Today I begin an artistic tour of the Rhein river, from art postcards purchased by a relative during a European vacation in 1930. Presumably, all the images date from at latest the 1920’s, but given they are artworks, could be significantly earlier. The physical cards themselves, however, are 1930 era.
The first place is Rheinstein Castle.
The back of the card has a legend in German, translated (poorly) as:
A jewel of the German past is Rheinstein Castle, like the nest of a bird of prey on a narrow, steep cliffs, rising high above the flowing waters of the Rhine.
It is number 93 in the series.
Category: Postcards From Another Millennium
Postcards from various decades of the 20th century.
Winter Haven, Florida Folio Collection 1951
Today introduces the postcard folio type. This is a collection of images in a single postcard cover, intended to be sent as a complete package. As such it differs from the postcard package, which is an accordion folded collection of postcards meant (and marked) to be sent individually, though bought as one item.
This particular folio is of the Winter Garden, Florida area and environs. It was printed on a linen texture paper to give a more cloth look, a process created by Curt Teich and Co., Chicago IL.
This particular collection is copyright 1951, so the photos probably predate the copyright. Other pictures are of prominent civic buildings and landmarks, as well as the famous Cypress Gardens water skiing show.
Click on an image for the full frame.
San Francisco-Oakland International Airport, 1970’s
The end of the week returns to California, with an aerial view of SFO, showing the terminal in the upper left and one ‘pinwheel’ terminal, in use by United Airlines. From the presence of DC-8 jets at several jetways, this picture looks to be from around 1970.
SFO doesn’t look much like this any more. The terminals have been extensively rebuilt with a new international terminal added, the parking area is now a multi-level garage with additional garages to the upper right and off the picture at the top. There is a tram that cycles between the different terminals, and the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) line is now linked to the airport as well.
It is also interesting to note that most of the airplanes are connected to the terminal with two jetways, one at the front and back of each plane, a policy which has since been abandoned. Now planes are boarded through one jetway, a much slower process, particularly for the larger capacity aircraft.
Motel Tradewinds, Rapid City, South Dakota
Returning to the United States, here’s a card from one of the many hotels which dotted the 50’s landscape for the auto traveller. This one was wisely built at the intersection of two US highways: 14 and 16 in Rapid City, South Dakota, giving it an enviable location to entice weary travellers.
Careful viewing will discover the various rooms are named for European nations. In the upper shot the cabins are England, Greece and Poland, in the lower shot is Scotland in the background and Palestine in the left foreground along the road. In other versions available on the web this latter cabin appears to have been renamed Finland.
Captioned on the back
Motel Tradewinds, on US Highways 14 and 16, East Side of Rapid City, South Dakota – “At the sign of the Waving Man – Fifteen modern family units, individually heated, with or without cooking facilities. For reservations Phone F I llmore 2-7632. Your hosts Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Beach
The postcard is used and postmarked August 30, 1956. A cursory search of the address online indicates the motel was demolished and replaced.
Fuji-Hakone National Park, Japan
Here is a photo of the world-famous Mt. Fuji in Japan, as viewed across the lake and parkland of the associated national park.
The card is postmarked September 1968.
The postcard is unfortunately cropped, as the recipient often cut the bottoms off the postcard so it would fit in an album. This is why the format of the picture is different from most of the other cards on this site. There will be others as well.
The Fish Market, Bergen, Norway
This is a colorful scene of the bustling Bergen fish market as it appeared in the mid-1950’s.
According to the postmark, this card was mailed from Oslo and is dated 11 July 1956.
Grand Hotel, Taipei Taiwan, 1978
This postcard is more easily dated, as it was mailed, and the postmark is April 13, 1978.
My family lived for two years in the center of Taipei twenty years before this picture was taken. I don’t know if the hotel was already built back then or not.
It still exists in this location, near the river tributary in the Zhongshan district: Grand Hotel, Taipei
Postcards from Another Millennium – Lombard Street, San Francisco, California
Here’s the first post in a long running project to exhibit most of the postcards in my collection. I acquired them from a number of my relatives who collected them in their travels around North America and the world. During the mid-20th century, post cards were regularly mailed by travelers to relatives and friends remaining home, or collected as pictorial souvenirs of the locations they visited when cameras were expensive, limited and film development often unavailable.
The majority are from the mid-century, but some are both earlier and later.
This one begins with a world famous location: the section of Lombard Street in San Francisco, CA with elaborate turns, multi-level housing and beautiful flower beds along the way.
The description on the back of the card states:
A cable car passes above the crookedest street. Red brick and colorful flowers highlight this beautiful landmark in San Francisco.
–The date, judging from the cars in the photo, is late 1970s.