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shot taken in grand junction. there truly is a lot of bull in the world. may you have the wisdom, discernment, and mobility to frustrate the bull's intent.
"5/1/1906. Come and join me in a bath. Bathing scene, Heinz Pier, Atlantic City, U.S.A. Seashore home of the 57 varieties."
Addressed on the back to "Miss Sue I. Barger, 1307 Flora St., Phila., Pa."
This amusing advertising postcard published by the H. J. Heinz Company features the Heinz Pier in the background and includes the food processing company's pickle logo and 57 Varieties slogan. The pier was destroyed by a hurricane in 1944.
For another Heinz card from the early twentieth century, see H. J. Heinz Company, Main Plant and General Offices, Pittsburgh, Pa..
Originally posted on Ipernity: Come and Join Me in a Bath, Heinz Pier, Atlantic City, N.J., 1906.
"Baltimore Steam Packet Co. Bay Line, 1911. Pass Mr. John F. Auch, Frt Traf. Mgr-–Philadelphia & Reading Rwy, until December 31st unless otherwise ordered. John R. Sherwood, president & general manager. No. 1726. Not valid unless countersigned by W. W. Erdman or myself. Florida."
According to Wikipedia, "The Baltimore Steam Packet Company, nicknamed the Old Bay Line, was an American steamship line from 1840 to 1962 that provided overnight steamboat service on the Chesapeake Bay, primarily between Baltimore, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virginia."
The steamer Florida, which is pictured on the pass, was a propeller-driven, steel-hulled vessel built by the Maryland Steel Company in 1907. For another illustration of the ship, see Steam Packets on the Chesapeake: A History of the Old Bay Line since 1840 (Centreville, Md.: Tidewater Publishers, 1961), by Alexander Crosby Brown, p. 82.
John F. Auch was a freight traffic manager for the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, which later changed its name to the Reading Railroad and was immortalized as one of the railroads featured on the Monopoly game board.
Compare this pass with an Adirondack Steamboat Company Pass, 1897.
Originally posted on Ipernity: Baltimore Steam Packet Company Pass, 1911.
"M________. May I have the pleasure of your company to attend a ________ to be held at ________ on ____ day of ________ 188__ at ____ o'clock __M. If so, please sign your name on the back of this card and return to me. ________."
An escort or acquaintance card from the 1880s. For a discussion of these types of cards, see the article "When 'Flirtation Cards' Were All The Rage," by Linton Weeks, on NPR's Web site.
"Dick Tracy's Crimestopper Club. ________ is a member of the Junior Crimestoppers. Dick Tracy, President."
This membership card accompanied a kid's plastic Dick Tracy Crimestopper wallet. The back of the card consists of an "Official Identification Card" with spaces for name, address, emergency contact, etc.
The card and the wallet may have been part of a Dick Tracy Crimestopper Club Kit dating to the early 1960s that included a magnifying glass, whistle, and other items.
"W. A. King. D. R. King. W. A. King & Co. Columbia Steam Cracker and Biscuit Bakery, Nos. 169, 171, and 173 Locust St., Columbia, Lancaster Co., Pa. Bakers of large and small steam pretzels. Presented by ________."
Daniel R. King and his son William A. King operated a bakery in nineteenth-century Columbia, Pennsylvania, when steam power was the cutting-edge technology and Victorian typefaces were in vogue.
Originally posted on Ipernity: Columbia Steam Cracker and Biscuit Bakery, Columbia, Pa.
"This bat comes from the witches' den to summon you!"
A wide-eyed bat that reveals a Halloween party invitation when unfolded.
For the complete invitation, see Halloween Party Invitation with Bat and Witch (thumbnail image below).
Originally posted on Ipernity: This Bat Comes from the Witches' Den to Summon You!.
Created for the Two Word Wednesdays group.
Made it to #142 in the interestingness archives so far - long time since that happened!
"Hudson River Day Line Pass, 1899. E. D. Bennett, G.S.,
Bennington & Rutland Ry. E. E. Olcott, general manager. 412."
