Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: 1915

"The Morning After. July 5. Witch hazel, liniment, arnica. F.L. 219/6. Gene Carr." Postmarked at Milton Mills, New Hampshire, on July 6, 1915. Cartoonist Gene Carr 's postcard demonstrates the dire results of a dangerous evening of Fourth of July fireworks in the early twentieth century. On July 5th, the heavily bandaged kid now needs a crutch for walking, as well as medications—witch hazel, liniment, and arnica—for treating aches and pains. The poor cat obviously didn't fare too well either. The ill effects of holiday fireworks are also the subject of early stereographic cards like The Glorious 4th of July / The 5th of July .

A photo of day trippers (people on a day out, groups or individuals) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Real photo postcard caption: "Palisades Hike, Feb. 14, '15. #5. E." Eight individuals appear in this "Palisades Hike" photo taken on February 14, 1915, but I'm not sure exactly what they're doing or which Palisades they're visiting (see a list of possible locations on Wikipedia's Palisades disambiguation page). The woman in the foreground is carrying an American flag, and the two men on the left are apparently moving rocks around (or looking under them?) as a boy standing in the middle of the stream watches. The others in the background seem to be cautiously making their way over some of the large boulders situated along the other side of the stream. Perhaps the "#5" designation means that this is the fifth in a series of photos taken that day by a photographer whose name might be indicated by the circled "E." If so, we may have to wait to see if additional photos turn up in order to learn more about these Palisades hikers and the trip they took on Valentine's Day in 1915.

Agnes Conrad circled her high school portrait (in the lower right-hand corner), which was part of a montage of 98 photos that formed the letters "NCHS" on a real photo postcard in 1915. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

"NCHS, Class of 1915, Photo by Seavy." The heads of 98 members of the class of 1915 at New Castle High School in New Castle, Pennsylvania, form the letters "NCHS" in this remarkable photographic montage by Edgar E. Seavy (for information about the photographer, see Seavy's Photo Studio - New Castle PA , a Lawrence County Memoirs article by Jeff Bales, Jr.). It must have been an exacting task to cut out and assemble the 98 portraits to form the letters and then re-photograph the whole thing in order to produce a real photo postcard like this one (mouse over the image to see enlargements of the left half , right half , and letter S ). Although the card is addressed on the back to "Miss Edna Wenger, Berlin, Pa.," there's no stamp or postmark, indicating that it was sent through the mail in an envelope rather than separately as a postcard. In addition to the address, the back of the card is filled with various notes, one of which says, "Here are the pictures of the class to be graduated this year. You will find me in the letter S [see the circled face]. We are all busy now getting ready for senior parties, junior-senior banquet, commencement, and class night. Agnes." Another note written later in a different hand identifies Agnes as "Papa's cousin, Agnes Conrad Allen. Head of state Rainbow Girls." So it was Agnes Conrad (her marriage to Charles E. Allen took place in 1920) whose photo appears in the S and who was busy getting ready for her high school graduation in 1915. As the note also suggested, she later served for over fifty years as a leader in the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls in Pennsylvania. After high school, Agnes graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, taught elementary school, worked as a newspaper reporter, and participated in several other organizations besides the Rainbow Girls before she passed away in 1983 at the age of 86 ("Mrs. Agnes Allen," obituary, New Castle News , Jan. 7, 1983, p. 3). Here are the rest of the notes that Agnes wrote on the back of the card: "I hope to see you all next year and then I suppose I will be able to tell you everything that has been going on and make up for lost time." "Tell your mother that my mother will write to her some time again. She is so busy now with house-cleaning. She speaks of cousin Lydia so often and how much she would like to see her." "Clara has been sick with tonsillitis but is almost well again. If I keep on writing, this will be a letter."

Drumhead: "Singer, Mechanicsburg, Pa." Caption at the bottom of the photo: "Grangers Picnic, 1915." The Singer Band of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, posed for this photo in 1915 at the Grangers' Picnic, which was an annual event held each summer at the Williams Grove Amusement Park . Prior to the picnic, the Harrisburg Telegraph newspaper, August 28, 1915, p. 4, announced the Singer Band's participation: "Concerts at the Granger's Picnic at Williams' Grove next week will be given by the Singer Band of Mechanicsburg." The Singer Band--named for David Singer, an early leader of the group--is still in existence today. Additional photos of the band are available on the Singer Band's Web site .

