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Wenda & Ostriches
This Norman Parkinson image entitled “Wenda & Ostriches” appeared in the pages of Vogue in 1951. Apparently ostriches were the fashion accessory to have that year. Marianne sent me this card from...
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The Gang’s All Here
Many in my office managed to schedule all of their vacations at the same time last week, leaving a few of us stranded and very busy. But Craig was kind enough to bring me back a couple of cards from...
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La liseuse
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905) is hardly a household name, and yet his works hang in galleries and museums all over the world, including the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the National Gallery of...
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An Illustration by Martta Wendelin
Martta Wendelin (1893-1986) was a Finnish illustrator whose work was widely known for magazine and book covers, children’s illustrations, and other things like postcards. I suppose she was Finland’s...
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Air Minded, and Free as the Breeze
“Insert Coin. Push slide in. Pull out slowly and receive card. 1 Cent.” At a penny a piece, surely there was no greater bargain at the penny arcade. These Mutoscope arcade cards are a little smaller...
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The Spirit of Lady Godiva
Ah, the Pacific Northwest. Photographer Harvey Drouillard takes his models, men and women, to public places, wearing clothing that can be shorn easily. On cue, the models undress; Harvey gets as many...
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Henri Gervex, “Rolla” (1878)
Self-described crazy cat lady Nathalie sent me this card from France as a random act of smileness back in December, 2014 and, on the back, describes this painting and its controversy in great detail....
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Natalie Kovanko, 1920
Russian-born Natalie Kovanko (seen here in a reproduction postcard) poses for her portrait in Paris, in 1920. Born in 1899 in Crimea, she emigrated to France following the Russian Revolution in 1917....
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Jeune Mauresque
From French Algiers, 1913, comes this Moorish girl in a costume that’s probably intended to be a bit scintillating. Like the costume, our sender’s handwriting also leaves a bit to the imagination; I’m...
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La Plage de Calvi
There’s never a bad time to be thinking about a beach, but February seems like a particularly good time. Angelika sent me this card a few years ago from Atlanta; it depicts a 1928 poster by Roger...
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Coffee Goddess
Every morning, my wife serves me my coffee in just this way. Coffee Goddess is a 1992 watercolor by American artist Anna Price-Oneglia which inspires me to mention, the approach of Valentine’s Day...
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Advice for Frustrated Wives
This image might not be a vintage one, though it’s certainly intended to appear that way, despite the modern bow. Alienne in Germany translates this bit of advice: “Frustrated wives should surprise...
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Letter to Elise, No. 8
Mailed from Irina in Belarus, this postcard features some very nice stamps of the Epiphany Orthodox Cathedral in Polotsk, Belarus, along with a very red snowflake. Can you imagine if snow were red?...
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The Primacy of Matter Over Thought
From the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: “Man Ray was a modernist photographer whose works are characterized by an inventive exploration of new techniques and visual effects. Born in Philadelphia and...
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All Girls Prefer Dry Guys
You wouldn’t know it at first glance, but it turns out that this mermaid is high and dry thanks to the good folks at Unilever. Charlotte in Nottingham, England was good enough to send me this...
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At the Mirror
Sara in Colorado sent me this vintage calendar art by Edward D’Ancona, circa 1945. I’m ashamed to admit that I wasn’t familiar with his work, but it’s wonderful. Sara writes that she herself would...
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Mermaid Greetings from Southern New England
How did we ever get along without Photoshop? If this mermaid is any indication, then the answer is well, we didn’t, not really. In this case, though, the subject matter leaves a lot of room for...
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A Real Stinger
Consider the unlikely series of events pictured on this postcard I received from Sara in Ohio: A woman decides to go gardening in wedges and a strapless dress; the hem of said dress gets caught on...
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Evelyn Brent, Actress
It took a little doing to discover that this unlabeled card (sent by 15-year-old Anna from the Czech Republic and printed in Russia) is an image of Evelyn Brent (née Betty Riggs in 1901), one of the...
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Weeki Wachee Spring
These lovelies showed up at random in my mailbox, not from Florida as one might expect, but hand-postmarked from South China, Maine. Sara was kind enough to heed my request to send me a postcard....
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