Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: husbands

A Halloween postcard addressed on the other side to "Miss Bertha Duncan, Cresson, Penna.," and postmarked in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on October 24, 1912. Handwritten message: "This card is a little soon for Halloween but I will send it anyhow. Aquilla." Printed on the back: "Printed in Saxony 0624." In a candlelit room at midnight on Halloween, a young woman gazes into a mirror through the steam from a cauldron so she can catch a glimpse of her future husband. For other Halloween postcards with a mirror-gazing theme, see: -- Halloween Greeting—I Gaze in the Mirror My Future There to See -- Halloween Greetings—Look Out for Ghosts -- Wishing You a Lucky Halloween

Ella and her husband Mervin (or Merwin) pose for a photo on the front steps of their new home. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

Handwritten message on the back of this real photo postcard (no address or postmark): "Dear Cousin, Am sending you a picture of our new house. Ella." "Mervin" or perhaps "Merwin" was added after "Ella" by someone else. The photo may date as early as 1904 to 1918 (it has an AZO stamp box with four corner triangles pointing up on the other side). Unfortunately, there's no indication of the location. Take a gander at a cropped version of the photo for a closer look at the couple.

An amusing postcard that draws upon the "Oh You Kid!" craze of 1909 for its humor. This card was a bit risqué for its time, suggesting that a husband might fool around with other women while his wife is away. The caption on the card comes from the song, " My Wife’s Gone to the Country! Hurrah! Hurrah! ,” which was one of the "Oh You Kid!" songs published as sheet music in 1909: My wife’s gone to the country, hurray! hurray! She thought it best "I need the rest" That’s why she went away She took the children with her, hurray! hurray! I love my wife, but oh, you kid! My wife’s gone away In this age of social media, it's difficult to appreciate just how popular this--nudge, nudge, wink, wink--idea of "I love my wife, but oh, you kid!" became as it circulated in print through sheet music, postcards, and newspapers. Jody Rosen, however, documents its wide-ranging influence in a fascinating article that appeared in Slate magazine. See " How a Sexed-up Viral Hit from the Summer of '09–1909–Changed American Pop Music Forever ." For some additional postcard and sheet music examples, see my Oh You Kid! and Its Variants album.

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).

"O, is my true love tall and grand? O, is my sweetheart bonny?" Mirrors , cakes , apple peels , and chestnuts (see below) have all figured in the Halloween fortune-telling games depicted on early twentieth-century postcards. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found this postcard by Ellen H. Clapsaddle , which suggests that young women could use cabbages (or kales ) to foretell what kind of husband–tall and grand? bonny?–they might marry. In a discussion about Pumpkins and Postcards and Portents–Oh My! , Mikaela Taylor of Middlebury College explains how picking a cabbage from the garden could predict a woman's romantic future: "If the selected cabbage or kale was difficult to unearth, it denoted difficulty in a relationship. Kale with clumps of dirt stuck to the roots signified a rich husband, and the size, shape, and taste of the kale foretold the physical attributes and personality of a future spouse." Ellen Clapsaddle illustrated a number of other prognosticating postcards like this one. For another example, see Halloween Chestnuts—Uncertainly, Hope, Despair, Happy Ever After .

Postmarked South Amboy, N.J., Oct. 8, 1909, and addressed to Miss E. E. Isenberg, R.F.D. No. 1, Box 17, Hollidaysburg, Pa. Handwritten message: "South Amboy, Oct. 8th. Dear Elda, We were all to New York yesterday. Had a nice time, went to the Hippodrome , the day was fine. I looked about plume [feathers for hats; see plume hunting ]--you can do better in Altoona. Do not forget to meet me at Frankstown on Monday eve at [the] five [o'clock] train. You can come in buggy. Mama." In this Halloween postcard by illustrator Bernhardt Wall , a young woman is tossing a long apple peel over her shoulder, believing that the peel will fall to the floor in the shape of a letter that will reveal the first letter of her future husband's name (strangely, a number of peels that spell "Hallowe'en" are floating in the background). This apple peeling practice is one of a number of Halloween games and rituals that were depicted on postcards published in the early twentieth century.

Postmark on the back of this postcard: Worcester, Mass., Oct. 30, 1909. Addressed to: Miss Ora Bickford, New Gloucester, Maine, R.F.D. no. 1. Message: "With best wishes for a happy Hallowe'en. Love, Elva." "A formerly widespread tradition held that young women gazing into a mirror in a darkened room (often on Halloween) could catch a glimpse of their future husband's face in the mirror--or a skull personifying Death if their fate was to die before they married." This explanation of what the women in this postcard is doing appears in Wikipedia's article on scrying , which is defined as "the practice of looking into a translucent ball or other material with the belief that things can be seen, such as spiritual visions, and less often for purposes of divination or fortune-telling." Cupid's presence in this postcard is somewhat puzzling, but the publisher, L. R. Conwell, also included Cupid in at least one other Halloween postcard. See The Joys of Halloween Be Yours . See below for additional examples of early twentieth-century postcards that depict mirror-gazing and other Halloween fortune-telling activities.

"Compliments of your neice Alice." Handwritten note on the back of this photographic calling card: "Mrs. A. E. Junker, Yereka, Cal. Taken some years ago." Based on the handwritten additions, this card and its inset tintype photo belonged to Alice G. Junker, who was married to Albert E Junker. In 1910, when Alice was 44 years old and Albert was 48, they lived in Yreka Ward 2, Siskiyou County, California. It's likely that the calling card dates to the 1880s or 1890s.