E. D. Bennett, the general superintendent of the Bennington & Rutland Railway Company, also received a pass from the Adirondack Steamboat Company in 1897. The boat pictured on this card is the side-wheel steamer New York
See below for some other steamboat passes and tickets from the Adirondack Steamboat Company/ (1897), Baltimore Steam Packet Company (1911), New Jersey Steamboat Company (1870), and Reading Steamboat Company.
This is a "faint check" used to promote the "Asylum of Horrors" shows held in Brockton, Massachusetts, on July 24, 1951. I suppose the idea was that you could record your name and address on it so that the ambulance knew where to drop you off when you fainted dead away after seeing Frankenstein and the other scary parts of the show.
Although the shows in Brockton were scheduled for day and evening times, Asylum of Horrors was known as one of the "Midnight Spook Shows" held in theaters before midnight movies like the Rocky Horror Picture Show became popular in the 1970s.
When this particular show moved on to Lowell, Massachusetts, later that same month, it reverted to a late-night schedule, according to an announcement in a local newspaper: "Dr. Silkini's 'Asylum of Horror' will play a special midnight 'in person' stage show on next Saturday night [August 4, 1951]. The stage show features the Frankenstein monster, star of many thriller movies, in person" (Lowell Sun, Sunday, July 29, 1951, p. 38).
For an earlier show, see Asylum of Horrors Show Ticket, Strand Theatre, York, Pa., Nov. 20, 1949.
For another example of a faint check, see Todd Franklin's "Faint Check" from Revenge of the Creature.
Faint Check
Name ________
Address ________
Kindly fill out this card and keep on your person in case you faint when you see
FRANKENSTEIN
On Stage • In Person
in
"Asylum of Horrors"
Brockton Theatre, Brockton
Mat. & 2 Eve. Shows at 7&9 Tues. July 24.
Charles Wright MIller (1837-1921) "revolutionized passenger and baggage transportation" in Buffalo, New York, in the nineteenth century, according to Susan J. Eck in her article, Charlie Miller's Livery Business, which she posted on her Western New York History blog.
"A traveler could purchase a ticket and in a single transaction arrange to be picked up at home or a hotel, transported to the respective train station, and have baggage processed through to the traveler's final destination," Eck explained. "No other company in the U.S. had observed the need for such coordination of travel arrangements, and it was immediately successful."
This pass allowed "M. O. Adams and Family" to travel during the year 1892 using the services of Miller's horse-drawn omnibuses and baggage delivery. The design of the pass reflects the Victorian-era Gaslight Style that used layering to produce a three-dimensional effect. The shadowing under the letters, for instance, gives them a raised appearance, and the superimposition of the curved lines of text -- "C. W. Miller's" over "Omnibus" over "Baggage Express" -- also provides a feeling of depth. A hanging baggage tag behind the text along with a cloud-like background adds to the multi-layered effect.
See also the other side of the pass.
C. W. Miller's Omnibus and Baggage Express, Buffalo, N.Y.
Pass M.O. Adams and Family
In Omnibus until Dec. 31st
No. 2622. 1892.
C. W. Miller.
Proprietor
Printed on the other side:
Not Transferable.
Good in Omnibus only between Hotel and Depot and transfer of Baggage in City.
Originally posted on Ipernity: Sky-Vue Drive-In Theatre, Complimentary Pass, Route 30, Lancaster, Pa.
"Sky-Vue Drive-In Theatre, 3 miles east of Lancaster on Rt. 30. Complimentary Pass. Admit one. Not good on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays. No. 9919. Management reserves all rights. Reason: ________ Signature: ________."
The Sky-Vue Drive-In Theatre was located along the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30) east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before it closed sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The drive-in was relaced by an outlet shopping center, which--after a change or two in ownership--is now the Tanger Outlets Lancaster. (If you ever visit the outlets, you can drop the kiddies off at Dutch Wonderland, a children's amusement park that's located less than a mile away).
"International Frisbee Association. Dedicated to the advancement of the sport of Frisbee. This is to certify that Donald Shaffer is a novice member in good standing. No. 49825. Harvey J. Kukuk, executive director. IFA."
