Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: mandolins

I chose musicians in order to pick a theme about people (or any other topic) for the first week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The handwritten message on the front of this real photo postcard (see the left-hand side) is: "Vara Light, 928 Maple St., Lebanon, Pa. Answer soon." There's no stamp or postmark on the other side, but Vara Light addressed the postcard to " Miss Sarah Zimmerman , Linglestown, Pa.," and also wrote a message: "This is a picture taken at Mt. Aetna last summer. The one standing is my uncle, a minister. Also the one with the violin [meaning that the violinist is also one of her uncles?]. The lady with the guitar is my aunt. Am working now in Lebanon. Tell Miles to answer my card." This postcard back has an AZO stamp box (four corner triangles pointing up), which suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918. Vara Katherine Light married William Hoehle Keller on September 1, 1910, and at that time her address was 330 N. 9th Street, Lebanon, Pa. It seems likely, then, that the card dates to sometime prior to their wedding. I haven't been able to identify which of Vara's aunts and uncles might be the musicians in the photo, but they may have been siblings of her father, Harry Henry Light , who was a prominent businessman in Lebanon, Pa. I previously posted a Small-Town Parade with Cornet Band and Church Float photo for the theme of people playing musical instruments in 2014 and another photo showing Pop Morehead's Family for the theme of musicians and musical instruments this past April. For other photos and ephemera, see my Music and Musicians album.

Cropped version of a real photo postcard See also the full version (below). Handwritten on the front of this postcard: Dear Mr. Morrow, With kindest regards a photo taken of our club. Yours truly, E. T. Ziegler. Photograph taken Christmas 1905. 1. Violin: Mr. Kusenberg 2. Mandolin: Mr. Rieger 3. Mandola: Mr. Philippi 4. Zither: Mr. Berger 5. Guitar: Mr. Haring 6. Banjo: Mr. Ziegler Back of card: Addressed to "Mr. F. S. Morrow, Music Teacher, Green St., Harrisburg, Pa., U.S.A." Postmarked Sterkrade, Germany, January 8, 1906.

See also a cropped version of this real photo postcard. Handwritten on the front of this postcard: Dear Mr. Morrow, With kindest regards a photo taken of our club. Yours truly, E. T. Ziegler. Photograph taken Christmas 1905. 1. Violin: Mr. Kusenberg 2. Mandolin: Mr. Rieger 3. Mandola: Mr. Philippi 4. Zither: Mr. Berger 5. Guitar: Mr. Haring 6. Banjo: Mr. Ziegler Back of card: Addressed to "Mr. F. S. Morrow, Music Teacher, Green St., Harrisburg, Pa., U.S.A." Postmarked Sterkrade, Germany, January 8, 1906.

In addition to the musical instruments--a bass, guitar, mandola (I think), another guitar, accordion, and jug --that the members of this country-western band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are holding, there are also three more--a banjo, musical saw , and fiddle--on the floor in front of the group.

"Arizona Kid and His Cow Girls, Reading, Pa., 1941. Arizona Kid, Sun Set, Texas Jean, Moon Beam, Utah Ginny, Montana Patsy, Popeye, Chuckles, Winnie, and Sheriff and Cactus Sam. WYZ."

Mary Jane and Her Merry Melody Makers gave performances in Pennsylvania and other states in the 1940s. One newspaper ad billed the group as "A big company of maiden musicians with a comedian who gets laughs" ( Gettysburg Times , Oct. 1, 1943), and another described the show as a "program of dances, acrobatics, marimbas, songs, and comedy" ( Reading Times , Aug. 16, 1946). For other photos of the group on Flickr, see Rita's Mary Jane & Merry Melody Makers and Colin Aitchison's Mary Jane & Her Merry Melody Makers 1930's .