Glitter Postcards

Have you ever received a treasure package of ephemera, or what is commonly known as memorabilia? I was blessed to receive such a treasure package this week when a second cousin handed over a package of photographs and postcards from the early decades of the 20th century. What a delightful surprise, especially the postcards which are varied in composition, weight, and design. 

I've often seen old postcards, Christmas cards, etc with glitter, but these ones are different than any others in my experience. To set the stage, this first one is different in the subject because I've never seen one with dark clouds as a major feature. However, it's the gold painted setting sun, its reflection on the water, and the gold writing that caught my eye. The normal weight postcard was sent in January 1910 and bears a 1 cent Canadian stamp. The oval is embossed and it bears the name of the Oval Panel Series, printed in Germany. 

This green postcard was printed in Canada and mailed in March 1910. It is heavy cardboard and although it doesn't appear to have been two pieces glued back-to-back, the two holes at the top left seem to indicate otherwise. The glitter on this postcard appears on the sentiment, "ARE YOU TOO BUSY TO WRITE?" which has been written across in a diagonal fashion. This is an enigma to me because the glittery words have covered the flowers, and yet there is a large empty space that could have been used. 

The glitter writing on this pink postcard makes good use of the open area which was probably left for such a purpose, however to my eye, the script is sloppy. It appears to be a commercial postcard since the glitter outlines the flowers in a professional manner, and although this postcard shows it is Printed in Germany, the "Greetings From Durham" is probably talking about Durham, Ontario since it was mailed December 1907 with a Canadian 1 cent stamp.

Lastly, we have another one from Durham with even sloppier script. I believe this one says, "A Note from Durham", but that's a guess. This card is also printed in Germany and has the exact same back as the pink postcard above. However, the only glitter on this one is on the writing itself. This postcard was also mailed December 1907 with a 1 cent Canadian stamp. It's much the worse for wear however, as it has a yellow patch of paper covering the design on the top left under the stem. 

I wonder if the last two postcards were ordered in sets with blank areas and the receiving stores added the script to create a souvenir of their locale. It makes me wonder if the person who wrote Durham County's sentiment was in a rush or merely didn't have good writing skills. 

These postcards are unique and show a few of the vast array of postcards that were available in the early 1900s.

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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are woven under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yields fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details.  Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Her novellas are included in Austen in Austin Volume 1, The American Heiress Brides Collection, and The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Readers can check out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories to enrich their reading experience.  Discover more at:

Website - www.anitamaedraper.com

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper/

Real Photo Post Cards of the early Twentieth Century

by Guest Brandy Heineman

 

In July 2008, the “Facebook for iPhone” app launched. Soon it was possible to attach a message to a photograph and wirelessly send it to almost anyone, all with a device that fit right in your pocket. In other words, Facebook caught up with the Eastman Kodak Company’s innovation of the 3A Folding Pocket Camera from 1903!

By the dawn of the twentieth century, photography had been around in various forms for over two generations. Card mounted portraits called cabinet cards, introduced in the 1860s, required a trip to a professional photographer’s studio for a formal sitting, and developing the images required a darkroom, messy plates, and a complex chemical process. It was only a matter of time before advancing technologies simplified photography for the average consumer.

Beginning in 1878, George Eastman spent years innovating with photographic dry plates, negative papers, and photographic film, and building up the company that would become Eastman Kodak Company of Rochester, NY. When the first Kodak camera came to market in 1888, advertised with the slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest,” cabinet cards quickly fell out of vogue throughout the 1890s as photography became more accessible to amateurs.

From Wikimedia Commons: “A composite photograph showing a photographic studio interior. One man is seated on a stool near an adjustable clamp to hold his head steady during a long portrait exposure. The second man, standing next to a large view camera, looks like the person being photographed. Satire on photographic practices.” (A. H. Wheeler, photographer, Berlin, Wis., 1893. Image from the United States Library of Congress. Public domain.)

Introduced in 1903 as a part of a line of relatively inexpensive cameras sold by Eastman Kodak, the 3A Folding Pocket Kodak cameras used No. 122 film which created 3¼ X 5½ inch images which could then be produced onto postcard stock. These cameras were made of aluminum and covered in seal grain leather, and boasted features such as daylight loadable cartridges, a Double Combinations Rapid Rectilinear lens of 6½ inches, and a shutter speed of f.8. Furthermore, as per the name, they were designed to fit in a gentleman’s top coat pocket.

Detail from The Evening times. (Grand Forks, N.D.), 27 April 1909, page 10. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042373/1909-04-27/ed-1/seq-10/>

On March 1, 1907, U.S. postal regulations changed, allowing both the address and message to appear on the same side of a postcard. Divided-back postcards became commonplace, and corresponding via “Real Photo Post Cards,” (often shortened to RPPC) grew into a popular pastime. Like many more recent communicative innovations, these postcards provided a simple and inexpensive way for people to overcome the limits of proximity and share their lives in more meaningful ways with the ones they loved.

“I tho’t I would send you a picture of our home here. … You can notice these pictures are not very good.”

Of course, the novelty of the technology is often evident in the messages included with Real Photo Post Cards, too.

“Do you know any of these people.”

The Eastman Kodak Company was not the only manufacturer vying for a share of the photography market—indeed, a number of their advertisements show concern for protecting their brand with slogans like, “If it isn’t an Eastman, it isn’t a Kodak.” Rival company Ansco also produced a pocket folding camera that produced postcard sized images, and they also gave these cameras the 3A designation. (Seems like most companies wouldn’t even try transparent shenanigans like that today!)