An early address label featuring Santa Claus. He doesn't look too happy about having to deliver all those packages!
Text on label: "To. From. Via Parcel Post. Christmas. Made in Saxony."
Hey, kids! Fill in the blanks and make a funny story!
- - - - -
Created for the We’re Here group’s visit to the group known only as _______________ .
When a cog in a wheel is broken,
The machinery's all out of joint.
You were a cog in our Sunday School:
Do you see the point?
This is a postcard addressed on the other side to "Mr. C. E. Sharp, 35 Bish. Ave., City," and postmarked in Dayton, Ohio, on April 6, 1925.
Handwritten message: "Please try to be with us next Sunday. We miss you. Walter Weaver, Sect."
For some more don't-forget-to-attend-Sunday-school postcards, see Hello! Who Is This? You're the One We're After and One Out of Our Sunday-School Class Last Sunday.
It's hard to figure what privileges a lifetime member of a "Whacky Club" might be entitled to. I haven't been able to locate any information about the club or its officers. Perhaps it was some sort of joke, like the Independent Order of Hot Air Dispensers.
Whacky Club
Scranton, Pennsylvania
This is to certify, that
____________
Is a lifetime member, and is entitled to all privileges.
Oscar Ludwig, President
Joe Phillips, Secretary
Art Tappan, Treasurer
Allied Printing Trades Council, Union Label, Scranton, Pa.
An acquaintance card dating to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
If you look closely, you'll see that the printer mistakenly used a "u" instead of an "n" to spell "and." I had to read through the text a couple of times before I even noticed the error.
Confidential
Miss: If you desire to form my acquaintance, please state time and place on blank space.
"Davenport Ice Chipping Machine Co., manufacturers of the Little Giant Ice Chipper for hotels, restaurants, saloons, and ice men. 923 West Fourth St., Davenport, Iowa. Phone 6201. Represented by ________."
Stamped on the back of this card: "F. A. Goff, 211 W. 2nd St., Davenport, Iowa."
The following announcement about this ice chipping machine appeared in The Iron Age, May 7, 1903, p. 77:
"The Davenport Ice Chipping Machine Company, Davenport, Iowa, are placing on the market the Little Giant Ice Chipper, shown herewith [with the same illustration that's on the card], a machine designed to take the place of hand tools for shaving or chipping ice. The special features of the machine, according to the manufacturers, are simplicity, compactness, strength, and durability. Brackets are provided for attachment to a wall post or to a portable stand, by bolts or lag screws. The fly wheel has a detachable handle, the spout at the bottom is made to be turned, on the swivel plan, to either side or to any desired position, and the cylinder is of heavy cast iron. Upon the sectional wheels, which are firmly attached to the shaft, are mounted toothed blades of tool steel, fastened by heavy machine screws, allowing the blades to be adjusted and easily replaced when necessary."
Originally posted on Ipernity: Little Giant Ice Chipper, Davenport Ice Chipping Machine Company, Davenport, Iowa, 1900s.
A membership card for the Order of Railroad Telegraphers (ORT). As Wikipedia explains, "telegraphers would be stationed in individual depots along the railroad line in order to receive train orders from a centrally located dispatcher and report back on train movements; telegraphed train orders would be written out on paper and 'handed up' to the crews of passing trains."
See also a 1915 version of the ORT membership card.
The Order of Railroad Telegraphers
Issued to L. W. Ricker.
Good until June 30th 1900 unless revoked.
W. V. Powell, president. H. B. Perham, secretary and treasurer.
The Order of Railroad Telegraphers, Grand Division.
The center panel from a milk bottle collar that wrapped around the top of a bottle in order to remind customers who received home delivery of milk to return their empty bottles.
For more information, see Milk Bottle Collar: Reminder and Order Form.
Originally posted on Ipernity: Lady, Please Send Me Home!
A nineteenth-century reward of merit.
Bank of Merit
20 Shares of Stock to the Holder
God offers reward, my Teacher does the same--they both encourage me. I tried, and success crowned my efforts.
Harry Lightcap, Pupil. Benjamin Rich, Teacher.
