Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: Father Time

"Happy New Year. Christmas cards and holiday goods. John F. Clarke, 104 Fulton St., N.Y." An interesting item of Victoriana despite its discoloration, this trade card served as an advertisement for John F. Clarke's business and provided a New Year greeting for his customers. In the curious illustration on the card, Father Time has dropped his scythe and hourglass. He's wearing sandals on his feet as he trudges away through the snow, and he's taking refuge behind a huge open book. Was he planning to "close the books" on the old year with the oversized ledger? Father Time is using the enormous tome to deflect the snowballs that an impetuous young schoolboy (apparently an older-than-usual representation of Baby New Year ) is hurling at him. The boy's snowball barrage is so relentless that Father Time has given up—he's departing the scene and yielding the New Year to the new kid on the block.

"Wishing You a Happy New Year, J. P. Baker, Trav. Ag't, Harrisburg, Pa. Buckeye. 1895. 1896. Buckeye. J. H. Trezise, 1125-27 N. Third St., H'b'g." This is a unique photographic New Year greeting that depicts Father Time--carrying an old-fashioned scythe and designated as "1895"--worriedly running away from an overdressed gent who's uttering the word "Buckeye" as he tips his hat and rides atop a newfangled "1896" mechanical reaping machine pulled by a bevy of Cupid-like putti . The inset to the right of this imaginative scene is a photo of "J. P. Baker," who's identified as a traveling agent (salesman) from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Dressed in a hat, cravat, vest, and suit coat, Baker appears to be the model for the gussied-up guy riding the reaper. Although I haven't uncovered any specific information regarding J. P. Baker, I suspect that he may have worked for Aultman, Miller & Co., manufacturer of Buckeye Harvesting Machinery, which had an office at 625 Walnut Street in Harrisburg, according to Boyd's Directory of Harrisburg and Steelton for 1895. The company sold a variety of agricultural equipment for mowing, reaping, threshing, and other tasks (to see a fascinating early silent film clip of a Buckeye machine in operation in Australia, take a look at Wheat Harvesting with Reaper and Binder -1899 ). J. P. Baker evidently used this photograph to wish a happy New Year to his friends and business associates and to promote himself and his Buckeye machines to customers.

A postcard with an undivided back (only an address was allowed on the back of this type of early postcard--no message). There's no stamp or postmark, but it's addressed to: "Mr. & Mrs. M. A. Rice, Montclair, New Jersey." The stamp box on the back of the postcard ("Place postage stamp here. Domestic, one cent. Foreign, two cents.") is overwritten with the words, "Mervyn Pony Post," meaning, I assume, that Mervyn received it in person from Eva and Billy. Mervyn then presumably carried it home to show the New Year greeting on the front (a parody of a railroad passenger ticket decorated in red and green colors with Christmas holly leaves and berries) to his wife Nellie and the rest of the Rice family. General Railroad of Time, 1906-1907 Three Hundred & Sixty Five Trip Family Ticket This ticket officially stamped and dated will entitle Nellie & Mervyn and family to one continuous happy and prosperous passage through life from January 1st, 1906, to January 1st, 1907, and may be renewed for as long a period thereafter as they may desire, without further notice. 365. Signed and sealed by Eva & Billy. Father Time, General Passenger Agent. Copyright 1905 by William Joseph Burkhardt, 206 Ocean Avenue, Jersey City, N.J.

"A Happy New Year 1879 from H. A and S. S. Brickenstein." The Rev. Hermann A. Brickenstein and his wife, Susan Shultz Brickenstein, were listed in the 1890 edition of the American College and Public School Directory , p. 96, as principal and vice-principal of the Linden Hall Seminary, a "Moravian school for young ladies," in Lititz, Pa. Linden Hall continues its educational mission today as "the oldest girls' school in the United States."