Faded Intense Stare

 

Continuing with this brief series of faded, old photos.   Anyway, I buy the occasional lot of photos, usually an envelope, where I want a couple of photos and end up with a few extras.  This is one of those extras, and like the next couple I'm going to publish, it was printed on cut up real photo postcard stock.  

S.S. Drottningholm

 

The S.S. Drottningholm was built in 1904 by Alexander Stephen and Sons in Scotland.   Her first owner was the Allan Line and was named the Virginian.  During World War 1, she was chartered by the British as a troop transport.  Sold to the Canadian Pacific Line in 1917 and then sold to the Swedish American Line in 1920, renamed the Drottningholm, and operated by the line until 1951, then sold to the Home Lines, an Italian company that renamed the ship Brazil.  The ship's final owner was the Hamburg American Line, which renamed the ship the Homeland.  She was scrapped in Italy in 1955.

It's partially obscured, but I'm fairly certain that this postcard is postmarked, "NEW YORK N.Y. SEP 10 5 P.M. 1947."  The message, "The time is getting closer but just to say "Hello" Feeling fine and all looks interesting-Don't forget to write.  Love Ingrid."  The card was mailed to "Mrs. Imogene Abzug, 1342 Sunland Ave. Jamestown, N.Y." 

And the captions, BREKVORT CARTE POSTALE, S.S. DROTTNINGHOLM, SVENSKA AMERIKA LINIEN, SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN.   Printed in Sweden, 45.1 55,000 11.6.47, 645." 

Cowboy Burt

  

This is a make-good for my last post.  That one was probably shot in 2024, written on the back of this one, "Burt about 1913."  Before I became fascinated by photos from all eras, my collecting was mostly images that were at least 100 years old.  This photo started as a real photo postcard that was cut down to a smaller size. 

School Days

 

This class picture was cut down from a real photo postcard, at one time was put in a photo album, and considering how much it was cut down, most of the original photo was nothing but background.  I like the one kid in the back row who seems to be laughing. 

May Your Slumbers Be Light

  

I don't quite know what to make of this card.  When I first saw it, I thought that a young man was sneaking by a sleeping father after an assignation with dad's daughter.  After scanning and blowing up the image, I realized that there was an unused pillow and an empty spot in the bed.  What really got me was when I looked at the back of the card. There's no written message, but there is a name. "Harry Yanknow" Is that a hint? The card was published by "Hamforth & Co. Publishers Holmfrith and New York. (Printed in England.)" The postmark, "CLEVELAND, OHIO AUG 20 1:30 AM 1901" and it was mailed to Mr. E.B. Welch, Vermillion, Ohio, R.F.D. 2" I wonder what Harry and E.B. were up to? 

Our Chickens

 

A very faded real photo postcard.  A nice farm family posing next to their chicken coop.  

Florida QSL Card, Sort Of

 

I'm not part of the ham radio community, so I hope I'm getting this right.  QSL cards are the way ham radio operators keep track of who talks to whom.  Anyway, a few weeks ago I bought a small envelope of QSL cards.  Most of them were personalized images, drawings rather than photographs.  For those who are interested in such things, I've put a couple of them up on my Fair Use blog which I use for non-photographic bits of ephemera I've collected, as well as the huge number of images I've found while surfing the web that I've found interesting enough that I'd like to save and review from time to time.  

So, back to this card.  It's not a great image, just a commercially produced postcard with some ham radio info handwritten on the back.  The caption, "Cypress trees many centuries old grow far out in the waters of Lake Eloise at Florida's Cypress Gardens, and together with the brilliant flowers form a picture of the South that will never be forgotten" The card's publisher, "Florida Natural Color, Inc. 2652 N.E. 189th St., Miami, Fla 33163" The card doesn't look like it was ever mailed.  There's no stamp or postmark.  It was, however, addressed to "BILL, P.O. 6250, TITUSVILLE, FLA 32780."  And now for the ham radio stuff, "KENWOOD-T.S. 520, D-104, WILSON S.S. QUAD 45" And written separately, "ViA John, SSB-124."  Anyone who understands ham radio can translate what all the letters and numbers mean and put in the comments section at the bottom of the post.   

Geisha

  

As a rule, I don't post the backs of postcards, but I deiced it was too much to type out.  Too, my computer doesn't type Cyrillic script.  Anyway, there was a time when people could buy postcard stock and print their own cards.  I don't know if this is a privately made image or if it was commercially printed.   However, take a look at that jawline.  I'm moderately certain that the sitter for this photograph is a man and probably made for more private use. 

Big Hat Collection 7

The last of the Big Hat real photo postcards and this one has a lot of info written on the back, some of which is covered by black photo album paper so I'll do my best to cobble things together.

