Comic Postcards

"Advice to the Lovelorn. If he is bashful, I would advise you to give him plenty of encouragement. Put your arms around me–so! Oo-oo, I don't like ter! August Hutaf. P.C.K. 1908." One in a series of humorous "Advice to the Lovelorn" postcards by illustrator August Hutaf (1874-1942). For more of his work, see Advice to Vacationists–Take the Children with You (below) and my other Hutaf postcards .

As you can see from this real photo postcard, I'm afraid that I'm feeling a bit woozy. Can anyone give me a ride home from the pub? Printed on the back: "Rotary 'Grotesque' Series. Printed in Britain."

"The Whole Dam Family on Their Vacation. Mrs. Dam, Mr. Dam, Miss Dam, Master Dam, Cissy Dam, Kity Dam, Baby Dam, The Dam Dog. Copyright, 1905, W. G. Kress." The "Whole Dam Family" postcard craze was in full swing when the Insurance Press asked about the Dams in its May 31, 1905, issue, p. 6 : "Whence the sudden prominence of this family of strong and sturdy patronym? At present writing, the streets of every city and town ring with the name of these celebrities. Venders, fakirs, and newsboys vie with one another in sounding their glories, and stationers' windows are graced with their smiling portraits. On poster and mailing card they are displayed--a handsome, happy group labeled 'The Whole Dam Family,' from Mr. I. B. Dam and Mrs. U. B. Dam through the grades of little Dams, down even to the Dam dog. An ideal family!" For other "Whole Dam Family" postcards, see The Whole Dam Family and The Last of the Whole Dam Family . Or take a look at The Whole Dam Family Postcard Craze, 1905 .

"The Whole Dam Family. Billy B. Dam, Sarah Dam, The Dam Kid, Mamie Dam, Miss U. B. Dam, The Dam Dog, Mrs. I. B. Dam, Mr. I. B. Dam, The Dam Nuisance. Copyright 1905 by Souvenir Post Card Co., N.Y." Comic depictions of "The Whole Dam Family" with their humorous--yet somewhat scandalous--names were wildly popular subjects for postcards in 1905. The "Whole Dam Family" postcard craze influenced other media, and the Dams also showed up in silent films , vaudeville sketches, printed advertisements, wax cylinder recordings , 78-rpm records , and sheet music . For other "Whole Dam Family" postcards, see The Whole Dam Family on Their Vacation and The Last of the Whole Dam Family . Or take a look at The Whole Dam Family Postcard Craze, 1905 .

Big hands, small woman, and general peculiarity for the Weird Vintage Postcards group.

Oh You Chestnut! When is a door not a door? When it's a-jar!! Your ancient ones are welcome. May they never seem new to us. "Chestnut," of course, can refer to an old, stale story or joke. See chestnut (joke) in Wikipedia and old chestnut in Wiktionary. Some nuttiness for the Weird Vintage Postcards group. See also: Oh You Lemon!

Oh You Lemon! Ripe and juicy, you're all right, In the main squeeze you're out of sight. Lemony, very pretty, yet not too sweet for the Weird Vintage Postcards group. See also: Oh You Chestnut!

Printed on the back of this advertising postcard: "Feel the difference in a Mallory straw. We have a wide selection now on hand. Why not drop in soon and select your favorite?" The month of May used to be the time when men traditionally traded their winter felt hats for summer straw hats. The Mallory Hat Company created this postcard so that dealers could inform customers that it was time for them to purchase a new cool-as-an-iceberg Mallory straw Panama hat for summertime wear. . For an earlier example of an exaggeratedly large Panama hat used in an advertisement, see the San Francisco 1915 postcard that's featured as part of the Michigan State University Museum's Tall Tale Postcards: Storytelling Through the Mail exhibit.

Or check out the Weird Vintage Postcards group instead.

A real photo postcard. "Bringing in the sheaves. A common scene on a Kans. farm. Copyrighted photograph, 1908, W. H. Martin."

A French April Fools' Day real photo postcard. As Wikipedia's April Fools' Day article explains, "In Italy, France, and Belgium, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other's back as a trick and shout 'April fish!' in their local languages ( pesce d'aprile! , poisson d'avril! , and aprilvis! in Italian, French, and Dutch, respectively). Such fish feature prominently on many French late 19th to early 20th century April Fools' Day postcards."

