Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: instruments

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of booze and music . "Hamburg-St. Pauli. Zillertal bleibt Zillertal." ("Zillertal remains the Zillertal.") Partially visible on the wall in the background: "Schaug das'd in Schwung kimmst!" (According to one source, this translates as "I see you come to life" in the Bavarian dialect). This is a souvenir real photo postcard from the Zillertal, a Bavarian-style beer hall that was located in the notorious Reeperbahn area in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg , Germany. The man wearing a suit and holding a baton is a tourist pretending to be the conductor of the house band, whose lederhosen-clad members are surrounding him. Other souvenir photos typically show the band with groups of tourists holding mugs of beer. See the Zillertal, Hamburg section of the Reardon Smith Ships site for photos of the exterior and interior of the Zillertal along with two more souvenir pictures.

"61. House of David - Benton Harbor, Mich." The House of David was a religious commune in Benton Harbor , Michigan, whose members performed in touring bands (like the one above), played on baseball teams, and ran an amusement park that featured miniature trains (like the ones below). Benjamin Purnell (see below) and his wife Mary formed the group in 1903.

Handwritten message on the back of this real photo postcard (no address or postmark): "My dear Aunt Clara, this post card was taken in Bridgeton on Labor Day. See if you can find me. Clarence." The AZO stamp box on the other side (four corner triangles pointing up) suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918. Clarence and his marching band probably played in Bridgeton, New Jersey. I took a close look at the uniforms, music sheets, and drumhead but wasn't able to spot any names, insignia, or other details that would help to confirm the location or identify the band.

A steam calliope in a snapshot dated March 1971. This calliope is known as Getz's Steam Calliope after the three brothers—Noah, William, and Robert Getz—who operated it for many years. Hauled around on a tractor trailer, the calliope still makes regular appearances at parades and other events in south central Pennsylvania. Head over to YouTube to see it in action at a Homecoming Parade in Millersville, Pa., on October 13, 2012, and at the July 4th Parade in Pottstown, Pa., in 2017.

A real photo postcard showing the Tressler Orphans' Home Band. "Tressler" was part of its name beginning sometime in the nineteenth century, so I'm not sure why it's missing from the drum in this early twentieth-century photo. For a later incarnation of the band—with spiffier uniforms and a different drumhead—see Tressler Orphans' Home Band, Loysville, Pa.

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

"The March, May 1914." A real photo postcard of a May Day march. A couple of guys with drums are leading the way, and a group of children are carrying a maypole rather than dancing around it. For a better view of the maypole marchers, mouse over the image above to see a cropped version .

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 .

Printed on the back of this postcard: "Th. E., L. Theochrom-Serie No. 1210|6. Printed in Germany." Postmarked Baltimore, Md., Apr. 7, 1910, and addressed to Miss Ella Killinger, Mongul, Franklin Co., Pa. Handwritten message: "How is your five o'clock beau. Just the same I guess. With love to all and from the girls. Our address is 2334 E. Monument St., Balto., Md. From Ellen Truer." Anyone know what a "five o'clock beau" might refer to? A boyfriend that you only see after work perhaps?

"Pomeroy's Juvenile Hour. WEEU. Bernie, program director. Photo by Pomeroy's." Pomeroy's was a department store that had locations in Reading, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, and other Pennsylvania cities. This real photo postcard, which shows the Reading store in the upper left-hand corner, was used to advertise Pomeroy's Juvenile Hour radio show, which debuted sometime in the 1930s. Various local radio stations carried the show, including WEEU in Reading and WHP in Harrisburg. Pomeroy's ran ads for the Juvenile Hour in newspapers, too, as this excerpt from the Harrisburg Telegraph , Sept. 29, 1932, p. 8, demonstrates: "Pomeroy's, 'Harrisburg's Greatest Department Store,' Saturday, 9:30 a.m. You are invited to attend our first 'Juvenile Hour' radio broadcast direct from our broadcasting studio on the third floor. See and hear Harrisburg's future radio stars as they broadcast over radio station WHP. These performers are all between the ages of 2 and 12, and you'll marvel at their exhibition. If you are unable to attend the broadcast in person, tune in at 9:30 Saturday morning on station WHP and you'll get an hour of radio sunshine and happiness that will thrill you for a long time to come. Pomeroy's 'Juvenile Hour' will be on the air every Saturday morning, 9:30 to 10:30."

A real photo postcard of the "Tressler Orphans' Home Band, Loysville, Pa." For another orphanage music group, see Girls' Saxophone Band, Evangelical Orphanage, Lewisburg, Pa.