Mister Moon Is Watching From Above

Well this one has a photo copyright for De Witt C. Wheeler, so there's no confusion about the origins of the actual image on the card.  Of course, I do concede that the moon is clearly an illustrated addition.

There is a written message on the back.  "Jan 20 th.  Friend Orin, There is a good theatre over to skowhegan next Mon. tues. & wed. will it be so you can come down tues. if so and you can come on the 2 oclock train I will come to the station when I get off C.E.P." The card was mailed to "Mr Orin Dolan, Salon, Me."  And the postmark, the name of the town has worn off, but the date's still there.  "1910, JAN 20 1 P.M. ME."

Anyway, De Witt Wheeler has made more than one appearance in this collection, so in addition to clicking on Flirtation in labels, De Witt C. Wheeler cards can also be seen by clicking on his name.

Be Careful of What You Do

I've posted a few cards from photographer De Witt C. Wheeler before.  Near as I can tell, his career was limited to taking sentimental photos used for glass lantern slides, postcards, and the Nickelodeon market.  Basically, there was dead space between reels, so one of Wheeler's images would get a minute or two of screen time to keep the audience entertained.

In addition to the brief comment penciled above the caption, there's a message on the back, "Jan 11th, 1910.  I was glad to hear from you.  Come down any time and I will give you a great time.  I am on 10-7 this week 2-10 next.  Any time you come down you will find me at Frank Harding's or the mill.  C.E.D."  The card's addressed to "Mr. Orin Delon, Solon. Me."  And the postmark, "MADISON 1910 JAN 11 8 AM ME."

There were a lot of textile mills in Maine, and a lot of the mill workers were women, so was C.E.D. a woman asking her boyfriend to come on down for a visit, or was C.E.D. a man and inviting his pal down to raise some hell?

Once again, from the illustrated song series.  Click on flirtation labels to see more, or De Witt C. Wheeler just for his photos.  And need I say it, the moon was drawn in?

Sunshine, My Sunshine-Not

Gotta love the penciled in editorial comment on the front of the card.  I just wonder, was it "not" in 1908, or was "not" written in by some 21st century cynic.  Anyway, it's nice to have one of these old postcards that actually has a photographers copyright.  I've posted some other cards with a De Witt C. Wheeler credit.  All I've been able to find out about the man was that he made sentimental magic lantern slides, and sold photos to postcard publishers.  This card is part of a series of cards, illustrating lyrics from popular songs, published by Theodor Eismann of Leipzig and New York.  The company was in business form 1908 to 1914.  I have no idea what put them under, but the 1914 date is telling.  I can't imagine an international publishing house surviving World War 1.  While it's true that the United States was neutral until 1917, it's also true we favored the Entente right from the start

Addressed to "Mr. J. Albion Dunlap, West Southport, Me."  And the message, "Wasn't I lucky to get a picture of you and yours.  C.E.D."  There is a postmark, but the town name is too faded to read.  I can make out, "AUG 11 AM 1908"

May I Hope

I might as well stick with the flirtation postcards for a bit, as well as posting another image from De Witt C. Wheeler.  As I noted in an earlier Wheeler post, there's not a lotof info about the man floating around out there.  About all I've been able to dig up is that he produced these sentimental type images for the postcard and magic lantern  trade.  This card was addressed to "Miss Nellie Stilson, Guilford, Me., R.F.D. #1"  It's got a faded postmark from 1908, and that's all I can make out.  What's a bit weird is that, even though this card has a divided back for personal messages, there isn't any.  Miss Stilson's suitor must have been somewhat inarticulate.  Or maybe, just maybe, he thought this card spoke for him.

Click on flirtation to bring up the collection, or if you want to edit things a bit, De Witt C. Wheeler.

Waltz Home, Sweet Home

Another from the flirtation collection. Another from the illustrated song series.  Another from the camera of De Witt C. Wheeler.  No message, never mailed.

