Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: stones

A Halloween postcard addressed to Master Samuel Hauenstein , Lincoln, Pa., and postmarked on Oct. 31, 1912. There's nothing written on the back other than the address. Printed on the other side: "Raphael Tuck & Sons' 'Hallowe'en' Series of Post Cards No. 174."

Cropped version of a real photo postcard showing a group on top of a big ol' rock. Notice how some of the women are posing with men's hats perched jauntily on their heads. See also the full version of this photo.

A photo of rocks and stones for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A real photo postcard showing a group of women, men, and children posed on top of a big ol' rock. See also a cropped version of this photo for a close-up of this rock group .

A photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park for the topics of spirit photography / ghostly images / haunted houses (post up to 3 images on any combination of these themes) . Ghostly images of semitransparent kids and a grinning bunny make for a haunting scene in this undated snapshot.

Good luck to dear old Ireland And her sons far away from home They're all right wherever they are Because they've kissed the Blarney Stone. Printed on the back of this postcard: "St. Patrick Series No. 4."

A curious photographer props (huge urns or plants, strange objects, taxidermy animals, etc.) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "E. M. Criswell, Grand Meadow, Minn. Extra finish." A tall bearded fellow--his appearance reminds me of Rasputin , the Russian mystic and confidant to Tsar Nicholas II--stands in front of a painted backdrop and next to an oddly shaped prop as he poses for this cabinet card photo. Is that enigmatic object supposed to look like natural or carved stone? If not, I'm not certain what it's intended to represent.

The street sign says, "Market Street," the glistening sidewalk suggests that it was raining, and the people are posing in front of a store that's displaying a bed, chairs, and other furnishings in the window.

Handwritten note on the back of this small cyanotype photo: "Sonny carved this head out of a piece of stone up [in] the garden with an old chisel."

A tattered & torn (or otherwise damaged) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten caption: "Remember that day." Handwritten note on the back: "Isn't this sweet. Give me one in the place of this." An undated and well-worn photo taken at Jefferson Rock , which overlooks the town of Harpers Ferry , West Virginia. According to Wikipedia, "The name of this landmark derives from Thomas Jefferson, who stood there on October 25, 1783. He found the view from the rock impressive and wrote in Notes on the State of Virginia that 'this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.'" Note that the silhouette of someone's head and shoulders is visible in the background between two of the pillars that hold the top slab of the rock in place. Here's a 2009 view of the rock taken from a similar vantage point:

"Eagle Marble Works. P. F. Eisenbrown, Cor. Elm & 6th Sts., near the new depot, Reading, Pa. Monuments, tombs, grave stones &c. McClement, Phila." For other cameo cards, see J. H. Hain, Manufacturer of Saddles, Harness, Whips, Reading, Pa. , and Best Boiler Works, Lancaster, Pa. ,

"Merritt, Gray & Co., Granite Yard! At the old ferry landing, Groton, Conn. Monuments, head stones, posts, fronts, &c., of Groton granite. Mason work done to order. C. Merritt, R. A. Gray, John Salter."

Double-exposure trickery makes it appear that the same man is both pushing and riding the wheelbarrow in this real photo postcard. For similar trick photos, see A Man Pushing Himself on a Wheelbarrow and A Woman Pulling Herself on a Wagon .

"Dreamland at Legat Garden. Boudnek Photo. 58." This "Dreamland" castle was constructed in the 1920s by a man named John Legat as part of a garden in Fox River Grove, Illinois, that also included a wishing well, windmill, and fountain. Legat, who was married to the town's doctor, gave tours of his garden and sold postcard views of it (including, possibly, this one). Legat's land was later turned into building lots, and the garden gave way to a neighborhood of houses. Some of Legat's structures--including the castle--still remain, although they're in a state of disrepair. Check out Google Maps for a current view of the castle, which is located in a front yard at the corner of Grove and Lincoln avenues in Fox River Grove. For additional information, see the article, " Fox River Grove’s Other Castle ," which was originally published in the Northwest Herald , June 7, 2011. (The title of the article refers to another castle that's a full-size residence known as Castle Vianden or Bettendorf Castle; see the Wikipedia entry for Fox River Grove, Illinois , which provides a brief history and photo of this second castle.)