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.
Tag: used
Spanish Missions, California
This folio offers illustrations and colorized photos of several of the Spanish missions founded by Junipero Serra beginning in 1769.
There is damage to one pane of the folio, as the sheet was torn completely through, so the image was carefully aligned before scanning to minimize the effect of the damage.
These pictures do not represent the missions as they appear today, except accidentally. Most now have been restored far beyond their appearance here, most obviously the San Carlos Borromeo which is no longer a free-standing church. Mission Dolores is now completely surrounded by urban construction in the midst of San Francisco, as is true of many of these other missions located in what became large cities in the latter half of the 20th century.
The more rural mission buildings are reduced in number and complexity, but the main church structures are still much as they appear in these photos allowing for restoration and reconstruction of ancillary buildings.
This folio is not dated, but it was used and bears a stamp. Unfortunately, the cancellation does not reveal a date and did not have one when made. An estimate can be made from the time the stamp was issued and used, as well as the address where the recipient lived.
The stamp is an engraved version of the 1 cent issue of 1912. These continued to be made until after the First World War. The C.A. Jacokes alive at that time would have been a teenaged boy by the end of the war. Thus, it is likely this folio dates from the 1920s.
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.
City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark
An elevated view of the City Hall Square in Copenhagen.
The description states:
COPENHAGEN – The CITY HALL SQUARE – the busy centre of the city. The City Hall was built about 1900 by the architect, Martin Nyrop. The building with the tower to the left is the “Palace Hotel”.
The postcard was mailed, and is dated July 23, 1953, so the picture depicts the square as it looked in the early 1950s.
Rochester, Minnesota “A World Famed City”
This folio includes city view of Rochester, MN, emphasizing the many significant buildings and organizations located there.
It is not clear what organization the Junior High Barber Shop is, but it no longer exists at the location indicated on the folio. Probably just an evocative name, as there is no indication that there was a Junior High school nearby.
As can be seen on the front of the folio, this was mailed in 1946, establishing the date the folio was likely published.
Capitol Building, Salt Lake City, UT
The weekend brings a linen-textured colored card of the Utah state capitol building.
The description on this card is quite lengthy:
UTAH STATE CAPITOL, EXTERIOR
Utah may be justly proud of its State Capitol.The building was finished and formally opened to the public October 9, 1916. From its commanding location, a wonderful view of the whole of Salt Lake Valley may be had. The Capitol proper is 240 feet wide, 404 feet long and 285 feet high. The general style of the architecture is pure Corinthian. The diameter of the dome is 64 feet. Fifty-two columns 42 feet high grace the exterior. Total cost: $2,739,528.54.
–This card was mailed from the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce to my mother when she was 14 years old. The only remark on the card is “We are temporarily out of booklets.” This indicates that my mother had sent a letter requesting a booklet or brochure about the Utah government or building in hopes of receiving it in the mail for a school project or a scrapbook. These sorts of requests by students to businesses and government departments throughout the country were common in this era.
The card was mailed April 12, 1946. All the writing and addressing are typed, an unusual approach given the difficulty in feeding postcards through a manual typewriter roller without permanently curling it.
The Rigel Fortress
A fantasy landscape this time, from the original Star Trek series. This image is from the first pilot, which was never shown in its original form, but instead was spliced into a two-part episode mixed with characters and actors from the main series.
The description on the back of the card states:
STAR TREK
The landscape of planet Rigel 7, a world where Captain Christopher Pike (first captain aboard the Enterprise) experienced an incredible adventure.
(From the episode “The Menagerie”)
–The original pilot was titled “The Cage“. The postcard was produced in the 1970’s, but the artwork was created for the TV show in the mid-1960’s. The numbers on the moon are from Post office processing stamps.
Public Airport, Santa Maria, CA
This attractive facility was built at Santa Maria on the location of a training airfield for bombers during the Second World War.
The description on the back states:
PUBLIC AIRPORT
Santa Maria, California
Airline offices and lounge was well as specious waiting area serving the many users from the small cities and towns of the central California coast. The Hub of air traffic for the farm and ranching areas north of Los Angeles, a feeder airline terminal to and from all points of interest. An exceedingly attractive and comfortable accommodation.
This card was used and is postmarked 16 Oct 1985, making it highly likely the photo is also from the 1980’s.
Epworth Heights, Ludington MI
This week a number of old style cards, starting with this one showing the Epworth Heights resort as it looked in its heyday. The building pictured is the main hotel, which no longer has rooms available and is used for resort activities instead.
Regrettably, the postcard, which was mailed, has been severely damaged on the right side, probably from being pasted into a scrapbook.
The postmark and the clothing style of the woman in the lower left corner confirm this photo as from the late 1940’s, and it was postmarked 9 May 1950.
The Little Match Girl
An unusual subject for a postcard: a scene from the Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Match Girl. This is a lenticular postcard, which changes the image slightly when the view is altered from right to left, giving a slight sense of 3-D. As a result, the scan appears a bit blurry.
The description is very short: PK-94 Matches Girl
It deviates from the traditional depiction since the girl in the story is very poorly clothed with no scarf, and finds refuge in a corner where two buildings join unevenly. It does capture the visions of Christmas and the falling star omen of a soul going to Heaven.
This card was mailed, and has a postmark of 2 January 1978.