Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: Depression

The illustration on this Christmas card from 1930 is a reference to the stock market crash that devastated the economy the previous year and signaled the beginning of the Great Depression . We see ticker tape spewing out of a stock ticker machine as brokers run around in the background trying to place buy or sell orders for stocks as the chaos of the crash unfolds. Despite the volatility of the market, the card's message is to have a "Merry Christmas anyway." "The Bulls and Bears may have their day / But Merry Christmas, anyway. Your son, Ross." "You can take stock in this greeting." Handwritten date on the back of the card: "Dec. 15, 1930."

Melvern R. Evans, an architect in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, created this remarkable folded Christmas card in 1932. The front of the card, which was printed on plain green paper, simply says, "Just a minute--please." Inside (see above) is a photo of Evans holding a Santa mask along with a message indicating that 1932 was a "poor business year" (it was the height of the Great Depression ). To remedy the economic situation, Evans suggests, "Let's take off the mask and stop playing Santa Claus to the entire world ," meaning, I guess, that the United States should concentrate on addressing its domestic problems before providing aid to other countries. Despite his feelings about the dire financial conditions during 1932, Evans ends his greeting on a positive note by acknowledging old friendships and wishing a Merry Christmas "to you and those you love" (see below for the full text of the card). Just a minute--please This is a time for deep thought and accurate action . Let's take off the mask and stop playing Santa Claus to the entire world . We must have contentment at home to be a happy family . The year 1932 passes--well let it--it has been a poor business year. But ...it has ripened old friendships --and it's [because of] that old friendship that I cheer it's passing with a Merry Christmas wish--to you and those you love. Melvern R. Evans, A.I.A., Architect, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at Christmas, 1932.