Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: carpets

"The Museum" was the name of Skinner, Day & Co.'s store in Keene, New Hampshire. For similar cards with a red or pink background illustration, see Eugene O. Chase, Second Leading Hoseman, Danielsonville, Conn. , and Fireman Calling Card . Museum. Skinner, Day & Co., Jewelers, Dry Goods, Carpets, Fancy Goods and Everything Keene, N.H.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of when I grow up (children dressed as adults or dressed for work, e.g. as policeman, nurse, train driver, etc.) . It also fits the monthly theme of group portraits . Caption in the upper right-hand corner: "The Deestrick Skule." A penciled-in dealer's note on the other side identifies the location as "Strasburg, Pa." This is a photo of children dressed in costumes to portray pupils, the schoolmaster, school committee members, and local citizens for a play about the funny goings-on at the old-time "Deestrick Skule" or district school -- the one-room schoolhouse of the early nineteenth century (not the school districts that resulted from the later consolidation of these small schools). Mrs. M. H. Jaquith of Topeka, Kansas, was the author of The Deestrick Skule of Fifty Years Ago (1888) and "Exerbition" of the Deestrick Skule of Fifty Years Ago (1890). Both of these provided scripts and suggestions for producing local theatrical productions that could accommodate fifty or more participants (there are forty kids in this photo). The Cyko stamp box (Cyko 5, variation A2.66) on the other side of this divided-back real photo postcard has an earliest known usage date of May 2, 1910, according to Brogan and Weseloh's Real Photo Postcard Guide (2006).

After closely inspecting this photo (see the full and cropped versions) for quite some time, I was surprised to finally realize that there's someone--or part of someone, to be precise--missing from it. Take another glance at the bride's mother, who was caught with her eyes closed. A man's shoulders are visible directly behind her. The man's head, however, has been imperfectly altered so that it partially blends in with the folds of the curtain behind him. Who was this mysterious wedding guest, and who wanted him out of the picture? We'll never know, but I find it amazing how well hidden--to my eyes, at least--he turned out to be. It's remarkable that this simple method of concealment was so successful in hiding this man's presence in the photo.

As I mentioned (see the full version of this photo), I bought this picture at an antique mall and noticed something strange about it after I got it home. I purchased the photo because I liked the furnishings in the room--take a look at the chandelier, curtains, and flowers in the background, for instance. And there's a flowery border running along the top of the wall just below the ceiling. I also found the wedding party interesting. The wide-eyed groom seems to be stunned, but the bride, who's holding a large bouquet of flowers, looks calm and serene. The groom's father (at far right) is sporting a moustache and so is the bride's father (on the left). The photographer happened to catch the bride's mother (standing to the left of the bride) with her eyes closed. I examined all these details and looked at the photo for quite a while before I spotted something downright strange. Did you find it yet? If not, check out another enlargement from this image.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of putting on the ritz—dressed up for a special occasion . I picked up this wedding photo at a local antique mall a year or two ago. It wasn't in great shape, but it was a larger photo mounted on cardboard, and I liked the interesting room furnishings, the period clothing, and the amusing facial expressions. When I got home and examined the photo more closely, however, I noticed something strange about it. Were you able to spot it? If not, take a look at a cropped version of the photo.

A patterns photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A young man nervously looks for an escape route as he's surrounded by the patterned designs of the wallpaper, wicker rocker, and carpet. This is an unused real photo postcard with a divided back but no stamp box. For similar photos with distinctive wallpaper, see Girl Cornering on a Tricycle, Harrisburg, Pa. and Girl Standing on a Chair in Front of Patterned Wallpaper .

Sheltering in place with a fancy stove in a sunlit room during the early twentieth century. This is an unmailed real photo postcard with an Azo stamp box (four corner triangles pointing up) on the other side, which suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918.

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

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

A teddy bears photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A real photo postcard of a gathering of women along with their dolls, teddy bears (including a Steiff, I'm told), and maybe one or two stuffed lions or dogs. No date, location, or other information, unfortunately. For close-up views, see cropped versions showing the front row and the two back rows

One in a series of humorous "Where Women Vote" postcards published in the 1910s that demonstrated the dire consequences of giving women the right to vote. It took until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, to ensure that all women in the United States had the right to vote. This postcard was postmarked Broad Top, Pa., May 8, 1913, on the other side and was addressed to Mr. Ralph L. Diggins, Millersville, Lanc. Co, Pa., M.S.N.S., indicating that Diggins was a student at the Millersville State Normal School in Millersville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, at the time. Handwritten note on the back: "Dear Brother, We are very busy. Will write you a letter on Sunday. It is very warm today. The trees are in blossom. The apple tree is white and also the cherry trees. The plums are froze. Elsie." This postcard and others from the "Where Women Vote" series are pictured in Kenneth Florey's book, American Woman Suffrage Postcards: A Study and Catalog (McFarland, 2015), pp. 344-47.

Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "Austin, Lomah, & Jonas, a musical blow-out."

Written on the back: "12/29/67 - Bo." Bo on the floor and Tennessee Ernie Ford on the TV. I'm not sure whose legs those are on the couch. For another dogs-TV-legs combination, see Fuzzy Dog (below).

Handwritten caption: "Kathryn Keen & mother." Kathryn's mother, who's standing in the background and appears to be shaking a piece of carpet, is peering over at her daughter as the photographer takes the picture.

A housework photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The young woman on the right is preparing to use her baseball bat of a carpet beater to remove the dust and dirt from the rug hanging on the frame in front of her, while the one on the left is sweeping the walk. Perhaps they're getting ready and airing out the flag--it's awkwardly draped across the doorway--for a celebration on the Fourth of July or some other patriotic occasion.

A real photo postcard.