20. XX.
A weight card used to advertise the products of the Philadelphia Scale and Testing Machine Works, which was operated in the 1880s by the Riehlé Bros. firm. See also the illustrations of scales, hand trucks, and machines on the other side of the card.
For information about the printer of the card, see the Burk & McFetridge entry in the Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers.
For a similar item, see Weight Card, Howe Standard Scales, Philadelphia, Pa., 1879.
Philadelphia Scale and Testing Machine Works
Works: Ninth & Master Sts.
Warerooms: Fourth St. ab. Chestnut
Philadelphia, ________ 188
Riehlé Bros.
Standard Scales
Weight, 167 lbs.
Height, ________ ft. ________ in.
Philada. Scale Works
Standard
Trade Mark
Established, 1846.
Burk & McFetridge, Prs.
"Greyhound Lines. Property Of: Name: Miss Rosie E. Shank. Street: Route 2. City: Williamsport. State: Maryland. This is not a baggage claim check."
The World Type Writer logo from The Type-Writer's Exchange Billhead, Philadelphia, Pa., 1890.
World Type Writer, $8.00
Rapid. Durable. Practical. Simple.
Check out my book of detachable acquaintance cards: May I See You Home?: 19th-Century Pickups for 21st-Century Suitors, by Alan Mays.
This is an acquaintance card—also called an escort, invitation, or flirtation card—that dates to the nineteenth century. For another card with the same illustration but a different text, see Shall I Be the Proud Bird Who Escorts You Home Tonight?
Miss ________
Shall I be the happy one who wins your favor, or the disconsolate young man in the picture at the right, this evening?
Yours truly,
W. A. Patten
A unique invitation for a Halloween party that probably took place in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Friday, October 25, 1929.
The bat at left unfolds to reveal the witch at right opening her arms to invite potential partygoers to "see what fate holds through the year for you."
For separate views of the bat and witch, see This Bat Comes from the Witches' Den to Summon You! and Come Take a Stir at the Witches' Brew (thumbnail images below).
Originally posted on Ipernity: Halloween Party Invitation with Bat and Witch.
"Middletown, Highspire & Steelton Street Railway Co. 48."
Vignette illustration of an electric streetcar from a stock certificate for the Middletown, Highspire, and Steelton Street Railway Company.
"Kolonel Keds personally certifies that bearer, whose name is on back of this card, is a member of Kolonel Keds' Space Patrol. Kolonel Keds."
What kid in the 1960s wouldn't want to wear Keds sneakers and be a member of Kolonel Keds' Space Patrol! See also the back of the card.
In a later, less Martian-like incarnation, the Kolonel was portrayed by an actor wearing Keds and a Bell Rocket Belt, who swooped down from the sky in TV commercials and did heroic stuff like saving a school bus from an avalanche. Head over to YouTube and see it for yourself: Keds Sneakers with Jet Pack Kolonel Keds.
Originally posted on Ipernity: Kolonel Keds' Space Patrol Membership Card.
Another "ragtime millionaire" acquaintance card. See also Elmer E. Trutt, Ragtime Millionaire, Milton, Pa., and Elmer Miller, Ragtime Millionaire.
Rag-time Millionaire
Sole owner and agent for salve. Looking for someone to love.
Kind regards to friends and knockers. Not married and out for a good time.
Let's get acquainted. Capital $100,000,000 in my dreams.
"Cornwall Railroad. 1895. Good during current year. Unless otherwise ordered. Pass: Howard Boyd, secy. & treas., Phila., Newtown, & New York R.R. Wm. C. Freeman, president. No. 193. Hosford & Sons, N.Y."
Printed on the back: "This pass is not transferable, and the person accepting and using it thereby assumes all risk of accident and damage to person or baggage."
Originally posted on Ipernity: Cornwall Railroad Company Pass, Cornwall, Pa., 1895.
A humorous acquaintance card dating to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
The same text with a different illustration and layout appears on another acquaintance card (see Acquaintance Card Confidential).
And the same donkey illustration (print block) shows up on a different card (see May I Become the Proud Bird Who Shall Accompany You?).