Handwritten note on the back of the photo: "Baltimore, MD, 1950's." Poor fellow! I guess the rules were stricter in the 1950s!

"The Weary Farmer (Up to Date), designed & pub. by Frank W. Swallow, Exeter, N.H." I'm not sure why Frank W. Swallow of Exeter, New Hampshire, published this early twentieth-century postcard, which ridicules the "Weary Farmer," his family, and the hired help for living a life of luxury. One clue might be the well-off real estate dealer, who's standing in front of his office, where the sign says, "No deserted farms left. Fair farms, $5,000.00 to $50,000.00." Was there an economic downturn at some point that caused families to abandon their farms? Did Swallow feel that some farmers and real estate agents were profiting from the misfortune of others? I haven't solved this mystery yet, but in the meantime here's the cast of characters portrayed on the card: The Farmer is fanning himself while lying on a hammock and sipping sweet cider from a straw. The Hired Man is sitting beneath a tree as he smokes a cigarette and reads a dime novel ( Diamond Dick ) with his unused shovel and hoe by his side. The Son is out on the golf course. The Real Estate Dealer is wearing expensive clothing, including a diamond ring. An automobile is parked in front of his real estate office, where there's a sign that says, "No deserted farms left. Fair farms, $5,000.00 to $50,000.00." The Hired Girl is sitting in a rocking chair as she dries the dishes. The Wife and Daughter are dressed in fine clothes as they sip their tea. The Cow , however, is toiling away on a treadmill, supplying the power and the raw material--milk--for the butter and cheese machines, which apparently provide enough income to allow everyone else besides the cow to live a life of leisure.

"My Wife's Up in an Airship. Words by Arthur Longbrake. Music by Ed. Edwards. Published by Longbrake & Edwards, 50 N. 8th St., Phila., Pa. Miss Camp." Handwritten: "Jane H. Banks. J.H.N., 7-22, 1911." An amusing sheet music cover featuring an early airplane (" airship " referred to any type of flying machine in 1911 when this was published, but today the term is used only for dirigibles). It's disappointing, however, to discover that the lyrics of the song (see below) express the "henpecked" husband's spiteful wish that the airplane will take his wife away permanently because "It's my one chance you see / To live here happily." For York University's copy of the sheet music, which includes a PDF version of the inside pages, see My Wife's Up in an Airship (the Web address is an alias that takes you to YorkSpace, York University's digital repository). My Wife's Up in an Airship Words by Arthur Longbrake. Music by Ed. Edwards. Jonesy was a henpecked man For him life was a joke, His wife made him give up his dough She always kept him broke; One day she said I'm going up In an airship for a ride, Then Jones pretended to be scared But he smiled on the side. And when she sailed away Some friends heard Jonesy say, Chorus: My wife's up in an airship Hooray! hip, hip, hooray! I hope she likes the trial trip So much she'll want to stay; For should she stay up in the air Ye ho! my lads, ye ho! With her up there most anywhere I'd have some peace below. Jonesy said I wished her luck When she left mother earth, But if that airship would get stuck I'd give all I am worth; I hope the lad who drives the ship Will attempt a spiral glide, Or land her in the middle of A river three miles wide. It's my one chance you see To live here happily. Chorus

A selection for the Vintage Photos Theme Park of a photo that pulls at your heartstrings—poignant . A touching portrait of a man and woman with their little dog perched on a chair.

When I gaze in the mirror My future there to see, I wish that I could see you there, How happy I would be!

An auctioneer's business card with a humorous explanation of "How a Man Can Be His Own Grandfather" on the other side. This same genealogical calculation was the basis for " I'm My Own Grandpa ," a 1947 novelty song by Lonzo and Oscar, but the idea of becoming one's own grandfather has been circulating in newspapers and elsewhere for more than 190 years . C. Fry, Auctineer. Burbanks, P.O. Box 100, Wayne Co., Ohio. How a Man Can Be His Own Grandfather I married a widow who had a daughter. My father visited our house frequently, fell in love, and married my stepdaughter. Thus my father became my son-in-law and my stepdaughter my mother, because she was my father's wife. My stepdaughter had also a son; he was of course my brother and at the same time my grandchild, for he was the son of my daughter. My wife was my grandmother, because she was my mother's mother. I was my wife's husband and grandchild at the same time; and as the husband of a person's grandmother is his grandfather, I was my own grandfather.

A real photo postcard for the Taylor-Tot Stroller Vintage Memories group. A street photographer evidently snapped this photo of a sailor and his family as they walked past a W. T. Grant Co. store in some unidentified town. The sailor and his wife seem surprised--and perhaps even annoyed--by the photographer, but their daughter seems to be excitedly holding on to a toy as she enjoys the ride in her Taylor-Tot stroller.

"New Home Sewing Machine Co, 1127 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. D. S. Ewing. A painful alternative. I will have a New Home machine! A New Home or a divorce, take your choice, sir!" A Victorian-era before-and-after trade card demonstrating the dire consequences that faced husbands who did not purchase New Home sewing machines for their wives.

"A happy family is a healthy family. Swat the fly. Kill him, he spreads disease. Protect the family. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health." See also Swat the Fly, Save the Babies .