This is an example of the China Poblana, or Chinese Pueblan dress style considered the traditional style of Mexico now. The model is standing in front of the University of Mexico building, intricately detailed in its own right.
The description is quite simple:
CHINA POBLADO
Es la Ciudad Universitaria de Mexico (Typical China Poblana costume)
The postcard was mailed, and the airmail stamp used is from a series printed in the 1950s.
Tag: postcard
Faceted Wall of the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
This is a detail image of a wall within the Kremlin itself, not the famous wall that surrounds the medieval fortress where notables are buried. The building itself is called the Palace of Facets.
The caption states simply:
Moscow, Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin, 1487-1491. Architects, Marco and Pietro Antonio Solari.
Thus, the wall itself dates to the last part of the 15th Century. The postcard itself was used, mailed from Moscow, and the stamps themselves are dated 1970 and 1974, confirming the date of the postcard at the 1970s.
Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
This folio includes colorized photos and artworks depicting various people, events and locations in the Chinatown district of San Francisco, CA. In addition, there are a number of other notable sights included in the illustrations which are not associated with Chinatown.
The picture above numbered SF 38 – Chinatown Grant Avenue Looking North is an earlier version of the same view seen on this card from a previous posting. Here the building is the Cathay House, while the later card shows it to be the Wax Museum.
The city views from the Fairmont Hotel are now quite different. The Fairmont is surrounded by multi-story buildings, so any view of the bay or ocean would be unlikely now except from the highest floors.
The folio is not used and has no publication date, but the automobiles shown indicate it is from the 1940s.
Norway Embroidered Postcard
This card is unique in design from the others in this collection. The image of a woman has embroidery on the skirt, sleeves, and bodice.
There is no true description on the back, just the words Gudbrandsdal and Norge. This indicates the clothing is representative of the style once worn in the town of Gudbrandsdal, Norway.
A search for this and other similar cards indicate this is from the 1960s.
Norwegian Goat Farm
A bit of an odd tourist attraction, this postcard features goats. Genuine goats, as it says on the sign hanging from the rustic building. It also appears to say they are for sale.
The caption states simply:
NORWAY: Herd of goats at out-farm
It appears that the Norwegian caption, ‘Norge: Fra geitestølen’, translates better as ‘From goat pasture’.
The card was used and has a date of 28 May 1976.
Odeon at the base of Athens Acropolis
The featured structure in this picture is the Odeon, or theater, in the foreground. In the high background is the Parthenon, the temple of Athena Parthenos, guardian and namesake of the city.
The description is short:
ATHENS: The Odeon of Herode Atticos
The name is more commonly spelled Herodes Atticus. This card was used, and is dated 4 June 1977.
Cretan Bull Leapers Fresco
This is an artwork from ancient Crete showing several stages in the process of vaulting over a bull. It appears to show a sequential image of gripping, leaping and catching, but there are serious problems with this interpretation.
The description is short, and states:
HERACLION (Museum) Tauromachy. Fresco of the Cnossos Palace.
The use of the term Tauromachy is probably inaccurate, as the general definition of this does not include the acrobatic activities as shown here. It is better described as taurokathapsia, or bull-leaping. The fresco was originally in the Palace at Cnossos, but was moved to Heraklion into the museum there for preservation and safety. Even so, the fresco is severely damaged, and much of the image is restoration rather than original material.
The card was used and is dated 10 June 1977.
Adoration of the Magi
This card shows the visit of the three Wise Men to the manger where the Christ was born.
The dark splotches in the image are gold foil, which does not scan well. When in normal light, the card can be adjusted to allow the gold foil to reflect. However, in this scan it looks like some odd staining.
The card was purchased in Egypt and mailed from there on November 25, 1977.
Nativity Scene
This postcard is a representation of the Holy Family in the manger after Jesus’ birth.
This card does not scan well, since the areas seen which appear black are in fact gold colored foil, which shines when light reflects off it. This is not apparent in a scanned version. The foil was added to make the image look more valuable, but the result is to make it appear overdone.
The card was printed in Italy, but sold in Egypt as a souvenir for tourists there. This one was used and is dated November 25, 1977.
Kris Dance, Bali
This is a performance by Balinese dancers of a traditional dance sequence.
The description is quite short:
Kris Dance, climax of the Barong Dance, Bali.
This postcard was used, but was not mailed from Bali. It was instead postmarked Manila, Philippines with Philippine stamps. It is dated August 26, 1968.