Confidential
Miss: If you desire to form my acquaintance, please state time and place on blank space.
The back of a Victorian-era pass for omnibus travel and baggage delivery. See also the front of the pass.
Not Transferable.
Good in Omnibus only between Hotel and Depot and transfer of Baggage in City.
A colorful illustration from a nineteenth-century advertising trade card for Solar Tip Shoes, which were manufactured by John Mundell and Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
For other trade cards, see:
-- Solar Tip Shoes Sold by John P. Twaddell
-- Solar Tip Shoes Manufactured by John Mundell and Company
Solar Tip Shoes
Strong. Beautiful. Everlasting.
Ain't they beautiful. I wear the Solar Tip Shoes.
Solar Tip. Trade Mark. The best sole leather tip made. Pat'd 1877 and February 19, 1878. J.M.&Co.
For sale by Harrison.
Loag, Eng. & Pr., Phila.
Text on the back of the card:
"Catch Not at the Shadow and Lose the Substance"
In every successful adventure there are always sure to be imitators, as surely as the "shadow" follows the "substance."
Thus, after Solar Tip Shoes became a success, their shadows, in the way of imitations, sprang up, and some dealers sell only these "shadows," and when asked for "Solar Tip Shoes," bring out a counterfeit, and try to sell them as the genuine, not daring to use the words "Solar Tip" except with the tongue. We do think this either fair or honest, for the shoes are inferior, and we feel it our duty to notify you not to be deceived into buying the shadow for the substance, and to protect you, we have placed a trade mark "Solar Tip" on the sole of every pair. Do not be deceived by any device, to "catch the shadow" and lose the "substance."
Made only by John Mundell & Co.
For sale by Harrison, 1847 to 1851 Ridge Ave. [Philadelphia, Pa.]
John K. Trewetz (1864-1938), a well-known musician who lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, advertised a patented "bellophone" on his billhead, but I haven't been able to uncover any information about it.
David Bachman Landis of Pluck Art Printery created this billhead for Trewetz.
Typeface: Pynson ("Musical Novelties")
M ________
To John K. Trewetz, Dr.
Musical Novelties, 350 West Orange St.
Lancaster, Pa., ________ 188__
Bellophone. Patented.
A membership card for a children's fan club celebrating cartoon character Felix the Cat. The card also served as a way to encourage kids to watch the cartoons on Satellite Six, a TV show hosted by Glendora (Glendora Vesta Folsom) on WRGB in Schenectady, New York, in the early 1960s.
13 22-3-7-1 13-17 26-13-26-19-17 17-12-2-1 11-3-8 17-3-3 10-3-19-5 17-3 26-1-6-3-26-1 17-22-13-4! 8-)
Felix the Cat Fan Club
This is to certify that Eloise Trainor is now enrolled in Glendora's Satellite Six Felix the Cat Fan Club and is entitled to all privileges and special information reserved for members. Glendora, Commander, WRGB Satellite Six, 4:30, Monday-Friday. No. 65271.
Felix the Cat Secret Code
For members only!
(1) E, (2) K, (3) O, (4) S, (5) G, (6) C
(7) P, (8) U, (9) F, (10) L, (11) Y, (12) A
(13) I, (14) B, (15) J, (16) M, (17) T, (18) Q
(19) N, (20) W, (21) Z, (22) H, (23) X, (24) V, (25) R, (26) D
Messages will be given by numbers. Simply copy the numbers, then figure out the message.
The verso of a card used to advertise the products of the Philadelphia Scale and Testing Machine Works in the 1880s. For more information, see the front of the card.
Platform Scales.
United States Standard
Mortising Machines.
Elevator Scales.
Riehlé Bros.
Elevator Scales
Trucks -- all styles.
Beams and Frames.
Riehlé Bros. Phila.
Railroad Scales
Riehlé Bros.
A Victorian-era acquaintance card. For information regarding my book of detachable acquaintance cards, see my Flickr About page. For more examples of this type of card, see my Flickr album of other Acquaintance Cards.
M________.
