Tag Archives: artwork

The Annunciation, from The Book of Hours

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This image is of the medieval illustration of the Annunication of the Virgin Mary, an excerpt from the Book of Hours.

Published by Washington Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

The caption on the back states:
DETAIL OF ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT
THE ANNUNCIATION
BOOK OF HOURS, ABOUT 1430, FRENCH
COLLECTION OF HERBERT PELL
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

–The Book of Hours is not a specific book, but a type of book used by Catholic parishioners to assist them in their prayers. Since they were all hand made in the medieval era, each book is unique but still contains many of the traditional prayers and devotionals common to the era it was made.

This card likely dates from the 1960s.

Legion Lake Resort, Custer, South Dakota

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This image shows an example cabin and interiors of the facility known as Legion Lake Resort, Custer, South Dakota, within the boundaries of Custer State Park.

E.C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis.


The description states:
LEGION LAKE RESORT
Boating – Fishing – Swimming – Western Riding. A delightful place to rest. A  cool, invigorating, enjoyable place to spend a week or two, while you see the Hills. A state-owned resort, serving only the beset, including Buffalo and Elk steaks.
–Now known as Legion Lake Lodge, the resort is still there in much the same configuration as shown in the sample images above, but with extensive modernization and further construction of facilities.
This postcard likely dates from the 1950s.
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With this card I come to the end of my personal collection of postcards and similar souvenirs, dating from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1970s. In all, there have been over 1500 postcards displayed and described over the course of just more than 4 years.
I will take a brief hiatus from posting, no more than a couple of weeks, and choose the next topic of my pictorial historic journeys.
I hope these have proven to be occasionally interesting, edifying and informative.

Sundown Motor Court, Spearfish, South Dakota

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This illustration shows an idealized view of the motel known as the Sundown Motor Court in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Pub. by the Vernon Co., Newton, Iowa


The description states:
SUNDOWN MOTOR COURTS
All new modern cabins – Some with cooking facilities – 26 units in all. Open year round. On highway 14 & 85 in Spearfish, South Dakota. Phone 28
–As one might imagine, a two digit phone number is indicative of a very small town with limited phone service at the time of this postcard. The city of Spearfish is located near the head of Spearfish Canyon, at the northern edge of the Black Hills National Forest.
This card was used and is dated 23 June 1954.

German Town Square and Church

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This image shows a village square in Germany, with a church prominently visible in the background.

Wilhelm Gehrling sen. GmbH., Darmstadt


The description states simply: Nach Farbaufnahme
which translates to: From a color photo
Without a specific location it is difficult to describe much in this photo, except to say that the buildings are centuries old, while the car, a Volkswagen ‘Beetle’, is a contemporary design.
The card was used and is dated 25 July 1955.

Hollywood Farmers Market Dining, California

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This image shows a small sit down restaurant within the Hollywood Farmers Market in California.

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


The description states:
Scene in the original Farmers Market, West 3rd St at Fairfax — Hollywood’s unique outdoor food market, where motion picture stars and Hollywood housewives shop. The marketplace was opened in 1934 by Roger Dahlhjelm, comprises 80 farm stalls and food specialty shops. The world’s largest, most colorful permanent food fair patronized daily by more than 15,000 Southern Californians.
–The diners visible here appear to be eating a small snack and drinking coffee. The basket in the lower foreground appears to be a shopping bag for one of the diners.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.

Hollywood Farmer’s Market, California

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This image shows a colorized photo of the famous Farmers Market in Hollywood, California.

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


The description states:
Scene in the original Farmers Market, West 3rd St. at Fairfax — Hollywood’s unique outdoor food market, where motion picture stars and Hollywood housewives shop. The marketplace was opened in 1934 by Roger Dahlhjelm, comprises 80 farm stalls and food specialty shops. The word’s largest, most colorful permanent food fair patronized daily by more than 15,000 Southern Californians.
–The photo is credited to “Dick” Whittington on the bottom left.
The market still exists at the same location, and has grown to over 100 stalls. It is situated next to the Grove outdoor shopping mall.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.

Streamliner Train through California Orange Groves

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This image is an artist’s rendition of a streamlined steam train operating in southern California amidst the orange groves common there in this era.

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


There is no description on the back of this card.
This train strongly resembles the Pioneer Zephyr, a train run on the Burlington Route in the midwest United States, and thus not close to the orange groves of southern California. The badging is different on the front of the train, indicating a different company from the Burlington.
Other postings of this image also conclude that this is not a photograph but instead a mash-up of a train and orange groves, as the Southern Pacific did not have streamliners of this design.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.

Orange Groves, California

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This image is a colorized photo of orange groves in California, likely located in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles, California.

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


There is no description on the back of this card.
Such groves have been considerably reduced in number as urbanization has spread through the Los Angeles and Orange Counties, resulting in considerable amounts of farm and orchard land being paved over for homes, businesses and roads.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.

CBS Building, Hollywood, California

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This image is a colorized photo of the building housing the CBS radio station known as KNX, located on Columbia Square in Hollywood, California.

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


The description states:
A magnificent new structure, the Pacific Coast Home of the Columbia Broadcasting System, now stands on the spot where the motion picture industry first took root in Hollywood in October of 1911, — now Columbia Square.
Located on Sunset Boulevard, one of the principal traffic ribbons threading its way through the entertainment capital of the world — a five story office building, ten studios, including the Playhouse and adjoining offices.
–The building still exists today, looking much the same from this vantage point, though there are additional buildings being added to the square. KNX radio moved out of the building in 2005, and all broadcasting ceased in 2007.
This card was used and is dated 4 September 1953, but the card description and the appearance of the building indicates this image dates from the 1940s.

Spanish Moss Poem, Florida

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This card shows some artist’s renderings of Spanish Moss as it might appear on trees in the Florida area, along with a poem about the putative origins of the plant. As noted in the link above, Spanish Moss is neither a moss nor a lichen, but in fact is a bromeliad.

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


The description states simply: 252-F — Tropical Florida Series
—The poem is one of several explanations for the existence of the plant.
This postcard was used and is dated28 February 1957.