Collecting
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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.…
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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)…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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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Good and True and Truthful
Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, overview Time to switch to a new set of postcards! The Haile cards. These, too, date from around 1907-1908, with some later cards. Nevertheless, the Haile cards differ in many respects from the Katheryn McMahon album. The Haile cards don’t constitute a coherent album collection. Oh, they were in an old postcard album when I got them . . . but mixed in with other unrelated cards. In short what I’ll be focusing on for the next month or two (or three) is a sub-collection: cards that at some point became part of some one’s collection. Was that someone one person? I don’t know. Were they…
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Numerical proof of love?
Katheryn McMahon Newton album, an initial chronological and numerical assessment For about five months, I’ve been posting about the cards contained in the album and referring to an eventual chronological assessment. This is–and isn’t–it. It is, because it’s what I’m providing; but it also isn’t, because I don’t promise it addresses all the issues I mentioned in earlier posts. There’s only so much I can do now. I expect this particular album and assortment of cards to play a strong role as I analyze and write about early post cards in bulk and in specific, but at this point I’m still processing cards and getting ideas (and sometimes having those…
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The customary expression appropriate in a case of this kind
Katheryn McMahon Newton album, cards 126-129 For today, four cards from the album that are not images of places (or flowers). Whoever went through the album plucking out cards likely left them behind as of little value. In terms of inscriptions, three of the four have something on them with two speaking to Fred and Katheryn’s relationship. This one, for instance, dates from when Fred was courting Katheryn. The postmark is hard to read, but places this on/around the 25th of July, 1907. He addressed her as Kittie, as this came before the shift to Katheryn. He added lines to the front of the card, affirming the printed warning to…
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Keeping Secrets and Choosing Addresses
Katheryn McMahon Newton album, cards 110-112 This first card was postmarked and dated 10 February 1908. These don’t always align quite so nicely. I’ve usually erred on the side of citing the date Fred wrote on a card over the postmark unless I’m talking about the mailing. At any rate, back to the card. There’s nothing explicit to this effect–it was merely an image of Denver with a quick query about how the town struck Katheryn–but I suspect it was Fred’s arrival-in-town-safely missive. After all, we know he’s sending two or more cards from most places he stays for a night or two. Anyone who’s been in Denver more recently…
