Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: before and after

Three funny fellows pose facing the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows with their backs to the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard , which incudes both pictures.

Three funny fellows pose with their backs to the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows facing the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard , which incudes both pictures.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Rückenfigur or "back to camera" - any photo in which one or more of the subjects have their backs fully or partially facing the camera . On this real photo postcard, which combines two separate photographs, three funny fellows pose twice, first with their backs to the camera and then a second time as they face the camera. The three are sitting on a board or plank that extends between two chairs. In the first photo , all of them have bowler hats on their heads, and the guy in the middle has what looks like a picture frame hanging over his shoulder and down over his back. A stool and a wooden box with a handle are visible on the floor in front of them. The wall behind the men is partially covered by a painted backdrop, so presumably they're having their picture taken in a photo studio, though no studio name appears on the front or back of the card. In the second photo , the guys seem even goofier as they face forward with funny expressions. The man on the left has a mischievous look on his face, and he's holding a small kettle with the handle of a spoon or some other utensil sticking out of the top. The guy in the middle has opened his mouth as if he's laughing or yelling. The bowler on his head is jauntily tilted to the side, and his right hand is blurred -- was he pumping his fist or gesturing toward the basket that he's holding in his lap? And what's in the basket? The third man is grinning, probably because instead of a hat he's wearing something on his head that looks like a lampshade with ruffles. He has his arms wrapped around himself as if he's cold, and he's holding a pitcher under one arm. The undivided back (for an address only) on the other side of this real photo postcard indicates that it dates before 1907 (when both an address and a message were allowed on the verso), and the Cyko stamp box design (in use as early as 1904) printed on the back also fits this time frame.

A New Year card from John E. Cranfield (d. 1894?), who was a letter carrier in Albany, New York. Compare this card with A Happy New Year, Will D. Reiber, Letter Carrier . ?A Happy New Year? 1889 John E. Cranfield, Route No. 14. Ye Penny Post, 1839. Ye Letter Carrier, 1889.

This is a composite image of old and new views of a building in Leck Kill, Pennsylvania, that served as a post office, store, and tavern. The top view is from an early twentieth-century real photo postcard, and the bottom view is a Google Maps capture from 2009. See the full version of the real photo postcard for more information.

This is a side-by-side comparison of a nineteenth-century advertising card with a Google Street View (from 2011) of the building depicted on the card. It's quite surprising to discover that the façade of the building, which was a store in the late 1800s and today is a laundromat, hasn't changed much in over 100 years. See a second Google Street View from a slightly different angle for a better view of the signs and window on the first floor.

A nineteenth-century advertising card for Spangler & Rich, a store in Marietta , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Amazingly enough, the building that housed the store is still standing, and its façade hasn't changed dramatically in over 100 years. A laundromat occupies the building today. See a side-by-side comparison of the image on the card and a recent Google Street View (from 2011) of the building . Spangler & Rich No. 64 Market Street, Marietta, Pa., Dealers in Dry Goods, Clothing, Groceries, &c. Fish--Carpets and Floor Oil Clothes. Queensware and Wall Papers--Salt. Express Steam Print, Lancaster, Pa. Crosscup, Phila.

"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 .

"Fotograph your boy before the 4th of July: you may not get a chance after." Macabre photographic advice from an early twentieth-century postcard. For more dark humor about Fourth of July fireworks, see The Glorious 4th of July / The 5th of July :

"Potato Chips, 1¢, Packed for Interstate Biscuit Co., Bronx, New York. Net weight one-quarter ounce or over. Before eating. After eating." For a similar item, see I Eat at the Royal Coffee Shoppe / I Don't :

"The National Surgical Institute of Philadelphia, N.E. Cor. Broad & Arch Sts. Ketterlinus, Philad'a." A Victorian-era "before and after" advertising trade card for the National Surgical Institute of Philadelphia. The "before" part of the card is illustrated by the boy on crutches, who hasn't yet received any treatment. The girl, whose treatment has been so successful that she can now throw away her crutches, shows us the "after" part and demonstrates why we should become patients at the National Surgical Institute. I'm not exactly sure why that prosthetic leg is just lying there on the steps. You'd think they could put it out of the way in a cupboard or closet somewhere so that no one trips over it. Printed on the back of the card: The National Surgical Institute Has been engaged in the treatment of all deformities of the body, limbs, and face; such as Spinal Diseases, Paralysis, Hip Disease, Crooked Limbs, Crooked or Club Feet, Diseased Joints, Hare Lip, Deformities of the Nose, &c. Also, Diseases of Women, Nasal Catarrh, Indolent Ulcers, Piles, Fistula, and other Chronic Diseases. There are no secrets in the mode of treatment, which is usually painless, and all interested are cordially invited to visit the Institute and examine the extensive and ingenious machinery, varied appliances and other facilities. No charges made for examinations, and no cases treated that cannot be cured or greatly benefited. All desired information, and any number of references furnished by calling at, or addressing National Surgical Institute, Cor. Broad & Arch Sts., Philadelphia.