An in disguise / in costume photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This may appear to be a Halloween-time scene at first glance, but this real photo postcard of women dressed in men's clothing was actually taken during the month of June, judging by the calendar on the wall behind them. Although the calendar is partially hidden behind the women, I believe it's a bank calendar ("The ----- National Bank"), and it's possible that the location printed on it is Liberal, Kansas. Since June 4 falls on a Friday as shown on the calendar, I'm guessing that the year is 1915 (other possibilities are 1909, 1920, and 1926). The square for Saturday, June 12, seems to be specially marked, so perhaps they're getting ready for a party or some other frivolity on that date. For an interesting comparison, take a look at the trick or treat photo-- Boys' Night Out --that I posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park about this same time last year:

The Underwood Typewriter Company operated an enormous typewriter that was designed to impress fair-goers at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition , which was "a world's fair held in San Francisco, in the United States, between February 20 and December 4 in 1915." The company later exhibited another giant typewriter at the New York World's Fair in 1939 (see postcard image below). Text from the front of this postcard: The $100,000.00 Typewriter An exact reproduction of "The Machine You Will Eventually [Buy]." Westward ho! Over the Rockies we go! On our way to the Golden Gate, we will see deserts, prairies, cowboys, ranches, mountains, canyons, and the wonders of the West! The Orient, the Occident, the South Seas, the Arctic--all the world will be there. Meet us in the Palace of Liberal Arts, Court of the Universe, San Francisco. An Underwood Typewriter 1,728 times larger than the Standard Underwood. Weight 14 tons - 28,000 lbs. Dimensions in action 21 feet wide by 15 feet high. Writing daily at the Underwood Exhibit, Palace of Liberal Arts, Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, California, 1915.

"The Order of Railroad Telegraphers, issued to B. H. Harding. Good until December 31st, 1915, unless revoked. H. B. Perham, president. L. W. Quick. grand secretary and treasurer."

Real photo postcard. "Zanesville, Ohio. 8/29/15."

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Souvenir of Salt Air Beach , Dave Levene, mgr., season 1915."

Postmarked: Columbus, Ohio, March 16, 1915. Sent to: Miss Minnie Small, 403 North Newberry St., York, Pa. Message: From Aunt Cora.

Single-sided greeting card printed in blue with other handpainted colors. Information regarding Karl Ramet is elusive. From brief mentions here and there, I believe that he was an artist who taught drawing in the Reading, Pa., schools in the early 1910s and then later moved to New York City, where he designed the sets for at least one Broadway show.

Posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park on the way "back to school." For a close-up of the students in the middle of the crowd , mouse over the image above or select the thumbnail image below.. A real photo postcard showing the "Annual Chapel Fight, U. of P., September 24, 1915. Photo by Richards." The "Chapel Fight" (or "Chapel Rush") was one of a number of traditional male student competitions that took place at the University of Pennsylvania and many other American colleges and universities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The competitions pitted one class against another, and similar annual events at Penn included a " Bowl Fight ," "Poster Fight," and " Push Ball Fight ." It's not obvious from the photo what the goal of the Chapel Fight on Friday, September 24, 1915, was. Some of the students at the center of the fray are wearing white undershirts and seem to be missing their hats, coats, and outer shirts, so perhaps tearing off clothes was one way to win the contest, as it apparently was in 1909 (see account quoted below). Also visible in the photograph are students wearing "beanies," hats that freshmen were required to wear. Students fought hard to defend the honor of their classes, and injuries resulted from some of the scraps. Student fights came to a tragic end at Penn when one student was killed and several were injured during the Bowl Fight of 1916 . The following account from The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta , vol. 34, no. 2 (Nov. 1909), p. 184, describes the Chapel Rush that took place at Penn in 1909. It also mentions the Poster Fight. "The university opened September 24, but no regular classes were held until September 27. Friday morning [October 1] immediately after chapel exercises, the annual Chapel Rush between the sophomores and freshmen took place. The freshmen won the first half of the fight, touching the door on the H[o]uston Club , which was guarded by the sophomores, in less time than any former class. The second half of the fight was in favor of the sophomores, the freshmen being successful in tearing the clothes off the president of the second year class in a limited time. On the Thursday night previous, the Poster Fight took place and the freshmen accomplished a victory contrary to precedent by tearing the sophomore poster off the rear door of College Hall."

See the full version of this real photo postcard for additional information.