Parades

A real photo postcard view of a parade, possibly part of an Independence Day celebration, somewhere in the United States. Uncle Sam is marching along with a group of musicians dressed in what look like World War I-era military uniforms, while men in civilian clothes, many carrying flags, follow behind.

A people playing musical instruments photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A cornet band marching in a Fourth of July parade or for some other patriotic occasion. A horse-drawn float is following the band. Note the church, partially obscured by trees, in the background and the flag-bedecked house on the left. Baby carriages are parked in front of the house, and a woman holding a closed parasol and wearing a white dress and hat is standing on the porch. The only clues to the origin of this real photo postcard are the "M.P. Church" (" Methodist Protestant Church "?) sign visible on the horse-drawn float, part of the band's name ("---ld Cornet") that's barely visible under magnification on the bass drum, and the letters "C.R.P." on a shirt worn by one of the marchers.

A real photo postcard of two women, presumably participating in a parade of some sort, on a horse-drawn carriage profusely decorated with flowers. The woman on the left is holding the reins in one hand and a whip in the other, while the woman on the right is holding a parasol. The hat of a third woman, who may be riding on the far side of the carriage, appears to the left of the woman holding the reins. The figure of a man, apparently riding on top of another vehicle, is partially visible behind the carriage, and in the distance are telephone poles and what looks like the side of a mountain. There's a sign affixed to the building at left, but the letters are too small to make out what it says.

"Banks. Pasadena, 1921. Rose Festival. Photo Card Co., L.A." The "Rose Festival" float on this real photo postcard was part of the 1921 edition of the New Year celebration in Pasadena, California, that continues today as the Rose Parade . The Pasadena Clearinghouse Association sponsored the float to represent "Banks" (financial institutions) in the area. For the Banks float constructed for the parade ten years after this one, see Pasadena Clearinghouse Float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena, 1931 .

Men on horses--including three with a tuba, trombone, and drum--take part in a parade through town to let everyone know that the circus has arrived. For another view of the same parade, see Circus Elephants on Parade (thumbnail image below).

Heading to the circus at the Vintage Photos Theme Park . Elephants walk trunk to tail down the street as part of a parade to announce that the circus is in town. As Circus World points out as part of its History of the Great Circus Parade , "Circuses would travel from town to town, quickly erect tents, do several performances, then move on to the next venue. As the circus entered a new city, people would gather to watch the wagons, exotic animals, and equestriennes roll by." For another view of the same parade, see Circus Horses on Parade .

A parades photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. In this undated real photo postcard, a girl playing the part of Lady Liberty stands in a decorated car and holds her torch high as she poses for the photographer. A man and a woman (Lady Liberty's parents?) in the front seat of the car and three girls (her sisters?) in the back seat are also dressed in patriotic garb and seem to be awaiting the start of a parade (note the second vehicle behind this car). The word "Liberty" appears on the windshield of the car and on Lady Liberty's cap. If you look closely (mouse over the image above to see an enlarged view of the occupants of the car ), you'll notice that no one seems to be too enthusiastic about their participation in the parade--Lady Liberty is frowning, her mother is givng the photographer an icy look, the kids in the back don't seem happy, and dad is hiding his face. I certainly hope their moods changed once the parade began!

See also the full version of this real photo postcard:

License plate: "Penna. 1907 8267." Salvaged from a grimy real photo postcard.

Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. Sign hanging below the canopy on the steam engine: "Bolze's Steam Engine Club, Landisburg." According to Michael R. Zeigler's article, "The Bolze Family Steam Engine History," which was originally published in Farm Collector , March-April 1999, "This steam engine is an Emerson-Brantingham Peerless TT model, serial #17544, 50 HP, the 200th built in 1916. It was bought in 1918 by the Bolze Brothers for their threshing and sawmill operation setup at R.D. Landisburg, Perry County, Pennsylvania . . . . During the Perry County Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1970, [Frank Bolze, son and nephew of the original three Bolze brothers] formed the Bolze Steam Engine Club and toured the county with it and an old threshing machine. This was quite a sight at all the parades." For a more recent color photo of this steam engine, see 1937 D-35 I/H & EB 17544 @ Shermans Valley Heritage Days 2003 on SmokStak.com. For other photos from this parade, see:

Sign on float: "New Bloomfield Post Office. Perry Co. Sesquicentennial 1970, The County Seat, New Bloomfield, Pa. 17068." The United States Postal Service's "Mr. ZIP" character--the cutout of a wide-eyed, smiling postman that's standing in the middle of the float next to two mailbags and a mailbox--promoted the use of ZIP codes , which were first used in 1963. Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Sign on car: "Perry Co. Freckle King, Pigtail Queen." Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Signs on float: "Brothers of the Brush, Elliottsburg Jail." "Comb Nation Jail." Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park for the theme of Fourth of July (flags, fireworks, patriotic, freedom, red-white-blue, barbeques, etc.) . Judging by the American flag and other decorations that the boy has on his bike in this somewhat battered photo, I suspect that he rode it in a Fourth of July bike parade. If that's the case, he probably received the book he's holding in his hand as a prize for participating in the parade. (By the way, after searching for images on Google, I was surprised to see how popular Fourth of July bike parades seem to be.) Although the book cover is difficult to make out (mouse over the image above for an enlarged but still blurry view), it looks like the title begins with the words "Tom Swift," and the shadowy images seem to correspond to the submarine and octopus that appear on the covers of early editions of Tom Swift and His Jetmarine . Since this Tom Swift title was first published in 1954, it's likely that this boy rode his bike in a Fourth of July parade that year or sometime later in the 1950s.

See the full version of this photo for more information:

A beards photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "Uncle Jim in the Old Timers Parade." I don't know where or when this "Old Timers Parade" took place, and I'm not even sure which one is "Uncle Jim." I'm certain, though, that it must have taken quite some time for these fellows to put on grow those long beards and moustaches!

Young girls carrying flags during a parade for the Fourth of July or some other patriotic occasion. Date and place unknown.