"New Home Sewing Machine Co, 1127 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. D. S. Ewing. A painful alternative. I will have a New Home machine! A New Home or a divorce, take your choice, sir!" A Victorian-era before-and-after trade card demonstrating the dire consequences that faced husbands who did not purchase New Home sewing machines for their wives.

Front and back of a small folded advertisement for Wier's Lemon Seltzer that also includes a chronology of the Spanish-American War, which took place in 1898 (the year "1899" above the "Historical Events in the Spanish-American War" heading is apparently either a typo or is intended to show when the ad was published). -------- Wier's Lemon Seltzer Cures Headaches &c. Before, after. 10c. -------- 1899. Historical Events in the Spanish-American War. Jan. 25.--Capt. Sigabee arrived at Havana with Battleship Maine. Feb. 7.--DeLome letter made public. Feb. 15.--Battleship Maine blown up, 206 officers and men lost their lives. Mar. 5.--Spain asked the recall of Gen. Lee. Mar. 16.--Congress voted $50,000,000 for National Defense. Apr. 4.--Navy Dept. ordered purchase of 10 crusiers. Apr. 9.--Gen. Lee returned from American consuls. Apr. 12.--Ultimatum to Spain to withdraw land and naval forces from Cuba. Apr. 21.--Spain declares war by notifying U.S. diplomatic relations were at an end. Apr. 24.--President calls for 125,000 volunteers. May 1.--Ad. Dewey destroyed Montejo's fleet. Americans, none killed and 6 wounded; Spanish, between 5 and 6 hundred killed and wounded. Ensign Bagley, of torpedo-boat Windslow, 1st officer killed in the war. May 25.--President calls for 75,000 more volunteers. June 3.--Hobson sank Merrimac in Santiago harbor. June 24.--First action between land forces and Spanish took place. July 3.--Cervera's fleet destroyed by Sampson's fleet. July 17.--Santiago surrendered. Stars and stripes hoisted. Aug. 9.--Protocol drafted and signed. Aug. 18.--Manilla surrendered to U.S. Sept. 17.--Peace Commission sailed for Paris. Oct. 18.--American flag raised over San Juan. Nov. 1.--Spanish cruiser Infanta Maria Teresa abandoned at sea after being raised. Nov. 25.--First American troops landed in Havana. Nov. 28.--Spain assents to U.S. demand for the entire Phillippines for $20,000,000. Dec. 10.--Spanish American treaty signed at Paris. Ask your druggist for Wier's Lemon Seltzer. It is a positive cure for headache, nervousness, indigestion, etc. Pleasant to take. 10c.

"The Modern Cycle Co., general repairing, brazing, vulcanizing. Wm. Deubel, proprietor. 1317 Montgomery St., rear. Allied Printing Trades Council, Union Label, St. Louis, 32. The Modern Way. The Old Way." The Modern Cycle Company was a bicycle repair shop that may have been located in St. Louis, Missouri (that's where this business card was printed), but I haven't been able to uncover any additional information about the company or its proprietor, William Deubel. In the illustration on the back of the card, the "modern way" and the "old way" both portray men who are working on bicycles, and the main difference between the two of them seems to be that the modern man is using a longer tire lever (or similar tool) on his bike. I'm not sure whether this was intended to show that the Modern Cycle Company used better tools, repaired bikes more efficiently, or something else.

These stereographic cards are in poor shape even after some touch-up, but they're intriguing--and almost macabre--for their depiction of the perils of fireworks. Captions: "The Glorious 4th of July. No. 1." "The Fifth of July. No. 2." Printed on the front: "American and Foreign Views. Sold only by canvassers. New Educational Series. Stereoscopic views."