Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: curved text

An elaborate business card printed by David Bachman Landis of Pluck Art Printery (later known as Landis Art Print). The wavy, wiry vertical lines that Landis used to separate the "Special Attention" section on the left from the main "E. Oettel" portion of the card come from a set of "Capital Ornaments" dated 1891 that was available from the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler (BB&S) type foundry. Landis also used these separators in a number of other printed pieces. See, for instance, the following examples: -- Charles S. Frantz, Graduate Ophthalmic Optician, Watchmaker, and Jeweler, Lancaster, Pa. -- A. H. Herr, Mill Creek Dairy, Lancaster, Pa. -- J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries, Landisville, Pennsylvania, ca. 1890s BB&S also sold a set of "Brownies" characters that included the tiny owl in the upper left-hand corner. Typefaces: Duerer ("Fancy Bakery and Confectionery"), Pynson ("All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and"), Hansard ("Home Made Bread"), Dante ("No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa."). The unidentified typeface used here for "E. Oettel" appears to be the same as the one selected for "J. M. Trout" on the J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries card. E. Oettel, Philadelphia Reliable Fancy Bakery and Confectionery. All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and Home Made Bread. No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa. Special attention given to wedding and party orders. Stands at Eastern, Central, and Southern Markets.

A nineteenth-century reward of merit. Bank of Merit 20 Shares of Stock to the Holder God offers reward, my Teacher does the same--they both encourage me. I tried, and success crowned my efforts. Harry Lightcap, Pupil. Benjamin Rich, Teacher. 20. XX.

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.

A late nineteenth-century label by Huntoon & Gorham, a cigar manufacturer. Note the Gaslight Style characteristics, with elaborate typefaces, curved text, drop shadows, and the rays of the sun shining out from behind the clouds. Huntoon & Gorham 45 Providence, R.I. Huntoon & Gorham

Henry Weill (1860-1929) was a well-known horse dealer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This business card was printed for him by David Bachman Landis . For similar cards by Landis that feature text printed over a background illustration, see: -- Chas. O. Ursprung, Horse Collar Manufacturer, Lancaster, Pa. -- W. R. Cheney, Carriage Builder, Lancaster, Pa. -- William C. Myers, Practical Artesian Well Contractor, Salunga, Pa. Henry Weill, Dealer in Driving, Heavy Draft, and Fine Coach and Saddle Horses. Sale and Exchange Stables, 200 to 216 West Orange St., Lancaster, Pa. Presented by ________ Acclimated and western horses always on hand. Telephone connection.

A membership card for the Order of Railroad Telegraphers (ORT). As Wikipedia explains, "telegraphers would be stationed in individual depots along the railroad line in order to receive train orders from a centrally located dispatcher and report back on train movements; telegraphed train orders would be written out on paper and 'handed up' to the crews of passing trains." See also a 1915 version of the ORT membership card. The Order of Railroad Telegraphers Issued to L. W. Ricker. Good until June 30th 1900 unless revoked. W. V. Powell, president. H. B. Perham, secretary and treasurer. The Order of Railroad Telegraphers, Grand Division.

Edward Ridley & Sons, a New York City department store, printed this trade card for customers during the holiday season in 1880, and the store also took out newspaper ads to offer its "annual greeting." The other side of the trade card is a wintertime illustration of a little girl holding some toys as she stands in the snow. This side (above) features the store's Christmas greeting: 32nd Annual Greeting A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Toys, Dolls, and Holiday Presents. Edw. Ridley & Sons 309, 311, 311½ Grand St. 59 Orchard St. 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70 Allen St. New York The following excerpt from the store's advertisement in the New York Herald on December 5, 1880, provides additional details about its holiday sales: Thirty-second Annual Greeting Santa Claus' New Building. Opening Monday, December 6. First Floor—Endless variety toys, dolls, hobby horses. Also china, glass ware, &c. Second Floor--Work boxes, writing desks, Japanese varieties, &c., &c. Tuesday, December 7. Third Floor—Dolls, dolls, dolls. And everything belonging to a doll. Fourth Floor—Wednesday, December 8. Will contain toys of the very finest description…. Our new building gives 23,000 square feet. All devoted to toys. Come and see the toys and our methods. Worsted embroideries, slipper patterns, brackets, &c. Photo and auto[graph] albums, in plush, Russia[n] leather and French calf bindings. Handsome jewel and combination cases, pocketbooks, cigar cases, &c. Prices below every other house—we warrant.

This is the front of a Victorian-era trade card advertising a New York store (for the other side, see Christmas Greeting, Edward Ridley & Sons Department Store, New York City, 1880 ). I'm not sure why this wide-eyed little girl is taking all those toys with her out into the snow. She's dressed for the winter weather, however, and is even holding her hands—and her doll—in a muff to keep them warm.

A small Victorian-era Christmas card featuring a fairy and flowers. The verse on the card appears in J. S. Ogilvie, compiler, The Album Writer's Friend: Comprising More Than Three Hundred Choice Selections of Poetry and Prose, Suitable for Writing in Autograph Albums, Valentines, Birthday, Christmas, and New Year Cards (1881), p. 60. A Merry Christmas Christmas comes, let every heart In Christmas customs bear its part: The old be young, the sad be gay And smiles chase every care away.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of boots (high button boots, rain boots, farm boots, etc.) . "Season's Greetings, 1949. From Our House to Your House." A young girl, who's decked out in winter clothes and boots, poses with Santa Claus (or a reasonable facsimile), who's also wearing boots. The girl posed with Santa again in 1950 for another photographic Christmas card. See Season's Greetings, 1950 .

