Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: cold

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of cold, freezing, or frozen . Handwritten caption: "Gladys & the Ice Burg, Moffat, Colo." This is a real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Grace Roger, Rich Mountain, Ark., and postmarked Moffat, Colo., March 1, 1911. Message: "Moffat, Colo., March 1, 1911. Hello Girlie,You bet I recd your letter and answered it & am anxious for an answer. Want to hear the rest of that news you have for me. Does this look like spring. This is some of my own work. This is a water tank where the railroad engines get a drink. Say but I would enjoy a sweet breath from those fruit tree blossoms. There isn't such a thing in this desert. We are fine & dandy. Write soon you naughty girl. As ever, M." For a similar photo, see Frozen Water Tower .

"I'll eat oranges for you—you throw snowballs for me." Embossed studio name and address: "Flag Studio, 25 E. Colo. St., Pasadena." See also a cropped version of this real photo postcard:

"I'll eat oranges for you—you throw snowballs for me." Embossed studio name and address: "Flag Studio, 25 E. Colo. St., Pasadena." Vacationing in sunny California during the winter? You could rub it in by sending a souvenir real photo postcard like this one to your friends and family in colder climes back home. Here's the full version of this real photo postcard:

A real photo postcard.

A prime example of Victorian Gaslight Style , this sausage label uses bold colors, unique typefaces, flowing banners, shadowing, and superimposition to produce an intricate multi-layered, three-dimensional effect. "Real German Sausages. Prepared by Irvine & Stevenson, St. George Preserving Works, Dunedin. Guaranteed perfectly pure of the finest materials and free from all sinews and indigestible matter. Sixty awards. Prepared by an approved German expert. A perfect food. A real delicacy. May be eaten hot or cold. Prepared only by Irvine & Stevenson, St. George Preserving Works, Dunedin, N.Z. Mills, Dick & Co."

This "Mule Barometer" joke (sometimes also called a "Burrometer") has a long history and has appeared in many different printed versions (often with a more dramatic condition like "If tail is gone--Tornado" as the punchline). Although it's frequently published as a postcard, this example is actually an advertising card printed for the Central Brass Manufacturing Company, which has been in existence since 1895 and still continues to manufacture brass faucets and fixtures. Today, the Mule Barometer gag regularly reappears as a " weather rock ," which is--as Wikipedia interprets it--"a humor display that pokes fun at the intricate technology used in modern weather forecasts, as well as the fact that their accuracy is less than perfect. A rock is typically hung from a tripod and accompanied by a sign indicating how to read it." -------- Mule Barometer Directions: Hang outside. If tail is dry--Fair. If tail is wet--Rain If tail is swinging--Windy. If tail is wet and swinging--Stormy. If tail is frozen--Cold. Further information upon request. There is no kick coming to those who use the highest grade brass goods for plumbing and water works made by the Central Brass Mfg. Co.

"Hotel Langford. Lighted by electricity. Heated by steam. Everything new. Sample room for traveling men. Near the passenger station. Baths--hot and cold. Rates, $2.00 per day. Susquehanna, Penn. F. F. Langford, propr." This nineteenth-century business card indicates that the Hotel Langford catered to salesmen (called "commercial travelers" or "traveling men" at the time) by offering them "sample rooms" where they could display their wares for potential customers.

"Gruber Wagon Works, Mt. Pleasant, Berks County, Pa. P.O., Bernville, R.F.D No. 2. Telephone. Presented by J. W. Gruber. (over). West Hydraulic Cold Tire Setter. Have them set while you wait." -------- The Gruber Wagon Works, built in 1882 and originally located near Mt. Pleasant, Pa., was moved five miles away from the area that is now Blue Marsh Lake , which was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s. The Gruber Wagon Works has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark and is now part of the Berks County Heritage Center . I had the chance to visit the relocated Gruber Wagon Works this summer (2014) and will eventually post some photos from the site. During the tour of the wagon works, I learned that the Gruber family purchased the West Hydraulic Cold Tire Setter in 1908. This machine was able to set tires "cold" in minutes by using massive hydraulic pressure to compress an iron rim (the "tire") around a wooden wheel. This was a significant improvement over the blacksmith's "hot" setting method, a lengthy process that required the iron tire to be heated in a fire, affixed to the wooden wheel while hot, and then quenched in water to shrink the tire around the wheel. It's no surprise, then, why the Grubers included an illustration of the West Hydraulic Cold Tire Setter on their business card--the machine did its work so quickly that they could now offer to set your tire and repair your wagon wheel "while you wait."

"Visit the City Furniture House, opp. Seely House, Towanda, Pa." A Victorian trade card with skating frogs.

A real photo postcard. Date and location unknown.

A cars photo for the Vintage Photos Theme [Car] Park . A car and trailer are the focus of this photographic greeting card from "George and Norma," who have compiled a montage of images illustrating their transition from the chilly northern United States to the sunny south. Their car is magically pulling a trailer through a holly wreath, transporting them from the snowy northern woods to the grassy slopes of a southern golf course. Perhaps that's Norma--barely visible--standing beside the travel trailer. And presumably George is one of the golfers playing among the palm trees. In any case, it's evident that they've willingly traded a pair of ice skates for a set of golf clubs in order to spend the holiday where the weather is warmer.

Printed on the back of this advertising postcard: "Feel the difference in a Mallory straw. We have a wide selection now on hand. Why not drop in soon and select your favorite?" The month of May used to be the time when men traditionally traded their winter felt hats for summer straw hats. The Mallory Hat Company created this postcard so that dealers could inform customers that it was time for them to purchase a new cool-as-an-iceberg Mallory straw Panama hat for summertime wear. . For an earlier example of an exaggeratedly large Panama hat used in an advertisement, see the San Francisco 1915 postcard that's featured as part of the Michigan State University Museum's Tall Tale Postcards: Storytelling Through the Mail exhibit.