"J. C. Ferguson, of the Eclipse Machine Co., using a Morrow Coaster Brake, alongside the Hotel Astor, New York." -------- Printed on the back: "Elmira, N.Y., June 17, 1911. To the Live Ones, When you want a brake that is made good, and has always [been] made good, try a Morrow. No change in construction in seven years. That tells the story. J. C. Ferguson." For a similar postcard advertisement, see Miss Clara Wagner with Her Motorcycle at Coenties Slip, New York .

Real photo postcard, postmarked Juneau, Wisconsin, Sept. 21, 1912.

"Miss Clara Wagner with her motorcycle at Coenties Slip, New York, using the Eclipse Coaster Brake. 30206. Photo only by A. Loeffler, Tompkinville, N.Y." -------- According to Wikipedia, " Clara Marian Wagner (1891-1961) was the first documented woman motorcyclist who became notable as an endurance racer and was sponsored by the Eclipse Machine Co., a bicycle company, for using its braking products. In 1907, Clara, aged 15 years old and the daughter of the Wagner Motorcycle Company (1901-1914) owner George Wagner from Saint Paul, Minnesota, became a member of the American Federation of Motorcyclists (FAM). Clara put the company's motorcycles on the map by achieving a perfect score in a FAM 360 mile endurance race from Chicago to Indianapolis in 1910, aged 18, but was denied the trophy because she was female." In the early twentieth century, the Eclipse Machine Company published a series of advertising postcards like this one that featured exaggeratedly large women and men with correspondingly huge motorcyles and bicycles in ordinary-sized settings at locales in and around New York City (in this case, Coenties Slip is "a historic pedestrian walkway in Lower Manhattan"). The postcards were advertisements for the various types of motorcycle and bicycle brakes that the company manufactured. For the message on the back of this postcard, see Miss Clara Wagner with Her Motorcycle at Coenties Slip, New York (Back) . For a similar postcard advertisement, see J. C. Ferguson Using a Morrow Coaster Brake at the Hotel Astor, New York .

The back of an advertising postcard postmarked April 22, 1911, Elmira, N.Y. Printed by Blanchard Press, New York. Message (a printed reproduction of a handwritten note): Dear Boys: Miss Clara Wagner, the most successful and experienced lady motorcyclist, always uses the Eclipse Coaster Brake. Miss Wagner states that "The perfect security I felt in my brake equipment contributed largely to the pleasure." As she had numerous occasions to test it, and it was not found wanting. That's good evidence. Eclipse Machine Co. -------- For the front of the postcard, see Miss Clara Wagner with Her Motorcycle at Coenties Slip, New York . For a similar postcard advertisement, see J. C. Ferguson Using a Morrow Coaster Brake at the Hotel Astor, New York .

A downright macabre postcard for the Weird Vintage Postcards group. -------- I dreamt I was in a trance, my folks thought me dead. They put me in a coffin; they cried and said nice things about me. All night long the old cat, whose kittens I had drowned that morning, sat on my coffin and gloated over my sufferings; she knew I was alive. I was placed in a hearse and in due time arrived at the grave yard. I could hear the mud hit the lid of the coffin and began to choke when I woke up. Gates ajar. He has went? His chair is vacant. -------- Printed on the back: "Bad Dream Series No. 1." Postmarked twice on Oct. 17, 1910: Once at Middletown, Pa., 7 a.m., and a second time at Manchester, Pa., 9 a.m. Addressed to: "Mrs. Katie May. Manchester, York Co., Pa." Handwritten message: "Dear Sister, I wanted to write this [for a] long time but I had no time. We are having two weeks off at the shoe factory. Why didn't you come over? I was at the river. Answer. From Elva, your sis. R.F.D. No. 1."

Google translates "En Stockholmsutflykt" as "A Stockholm Excursion," and Strömparterren is a park in Stockholm, but I'm not sure why this postcard shows Mary Poppins ' brother coming in for a landing.

After a record-breaking 30.2 inches of snow and hours of shoveling this past weekend, I'm trying to think sunny thoughts! 8-)