Tag Archives: 1930s

Hotel Russell, London, England

This image shows the iconic Russell Hotel, which overlooks Russell Square in the Bloomsbury District of London, England.
There is no description on the back of this card. The legend on the front reads:
Telephone No. Terminus 6479 (16 lines) P.B.E.
HOTEL RUSSELL
Telegrams: Hotel Russell, London
–The initials P.B.E. stand for private branch exchange, which is a small phone switch installed by the phone company for organizations with large numbers of rooms and a need for multiple incoming lines.
The Hotel Russell was recently purchased for renovation by the Prinicpal Hotel Company, and it to be renamed The Principal London.
This card was used and is dated 6 July 1930.

Juniata Bridge, Lewistown, Pennsylvania

This image is an illustration of the Juniata Bridge, or the Lewistown Road Bridge, which crosses the Juniata River in Lewistown, Pennsylvania.

View post on imgur.com


There is no description on the back of this card.
According to the link above, this bridge was completed in 1924 as a replacement for an older truss bridge, and was in turn replaced in 1989. The mills in the background were part of the large complex of factories operated by the American Viscose Corporation, which was the largest producer of rayon in the early 20th century and the first to make artificial silk.
This card was used and is dated 2 August 1937.

Oldest Bookseller in Paris, France

This image is of the small shops that lined the Seine in Paris, featuring a very old man who was known as the oldest bookseller, referring to his age and not the age of the books.

Editions d’art MONA, av. Victor-Emmanuel, Paris


The description states, in rough translation:
THE LITTLE TABLES
Quai Voltaire. The oldest bookseller of the quays. The poet bookseller Charles Dodeman.
The oldest bookseller.
–These sorts of stalls exist today along the Seine. Such sellers are known in French as “les Banquinistes”.
This postcard was used and is dated 25 July 1930.
 

“A Drink of Water” by L. H. ‘Dude’ Larsen

This image is a reproduction of the painting by the prolific Western artist known as Dude Larsen,  who created postcards for the tourist trade along U. S. 66.

Pub. by L. H. Larsen, Kanab, Utah


The description states:
A DRINK OF WATER
Taken form an original oil painting by the noted cowboy artist and poet, L. H. “Dude” Larsen.
Dude Larsen worked during the 1930s and 1940s making postcards from original paintings such as this one.
This postcard is dated 1939.

Congress Hall Canyon, Lake Delton, Wisconsin

This image shows a wood plank walkway through a canyon-like rock formation near Lake Delton, Wisconsin, near the Wisconsin Dells.
There is no description on the back of this card.
The village of Lake Delton took its name from a reservoir formed near there by a dam built in 1927. It is likely this image dates from the 1930s.

State Capitol Building, Lincoln, Nebraska

This image is an artists rendition of the state capitol building, which houses the Nebraska government in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Genuine Curteich-Chicago “C.T. Art Colortone”


The description states:
NEW STATE CAPITOL, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
The Capitol of Nebraska, designed by the late Bertram Goodhue, is one of the most dignified and imposing public buildings that has been erected in this country. It is a gravely simple, its style is essentially its own; it perfectly fulfills its purpose, and it symbolizes to Nebraskans and to succeeding generations the people’s idea of government, of statehood.
–The building was completed in 1932 from Indiana limestone and the tower is 400 feet high.
This card likely dates from the 1930s.

Lincoln Burial Chamber, Springfield, Illinois

This photo shows the recently completed renovation of the burial chamber which houses the former President, his wife and three of his children.
There is no description on the back of this card.
–The bodies are located a few feet behind and ten feet below the floor of this room, per the request of Lincoln’s longest surviving son, Robert.
This image likely dates from the 1930s.

Martinez-Benicia Bridge over Suisun Bay, California

This image shows the exceptionally long railroad bridge across Suisun Bay, just east of San Francisco Bay, connecting the cities of Martinez on the south side and Benicia on the north.

Southern Pacific Company, San Francisco


The description states:
MARTINEZ BENICIA BRIDGE
Southern Pacific’s new $12,000,000 bridge. One of the largest railroad bridges in the world across Suisun Bay, over which your train runs between Martinez and Benicia. This bridge the historic ‘train ferries’ between Port Costa and Benicia.
This bridge still exists in this location, and has been joined on both sides by automobile bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait. It is now operated by the Union Pacific and shares trackage rights with Amtrak passenger trains.
The bridge was completed in 1930. This postcard was used, and is dated 20 July 1937.

Ox Team and Driver, Mission Grove, Plymouth, Minnesota

This image shows a wagon and driver being pulled by a team (or yoke) of oxen, a method which was very common in the 19th Century, particularly for those who were traveling across the continent in search of new opportunities, or to cross the land mass to the west coast.
There is no description on the back of this card.
–It is not clear why this was considered a notable image for publication (or by extension, why the purchaser decided to acquire it). Such ox carts were well known and still evident in rural areas throughout the United States, though their use had declined with the wider availability of mule teams.
Also unknown is what the distinction was between Mission Grove and Mission Farms. It is assumed that the grove referred particularly to the tree-lined area of the settlement and the buildings associated with it, and the farm was the actual working farm where residents would spend their time providing for their upkeep.
This image likely dates from the 1930s.