Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: Conwell
Wishing You a Lucky Halloween
30 Oct 2015 |
|
|
|
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.
The Joys of Halloween Be Yours
30 Oct 2015 |
|
|
An owl and a bat flap their wings through the nighttime sky as Cupid stands on a cloud and contemplates whether to shoot an arrow at the full moon, where a witch has replaced the Man in the Moon.
I can't help but wonder whether L. R. Conwell, the publisher of this 1909 postcard, recycled a Valentine's Day card to compose this perplexing scene, but a search for other Cupid cards didn't uncover any similar postcards.
Conwell also featured Cupid in at least one other Halloween postcard. See Wishing You a Lucky Halloween :
The Star Spangled Banner
27 Jun 2013 |
|
Jump to top
RSS feed- Alan Mays' latest photos with "Conwell" - Photos
- ipernity © 2007-2024
- Help & Contact
|
Club news
|
About ipernity
|
History |
ipernity Club & Prices |
Guide of good conduct
Donate | Group guidelines | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Statutes | In memoria -
Facebook
Twitter