A Swedish matchbox label branded with the names of Argus , the multi-eyed giant of Greek mythology, and Vulcan , the Roman god of fire. "The Argus Vulcan Safety Matches. Made at Sidaholm, Sweden. Contents 60 matches."

The business card for James D. Brinser, who was the superintendent of the Crescent Electric Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The card was printed by D. B, Landis, Pluck Print, Lancaster, Pa. I relied on listings and ads in various publications for the approximate date of 1895. The Annual Report of the Factory Inspector for Pennsylvania in the year 1894, for instance, gives the location of the Crescent Electric Company as 117 East Chestnut in Lancaster, as printed on the card. In 1896, however, Brinser assigned an Electric-Motor Fan patent to the Marietta Manufacturing Company in Marietta, Pa., which suggests that fans were no longer manufactured in Lancaster by that time. By 1898, the ads for Crescent Electric Fans indicated that the Marietta Manufacturing Company made them. The Crescent Electric Co. Manufacturers of Electric Motors and Fans 111 to 117 East Chestnut Street, Lancaster, Pa. Electrical and general machine repairing. Armature and magnet winding a specialty. New and second-hand motors in stock. Prompt attention. Obliging service. Reasonable prices. James Brinser, superintendent. Telephone.

A business card for William B. Probasco and James P. Lott, who were the proprietors of the Burch House hotel in Bloomington, Illinois, for a number of years in the 1860s. According to various sources (see below), Probasco purchased the hotel in 1866, but Lott left Bloomington and moved to Chicago in 1870, so their partnership in running the hotel lasted less than five years. -- Burch House newspaper ad, 1869 . An advertisment that ran in the Bloomington Weekly Leader , April 15, 1869, p. 7, provided the same information that's printed on the card. -- James P. Lott moved to Chicago in 1870 . An entry about "James P. Lott" in the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois (1905), vol. 2, Cook County edition, p. 939, states, "In January 1861, he came with his father to Bloomington, Ill., where he at first engaged in the grocery business, and afterward conducted a hotel. Coming to Chicago in 1870, he worked for his father's firm." -- William B. Probasco bought the Burch House in 1866 and ran the hotel until 1871 . Rochelle Gridley wrote about " The Probasco Family " on her 100 Years Ago in the Pantagraph blog, July 14, 2017, observing that William B. Probasco bought "the Burch Hotel in 1866 and ran that business until 1871, when he went into the grain business." -- William B. Probasco was in the business until 1871 . A profile of "W. B. Probasco" in The History of McLean County, Illinois (1879), p. 811, confirms that "he was engaged in the hotel business in Bloomington until 1871." Burch House, Cor. Front and Madison Sts., Bloomington, Illinois. Probasco & Lott, proprietors. Transient board, $2.00 per day. General stage office. Omnibus leaves the house. Connecting with all trains. W. B. Probasco. Jas. P. Lott.

"W. R. Cheney, Carriage Builder. Repairing and repainting done promptly. 26 North Christian St., Lancaster, Pa." William R. Cheney (1859-1932) was a blacksmith and carriage builder in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For similar business cards from the same job printer ( Pluck Print ), see Chas. O. Ursprung, Horse Collar Manufacturer, Lancaster, Pa. and William C. Myers, Practical Artesian Well Contractor, Salunga, Pa. For a card from another carriage maker, see Bardens Carriage Company, Horseshoers and Wagonmakers, West Orange, New Jersey .

See also a 1909 version of this pass. Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1908 Pass T. D. Leader and wife, foreman carpenters, Altoona Car Shops, over the Eastern & Western Pennsylvania Divisions, during the year 1908, unless otherwise ordered when signed by G. W. Creighton. Not good on Penna. Special or Penna. Limited or Trains 43 or 44. Employee. 2217. G. W. Creighton, gen'l supt., Eastern Penna. Div. S. C. Long, gen'l supt., Western Penna. Div.

See also a 1908 version of this pass. Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1909 Pass T. D. Leader and wife, foreman carpenters, Altoona Car Shops, over the Eastern & Western Pennsylvania Divisions, during the year 1909, unless otherwise ordered when signed by G. W. Creighton. Not good on Penna. Special or Penna. Limited or Trains 43 or 44. Employee. 593. G. W. Creighton, gen'l supt., Eastern Penna. Div. S. C. Long, gen'l supt., Western Penna. Div.

"Summit County Bank. Cuyahoga Falls, O. 1862. No. ______. 50. Pay the bearer fifty cents when like orders are presented in amounts of one or more dollars. W. A. Stanford. Lith. by A. S. Sanford, Cleveland, O." Unissued U.S. Civil War-era fifty-cent bank note.

"Rice & Robinson Soap Co., Petroleum Soaps. Presented by O. S. Rice. E. S. Rice, president. R. L. Rice, v, pres't & gen'l mgr. J. C. Robinson, sec'y. E. H. Beardsley, treas. Trademark. Drake. First oil well, 1859. Titusville, Pa. G. H. Dunston, Buffalo, N.Y. Over." The Drake Well Museum near Titusville, Pennsylvania, includes a replica of the historic Drake Oil Well , which is featured in the illustration on this card.