 "Dear Mother, 5-6-15  (Obscured) just decided (Obscured) last to have "out siders" to the App Ball & have changed the date to the 14th So Be sure & come Thurs. if not sooner.  Hope Maye & Babies all are fine.  Excuse card as was best I could do now.  (Obscured) us a card & let us know when you can come, Love E.E."  Mailed to "Mrs. F. M. Baker,  1111 Glendon Way, So. Pasadena, Cal." 

In an earlier post I speculated that Elliot Baker might me be the son of Fannie Baker despite a mere 16 year age difference.  That card lists an E.F. Baker, but then again if was written in a different hand, and E.F. could be mis-written or poorly written.  In any case, as noted above, this is the last of the collection and all can be seen by clicking on Big Hat Collection in labels.

Big Hat Collection 6

I cropped the large white bar at the bottom of this card.  I mean, who want's to look at that.  As usual, click on Big Hat Collection in labels to see the rest.  Or, since I'm posting these without interruption, don't be lazy and just navigate back to see what's already up.

Big Hat Collection 5

There are some identifications on the back of this one.  "Maye Blake age 33, Fannie age 30, Maye Baker age 16 Taken Feb 23 1..., Redondo Beach, For Maye to keep."  As far as the year taken goes, there's black album paper glued to the back, and I didn't want to damage the card to uncover the exact year, especially when it wasn't necessary.   The second card in this series has Fannie age 36 taken in 1911.  Subtract six years and we've got 1905.  I suspect Fannie and Maye Blake are sisters and Maye Baker?  Well that's a tough one.  If Maye is Fannie's daughter that means Fannie gave birth round  14 years of age. (Perhaps 15 depending on birthdays.)   Not unheard of, especially in an era when women were more likely to wed at younger ages, but still very young.  Perhaps a sister-in-law or cousin. 

As usual, click on Big Hat Collection in labels to bring up the whole collection.   

Big Hat Collection 4

This one looks more like Los Angeles than Guthrie, Oklahoma.  Again, click on Big Hat Collection in labels to see more.

Big Hat Collection 3

She looks a lot like Fannie Baker from the last post.  She is not, however, in Guthrie, Oklahoma.   This postcard has an embossed studio name in the bottom right corner.  "Mitchell, 619 SO BROADWAY, LOS ANGELES, CAL."   The only thing I could find about Mitchell Studios was an ad in Camera Craft, from 1913.  Mitchell Studios was looking to sell some used equipment and buying new.  So, I guess, at least in 1913, they were successful enough to upgrade. . 

And of course, click on Big Hat Collection in labels,

Big Hat Collection 2

There is actually some useful information written on the back of this one.  "Taken Fri. Apr. 21-1911, Fannie M. Baker age 36, Elliott F. Baker age 20, Guthrie, Ok. For Maye Baker"  Oklahoma became a state in 1907 so the photo used to make this real photo postcard was made just a few years after statehood.  I couldn't find any information on these two which isn't to surprising.  I have to wonder, mother and son?  Step mother?  Siblings?

Click on Big Hats Collection in labels to see more.

Big Hat Collection 1

I recently bought an envelope of real photo postcards featuring women (And some men.) in biggish hats.  A couple of them are clearly related.  They have writing on the back, and  some same names.  They all have bits of black album paper, and my strong suspicion is that the seller ripped them all form the same photo album.  I hate that!  Anyway, since there aren't that many of them, I'm going to post them without a break and I'm also going to crop out any white borders lacking writing.  Click on Big Hat Collection in labels at the bottom of the post to bring up everything.

Mountain Home

This was almost certainly made for someone's personal use, nevertheless, there is a commercial photographer's credit line on the back.  "Milton Helm's Studio, Mountain Home, Idaho."  I couldn't find much about Helm, but a bit.  I know that in 1907 he was a partner in a photo studio in Twin Falls, with Leah Amos, Idaho's preeminent woman photographer, or at leas that's how she was described in  an article about photographer's in Idaho.  The next year Helm moved to Mountain Home and opened his own studio.  I know he was active in 1917.  I found a mention of him in a newspaper that had an ad for Civilization, a silent movie directed Thomas H. Ince, and released that year.  And I found another mention of him from Abel's Photographic Weekly from 1922.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of his photographs.  Type in Milton Helm Mountain home and all the pictures that come up are from Levon Helm's  recording studio.  Oh well.

The Young Communist

Al I know about this guy is that he seems to be embracing the Lenin look, albeit with a full head of hair.  A real photo postcard.

Beatrice English

This one is a real photo postcard.  I cropped off the very large borders because who wants to look at big borders.  Written on the back, "Beatrice English."

Green River, Wyoming

I've had this postcard for a very long time.  I can't remember where, when or why I bought it.  It is, however, a reminder that the government once built it's post offices to last.  It's now the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. 

A Dapper Gentleman

A well dressed gentleman, a real photo postcard, probably from the 1910's.