If the weather is fair on ________
And nothing ill betide,
And I have my [carriage] at your [house]
Will you go with me to ride?
If agreeable, retain this; if not, please return.
A 1923 invitation for a Halloween get-together at the Edwin Forrest House, which was the location of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now the Moore College of Art and Design).
I haven't been able to determine whether "Amy Lee" and "Mrs. Kuhir" were associated with the school in any way.
Greetings for Halloween
We invite you to meet with us at Edwin Forrest House at the hour of any o'clock to hold revel on the mystic Hallowe'en.
Handwritten note on the back of this postcard: "To Mrs. Kuhir, All good wishes from Amy Lee. 1923."
Printed on the back: "Series No. 297, Hallowe'en, 6 designs."
A postcard originally posted on Ipernity: American Federation of Butters Membership Ticket.
"American Federation of Butters. Membership Ticket. Not transferable. This certifies that ________ is entitled to 'butt in' all conversations whether public or private. Billy Goat, president. Nan Goat, secretary."
For similar buttinsky membership card parodies, see my Ancient Order of American Butters and Kibitzer Union cards (below).
An 1890 billhead for the Type-Writer's Exchange, a used office equipment store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
See also an enlargement of the World Type Writer logo that appears in the upper left-hand corner of the billhead.
The Type-Writer's Exchange.
Second-hand type-writers and office equipment bought, sold, or exchanged.
46 South Fourth Street 1212 Market Street, Philadelphia, Jan. 16/90.
Sold to E. W. Lapp, 1 letter press & stand, $4.00.
Terms cash.
Received payment. Typewriter Exchange per S. A. Smith.
Logo: World Type Writer, $8.00. Rapid. Durable. Practical. Simple.
An unissued stock certificate for the Middletown, Highspire and Steelton Street Railway Company, which operated in three Dauphin County boroughs southeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
See also a close-up of the vignette, which features an illustration of an electric streetcar.
Middletown, Highspire and Steelton Street Railway Company
This is to certify, that ____________ is entitled to ________ Shares in the Capital Stock of the
Middletown, Highspire and Steelton Street Railway Company.
Transferable only in the Books of the said Company in person or by Attorney on the Surrender of this Certificate.
Witness, the seal of the Company and the signatures of the President and of the Treasurer at Steelton, Pennsylvania, this ________ day of ________ A.D. 18 ____
____________ Treasurer ____________ President
Number 412.
Shares ____.
Middletown, Highspire & Steelton Street Railway Co. 48.
Shares $50 Each.
Capital Stock $100,000.
Wm. Mann Co., Philadelphia.
Printed on the back:
Know all men by these presents, that ____________ for value received, have bargained, sold, assigned, transferred and set over, and, by these presents, do bargain, sell, assign, transfer and set over unto ____________ ____ Shares of the Capital Stock of the
Middletown, Highspire and Steelton Street Railway Company,
standing in ____________ name on the books of said Company; and do hereby constitute and appoint ____________ true and lawful attorney, irrevocable; for ________ and in ________ name and stead, to sell, assign, transfer and set over all or any part of the said Stock; and for that purpose to make and execute all necessary acts of assignment and transfer, and one or more persons to substitute with like full power; hereby ratifying all that ________ said attorney, or ________ substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do by virtue hereof.
In Witness Whereof, ____ have hereunto set ____ hand and seal, this ________ day of ____________ one thousand ________ hundred and ________.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
in the Presence of
____________
____________ SEAL
"May I be permitted the blissful pleasure of escorting you home this evening? Yours, __________. Two souls with but a single thought; two hearts that beat as one."
Printed on reverse of card: "No. 100. Escort cards, 50 for 10 cents. (Assorted designs.) Crown Card Co., Columbus, Ohio."
A cardboard sign used to advertise "Turkey Party" fundraisers for the Schoeneck Athletic Association in Schoeneck, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
See also Ham Party, Schoeneck Fire Company Hall, Schoeneck, Pa.
Turkey Party
in
Schoeneck Fire Co. Hall
Schoeneck, Pa.
Friday Night,
________________
Benefit - Schoeneck A. A.