Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: fires

Wisconsin photographer Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr., created this fanciful scene of Boy Scouts roasting a larger-than-life potato over a campfire and published it as a postcard in 1912. This copy of the card was addressed to Mrs. Galen Groff, Kirkwood, Lanc. Co., Pa., R.F.D. #1, and was postmarked in Quarryville, Pa., on October 7, 1913. Handwritten message: "Oct. 7, 1913. Dear Aunt, As Ernest said, we were to come down for chestnuts. I thought I would write and tell you that Roy and I will be down on Sun. if it suits you and it don't rain, but if it doesn't suit you please let me know as it will be all right. Maud E."

"Hallowe'en. Uncertainly. Hope. Despair. Happy ever after. Ellen H. Clapsaddle. Int. Art Pub. Co. 1909." In a Halloween posting about Pumpkins and Postcards and Portents–Oh My! , Mikaela Taylor of Middlebury College explains that the illustration on this postcard reflects a Halloween custom that involved throwing chestnuts in a fire: "Anthropomorphized nuts, paired off with the titles 'Uncertainty,' 'Hope,' 'Despair,' and 'Happy Ever After,' represent the practice of interpreting the behavior of chestnuts in a fire. Those participating would assign two chestnuts to a couple and observe whether the chestnuts burned together, jumped apart in the flame, crackled loudly, or came together. A couple was said to live a long happy life together if their corresponding chestnuts burned brightly and quietly next to each other, or their relationship would end in disaster if they crackled contentiously and popped in different directions."

"Buckeye Force Pumps. Mast, Foos & Co., Springfield, O.-U.S.A. Manufacturers of Buckeye Lawn Mowers, Iron Turbine & Buckeye Wind Engines." A dramatic illustration of why Victorian-era families needed Buckeye Force Pumps--so the kids could help extinguish house fires!

Printed on the back of this postcard: "Th. E., L. Theochrom-Serie No. 1210|6. Printed in Germany." Postmarked Baltimore, Md., Apr. 7, 1910, and addressed to Miss Ella Killinger, Mongul, Franklin Co., Pa. Handwritten message: "How is your five o'clock beau. Just the same I guess. With love to all and from the girls. Our address is 2334 E. Monument St., Balto., Md. From Ellen Truer." Anyone know what a "five o'clock beau" might refer to? A boyfriend that you only see after work perhaps?

Postcard addressed on the back to Earl Elliot, Douglassville, Pa., and postmarked at Douglassville, Pa., Oct. 31, 1906. The handwritten message on the front is "Greetings for the day," and the initials "L.U."--presumably those of the sender--appear in a number of places on the front, including on the wall next to the fireplace. The clock strikes midnight on Halloween as a woman gazes into a fire and children bob for apples in a wash tub and on a string. Jack-o'-lanterns form a border around the scene, and ghostly figures hover in the message box at the bottom. The woman in front of the fireplace may actually be playing a fortune-telling game involving three nuts, which she has named after three of her suitors. After placing the three nuts in the fire (I think the nuts are visible here on the top of the grate at the front of the fireplace), she watches to see how they burn. The following poem, which appeared in 1900 in The Jolly Hallowe'en Book , by Dorothy M. Shipman, p. 68, describes the practice. The Test of the Nuts I've named three nuts and placed them Side by side on the grate, The one which cracks is unfaithful, The lover I know I should hate. The one which blazes with brilliant fire, Tells of high regard, 'tis said, But the one which burns with a steady flame Names the man whom I shall wed.

"25 Firemans Cards, 20 cts." A card pasted in an "Agent's Sample Book" that was issued by an unidentified calling card company. For an example of another card that was in the "Agent's Sample Book," see Comic Imp Card: I Am ________, Who the Devil Are You? For other firemen's calling cards, see below for C. H. Moscrip, H. G. Phelps Hose Company No. 1, Sidney, N.Y. , Eugene O. Chase, Second Leading Hoseman, Danielsonville, Conn. , and Fireman Calling Card .

"9704. Fire Headquarters, Creston, Ia. 1902. C.F.D."

"Hook & Ladder No. 1, responding to an alarm, Providence, R.I."

"Eugene O. Chase, Second Leading Hoseman, Danielsonville, Ct." For other firemen's calling cards, see Fireman Calling Card , C. H. Moscrip, H. G. Phelps Hose Company No. 1, Sidney, N.Y. , and Fireman's Card .

Compare this one with Cupids Mending Hearts :

"The Fireman. A Dealer in Chops." Axe chops, of course, not pork chops!

"Halloween Greetings. Boil and bubble, toil and trouble."

An unused sample calling card for a fireman. For other firemen's calling cards, see Eugene O. Chase, Second Leading Hoseman, Danielsonville, Conn. , C. H. Moscrip, H. G. Phelps Hose Company No. 1, Sidney, N.Y. , and Fireman's Card .

"C. H. Moscrip, Sidney, N.Y. H. G. Phelps Hose #1. M. W. A. - #8777." For other firemen's calling cards, see Eugene O. Chase, Second Leading Hoseman, Danielsonville, Conn. , Fireman Calling Card , and Fireman's Card .

The cover of a booklet advertising Witchal, a witch-hazel extract manufactured by the E. E. Dickinson Co. and used medicinally as an astringent.

"Pain's Last Days of Pompeii, Island Park, Harrisburg, Pa. Commencing July 4th, and every Tuesday and Saturday following, except July 5th. Last performance, August 5th." This trade card advertised a "pyrodrama," an elaborate outdoor theatrical spectacle with fireworks, that was based on Edward Bulwer-Lytton's historical novel, The Last Days of Pompeii (1834), and depicted the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in AD 79. James Pain brought Last Days to Harrisburg, Pa., in 1890, and also produced it at Coney Island and Atlantic City in other years. For more information about Pain's pyrodrama, see the Pompeian Entertainments page of the J. Paul Getty's Museum's The Last Days of Pompeii exhibition.

Scary instructions for surviving an atomic bomb blast that were distributed to residents of Lawn , Pennsylvania, in the 1950s. Fire & Air Raid Signals for Lawn and Vicinity Fire: 1 sharp blast for 4 minutes. Air Raid Test Alert: 3 short sharp blasts (not used in case of actual road). Air Raid Alert: 3-minute continuous fluctuating blasts. All Clear: 3 1-minute blasts at 2-minute intervals. 6 Survival Secrets for "A" Bombing 1. Try to get shielded. If you have time, get down in basement or subway. If out-of-doors, seek shelter alongside a building. 2. Drop flat on ground or floor. To keep from being tossed about and to lessen the chance of being struck by falling and flying objects. 3. Bury your face in your arms. To protect your face from flash burns. 4. Don't rush outside after a bombing. Wait at least 1 hour for radiation to die down. 5. Avoid food or water in open containers. To avoid radioactive poisoning, stick to canned or bottled food. 6. Don't start rumors. A single rumor might touch off a panic that could cause human casualties. Compliments of Harold's Insurance Agency. Complete insurance service. Campbelltown, Pa. Harold S. Patrick, agent.