Kiss Me

I'm going to stick with the flirtation collection for a bit.  This one is another from publisher Theodor Eismann, with a photo from De Witt C. Wheeler.  I've put up a couple of others from Wheeler.  He was a photographer who had a brief success making magic lantern slides for home and theater use.  Some of his slides can be found in the collection of Eastman House in Rochester, New York.  The collection is on line.

The message, "Aint that a sight. Right in broad daylight."  The card isn't signed, but we do know the writer was a bit of a poet.  The card was never mailed, but it does have an address.  "Nellie B. Stilson. Guilford, Me.  RFD"  I hope it got into her hands.

Click on flirtation in the labels section to bring up the lot.

Another Sentimental Image From De Witt C. Wheeler

There are a lot more postcards from the flirtation envelope yet to be posted, but I'll be taking a break from them after this entry.  Anyway, it's another from the illustrated song series, and another photo from De Witt C. Wheeler.  I wouldn't say that Wheeler's staged photos are examples of fine art photography, but they do offer an insight into how people thought of romance and family life at a particular time and place in history.  And for those unfortunates who believe that sex is an invention of the baby boom, get thee to a library and check out Chaucer.

Never mailed, no message, click on flirtation in the labels section at the bottom of the post to see the rest of the collection.

Brightest Star

Another postcard based on a photo by De Witt C. Wheeler.  This time, though, I think he messed up a bit.  This woman doesn't look at all dreamy and romantic.  She looks possessed.

Anyway, it wasn't mailed, but there is a long message scrawled across the back of the card,  "Dear Friend Maude, I hope you will like this it is an illustrated song.  It is hard to realize that the holidays are so near it is real warm here yet but I suppose it is cold enough up where you live.  I want you to tell me what the nearest large city is to where you live and Maude could you not send me one of your photos you told me a long time ago you had some taken if you would you would please your dear friend."

I'm thinking Quaker courtship.  There's a lot of friend this and friend that.  I hope that Maude's dear friend got his message across.  I hate to think  he went to all the effort to find the card, ask for a photo, and then didn't have the nerve to follow through.

Sweet Miss Killarney

It's time to return to another collection.  This time, the flirtation postcards, an envelope of early twentieth century cards I purchased, all with a somewhat romantic theme.

I'm always a bit torn when I put up images like this one.  I look at them, and have to make a decision.  Are they based on photographs, or are they pure illustration.  This one was an easy call.  Take a look at the right hand side of the card, and there's a copyright notice, "Photo only copyright 1907.  De Witt C. Wheeler."

There's not a lot on line about Wheeler.  All I was able to find out was that he was American, he specialized in sentimental images for the postcard and magic lantern market, most with added color.  There are a few examples of his work on the George Eastman House website, www.geh.org.  Click on photographers and have a browse.  You'll find his stuff sooner or latter, and while looking, who knows what treasures you'll find.  The main website for Eastman House, a museum endowed by George Eastman, the founder of Kodak, is www.eastmanhouse.org.  It's in Rochester, New York, for those with the time to visit.

As for the rest of it, printed on the back, "Theodor Eisman, Leipzig and New York, Illustrated Song Serie No. 1813/1 By permission of the publishers, Francis, Day & Hunter, New York."  I was able to dig up a bit of info from that.  Theodor Eisman was a card publisher in business from 1908 to 1914.  I wasn't able to confirm my supposition, but I think it's a pretty good bet that a trans-Atlantic postcard company would have been driven out of business by World War 1.  Francis, Day & Hunter, Ltd. was a British publisher of sheet music, with offices in London and New York.  In 1909, they merged with Tin Pan Alley publisher, T. B. Harms, Inc, to become T. B. Harms, Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc.  In 1929 the company was taken over by Warner Bros.  I had hoped to find the lyrics for Sweet Miss Killarney, but, believe it or not, they're not on line.   At least I couldn't find them.

And finally, the card was mailed.  Postmark, "LAKE VIEW, MAINE  JUN 19 2 PM 1908."  It was mailed to "C. W. Ingalls, #5 Cor Main & May Sts., Bangor, Maine"  And the rather short message, "I have not forgot you will write soon. C."

Click on flirtation in the labels section at the bottom of the post to bring up other cards from the collection.