haydenburg, Tennessee, and that’s about all I can offer without tracking her down someway (perhaps someday). Then there’s this card from a Myrtle of Nashville–perhaps a rival (of sorts) to Madge? She…

  • Collecting,  General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    With love and best wishes

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollections, cards 32, 2, 44, 50 Time for some more cards from Madge! First up, some flowers. You wouldn’t notice, since I’m sharing the cards here in the order they were posted, but the flower cards were bunched together. Ditto other topics. The collector(s) whose album contained these cards was one of many who may have collected in part based on subject. I can’t say for certain whether they sought out specific subjects as the album had a fair range–but they most definitely arranged most by subject. The inscription on the reverse is fairly tame for Madge. June 29.08 How are you? Hope you got home all…

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