Birds, Strange and Otherwise

A postcard-sized example of ornamental penmanship featuring a flourished bird. The piece is unsigned and may date to as early as the 1880s or 1890s. "Compliments of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Shoemaker, Dakota, Ill." Joseph Shellenberger Shoemaker (1854-1936) was a well-known bishop in the Mennonite Church. He and his wife, Elizabeth Sechrist Brubaker (1856-1931), were married in 1877, and they were members of the Freeport Mennonite Church in Freeport, Illinois. For additional examples of bird flourishes and other ornamental penmanship, see my Writing, Lettering, Flourishing album and the Clinton Clark Scrapbook , which was uploaded to the Internet Archive by IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting).

A Thanksgiving postcard that shows Columbia —"the personification of the United States"—patting a turkey on the head. It's addressed on the other side to Miss Anna Johnson, Rockaway, New Jersey, Easton Heights. and postmarked Middle Valley, N.J., Nov. 25, 1909. Message: "I guess we can soon skate now if this weather lasts, and I hope it will. You must write and tell me about F., you know I want to hear about it. Laura." For the sake of comparison, see Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving Greeting for another national personification on a holiday postcard.

"Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving. Ellen H. Clapsaddle. Painting only copyrighted by S. Garre, 1909."

"Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving. Ellen H. Clapsaddle. Painting only copyrighted by S. Garre, 1909."

Two men, one of whom is holding a child, pose with turkeys.

An early twentieth-century Easter postcard.

"With all good wishes for a joyous Easter. His morning drive." A real photo postcard of a boy with his toy wagon and rooster.

"Easter Greetings." Compare this postcard with Best Easter Wishes from Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Chick and Family .

"Easter joy attend you." For a similar postcard, see A Very Happy Easter to You .

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park with the assignment to find a poem to match your photo . "Where we learn to be wise at Pine Island. Our public schools." This real photo postcard features a pre-digital photomontage of oversized owls perched on the roof of the public high school in Pine Island , Minnesota, circa 1910. " A Wise Old Owl ," a nursery rhyme dating to 1875 or earlier, seems an appropriate match to this whimsical photo: A wise old owl lived in an oak The more he saw the less he spoke The less he spoke the more he heard. Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

I chose ostriches in order to pick a theme about animals (or any other topic) for the second week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Sign: "Cawston Ostrich Farm, South Pasadena, Cal." This is an unmailed real photo postcard with an AZO stamp box (four corner triangles with two pointing up and two pointing down) on the other side, which suggests a date as early as 1917 to 1930. The Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena, California, was in operation from 1886 to 1935, and many visitors posed for souvenir photos like this. For another example, see Rajah Shriner at the Cawston Ostrich Farm, South Pasadena, Calif.

A birds or bees photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Those poor kids don't seem to have a clue that they're about to be carried off by that raptor that's swooping down upon them. Or at least that seems to be what we're supposed to think with that stuffed bird suspended above them. I'm not sure why these children are riding in a decorated cart pulled by a donkey. There's no address, date, or postmark on the other side of this real photo postcard, but there is a message written in French that I haven't had any success in deciphering.

Message written in French on the reverse of Don't Get Carried Away! , a real photo postcard. When I posted this over on Flickr , one person was able to provide the meanings of some of the words, but otherwise I haven't been able to figure out if the message provides any additional information about the puzzling image on the front of the card .

"Thanksgiving Greetings." In this illustration from an early twentieth-century postcard, two turkeys are making their escape in an automobile to avoid being the main attraction at a Thanksgiving Day meal. The postcard is addressed on the other side to Miss Elsie Thornton, Main Street, Fox Chase, Pa., and was postmarked in West Philadelphia, Pa., in November (day and year smudged and unreadable). Handwritten message: "With love, Dot and Lee." Printed on the back: "A.S.B. 290. Made in Germany." See also Thanksgiving Day Fugitives and A Wingless Steed Will Take the Winner to a Fine Thanksgiving Dinner .

Handwritten note on the back of this snapshot: "This is me & my flock of 1921 turkey[s]. Just part of the flock." For more turkey photos, see Day of the Turkeys , Turkeys at the Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch, Trout Run, Pa. , and Thanksgiving Season's Greetings .

Young polar explorers wear warm clothes to celebrate Thanksgiving at "the Pole" in this postcard illustration from 1910. But which pole--North or South? Frederick Cook claimed that he reached the North Pole in 1908, and Robert Peary said that he arrived there in 1909. Around the same time, Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott were attempting to be the first to reach the South Pole. In the 1900s and 1910s, polar expeditions received widespread attention in newspapers and magazines in the same way that the later news media covered the race to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. The publisher's generic caption about "the Pole" gave the postcard a longer shelf life since it applied equally to whichever direction--North or South--a polar expedition was going. Printed on the other side of the postcard: "Thanksgiving Series No. 10"

"A Happy Easter." These strange but distinguished chick musicians appear on a postcard that was postmarked in Baltimore, Md., on April 5, 1912.

A couple of turkeys arrive at (or depart from?) the United States Capitol Building , Washington, D.C., in this illustration from a Thanksgiving postcard dated 1910. The postcard is addressed on the other side to "Mrs. Geo Hamlin, 9 Dean[e] St., Portland, Me.," and postmarked in New York City on November 23, 1910. Handwritten message: "Rena & Geo out for a ride. Best love to both of you & hope you have a happy Thanksgiving. Kitty." Rena (1882-1974) and George Hamlin (1882-1958) were both twenty-eight years old and had been married for about three years when they received this postcard. It's possible that Kitty, the sender of the card, was Catherine Lewis , Rena's mother. For some other turkey motorists, see Thanksgiving Day Fugitives and A Wingless Steed Will Take the Winner to a Fine Thanksgiving Dinner .