Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: donkeys

Caption: "Beat us if you can." Printed on the back of this unused real photo postcard: "Slater's Interurban Post Card Studio, 430 Superior St., Toledo, Ohio." Judging by the design of the stamp box on the other side (it has the initials "PMC" and diamond shapes in each of its four corners), it's possible that the date of the photo may be as early as 1907 (see Playle's How to Identify and Date Real Photo Vintage Postcards ). For similar photos, see Two Jolly Good Fellows , Aunt Lora and Uncle Will Are Coming Home, March 10, 1908 , and Men in Bowler Hats .

"Look pleasant" is what the horse/photographer is saying as a donkey and boy pose for a photo. This is a postcard addressed on the other side to Mrs. Emma Cranford, Lisbon, Ohio, R.F.D. No. 2, and postmarked Wilson, Pa., June 27, 1910. Handwritten message: "Sun. eve., just closing. All well and have been busy all day. Will write you a letter tomorrow. Got cherries and were fine and many thanks till better paid [I'm not sure of the meaning of this run-on sentence]. Love, Alice & Jno.

"Henry Felix & Co., manufacturers and dealers in fine confections, ice cream, cakes, and fruits, 10 N. Market Square, Harrisburg. . . . M. F. Tobin, N.Y. Scheffer, job printer, Harrisburg." A stock Victorian-era advertising trade card produced by New York lithographer M. F. Tobin in 1881. Theodore F. Scheffer, a local Harrisburg printer, added the information for Henry Felix and Company. See below for some other amusing and interesting trade cards.

Signs: Amoco, American Gas. U.S. Tires.

A postcard sent to Al Lebengood, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, Pa., in 1911.

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.

A birds or bees photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Those poor kids don't seem to have a clue that they're about to be carried off by that raptor that's swooping down upon them. Or at least that seems to be what we're supposed to think with that stuffed bird suspended above them. I'm not sure why these children are riding in a decorated cart pulled by a donkey. There's no address, date, or postmark on the other side of this real photo postcard, but there is a message written in French that I haven't had any success in deciphering.

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

A photo of donkey rides for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Printed on the back of this souvenir real photo postcard: "Paul Goerke & Son, Manitou, Colo. Duplicates 10 cents each. Order by number on the picture." Handwritten note on the back: "Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Englar, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Snader at Garden of the Gods , Colorado, 1914." See also a close-up of the women and men .

A real photo postcard showing two guys, two dolls, and a donkey.