Kodak produced its 3A Series until 1915, although cameras that took No. 122 postcard format film continued to be produced until 1943. If you have one of these antiques, you’ll have a hard time using it. No. 122 film was discontinued in 1971, and today the rolls are both rare and expensive.

The technology changes with the decades (or in our time, with the seasons!), and it sometimes gets in our way, becoming a focal point instead of a means to an end. In the age of social media, antique RPPCs are a reminder that media—the channels of communication we use and the messages we send—are inherently social. At $20.00 in 1903, the 3A Folding Pocket Kodak was definitely a luxury item, but one that touched a felt need that we continue to share today: to remain connected and engaged with the people we care about across all distances.

BRANDY HEINEMAN is a Christ-follower. She’s also a book hoarder, a cat herder, a first-generation Southerner, and a self-appointed family historian. She likes to cook when it’s convenient, and to order pizza when it’s not. An alumna of Wesleyan College (Macon, Ga.), she has written for ACFW’s The Journal, Writer Interrupted, and Book Fun Magazine. Brandy resides in metro Atlanta with her Captain of Street Cred and super-hero hubby, Michael. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and at brandyheineman.com.

Whispers in the Branches

“As a lover of research and genealogy, this novel was a soul-treat. Abby Wells hears the siren call of buried family secrets. Add to that a ghost and a love triangle, and Whispers in the Branches is one suspenseful read. I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. Heineman is a talented storyteller.” –Nicole Seitz, author of Saving Cicadas and The Spirit of Sweetgrass

Meet Me at the Courting House?

After two years of researching the 1910 Courtship Letters on my Author Memories blog, I developed a kinship for the people and land of the beautiful Georgina area of York Region, Ontario. Along the southern shore of Lake Simcoe, the city folk from Toronto would take up residence in the boarding houses and cottages for the summer. Or, they'd build a cottage and go up on weekends via the radial streetcar commonly called, the car.

A big help in my research was the Georgina Pioneer Village Archives online museum site entitled, Waiting for a Streetcar.  It's a treasure of community memories and photos involving the radial line which ran through the historic Georgina beach communities, and it's where I discovered the Jackson's Point Spring House, more commonly known as The Courting House.

1912 postcard: Lake Shore Drive Spring, Jackson's Point. Courtesy of Georgina Pioneer Village Archives.

This year I drove to Ontario and spent 3 weeks exploring the roads of the York Region, especially Georgina, discovering how much of the past has remained, and how fast developers are moving it into the future. Amid the new housing developments appearing along the historic Lake Drive, there is a bright spot of hope, for as I took a meandering drive along the southern shoreline of Lake Simcoe, the old Courting House appeared before my eyes just like I'd seen it in so many postcards.

June 2015 photograph: The Courting House

Because of the new housing development going up across the road, my first thought upon seeing the orange snow fence and traffic cone was that they were tearing down the Courting House. No!

Built in the late 1880's, this small partially screened enclosure was located close to a natural spring where people would come to be healed by the water's mineral properties.

Undated Post card: The Spring House. Courtesy of Georgina Pioneer Village Archives

The Courting House stayed in its place as a social gathering place, the Victorian-designed lattice wood slowly deteriorating over the years.

But progress was encroaching along the Lake Simcoe shoreline as modern double-lane highways surged through the once untouchable farmland of the York Region. What was once cottage country began changing to year-round residences. Property values on Lake Drive shot to a premium and every inch of land was eyed for its future investment.

The 120 year old Courting House was in jeopardy of being lost in the name of progress.

Enter the Town of Georgina Heritage Committee who recognized the mineral spring and the gazebo as important landmarks. On May 10, 2010, the Town of Georgina passed a by-law designating "the structure sometimes known as The Courting House or The Spring House at Lake Drive East, Jackson’s Point as a property of cultural heritage value or interest pursuant to the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act..."

Town of Georgina Historical Plaque, taken Jun 2015

So what I saw wasn't a historic structure in danger of being demolished, but a reconstructed one ready to be enjoyed for more generations of vacationers and residents. Along with the building, they restored the eroding shoreline.

This undated postcard shows the shoreline as it used to be. On the back, someone has written, Mineral Spring at Jackson's Point, "The Courting House". Spring seats inside. None in Mother's time. Quite a walk. Still there. 

undated postcard: Mineral Spring at Jackson's Point, Lake Simcoe. Courtesy of Georgina Pioneer Village Archives.

You can see the new shoreline in this next photo taken from inside the structure and looking east. I love the heart made from a wire hangar that some romantic left hanging on the wall.

From inside the restructured Courting House looking east, June 2015

Somewhere along the way, the name of Lake Shore Drive changed to Lake Drive, but its meandering narrow lane remained the same.

Original cupola on restructured gazebo, June 2015

The street name may have changed, but the Spring House/Courting House is in the same place as it's been for over the one hundred years since this postcard was printed.

1913 postcard, Lake Shore Drive, Jackson's Point, Ont. Courtesy of Georgina Pioneer Archives.

This post is about a small structure that has had a big impact on a community. How many more are waiting for attention? I'm sending a big thank you to all those history and heritage societies who are working hard to preserve our past. 

Is there a Courting House in your past?

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Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume 4, Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, Guideposts Books, October 2014, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com