Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: mice

A 1923 invitation for a Halloween get-together at the Edwin Forrest House , which was the location of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now the Moore College of Art and Design ). I haven't been able to determine whether "Amy Lee" and "Mrs. Kuhir" were associated with the school in any way. Greetings for Halloween We invite you to meet with us at Edwin Forrest House at the hour of any o'clock to hold revel on the mystic Hallowe'en. Handwritten note on the back of this postcard: "To Mrs. Kuhir, All good wishes from Amy Lee. 1923." Printed on the back: "Series No. 297, Hallowe'en, 6 designs."

A Halloween postcard, circa 1920s. Hallowe'en Greetings When the candles flicker When the wind goes woo-oo May it mean a fortune Mighty good for you.

An early twentieth-century postcard with a parody of the well-known nursery rhyme. Mary and Her Little Lamb Mary had a little lamb You've often heard it said The lamb that Mary took to school Was on a slice of bread. Blackboard: The dog and cat / a big rat.

A cyanotypes photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "You can use this to keep the mice and rats away. Yes, I will keep the dog in and put out the key. A.S." Addressed to: Miss Maud W. Parker, North Lubec, Maine. Postmarked: South Lubec, ME, Oct. 18, 1906, and North Lubec, ME, Oct. 18, 1906. The joke about a photographic portrait being so bad or ugly that it scares away rodents, insects, and burglars was evidently a common one in the early twentieth century. Another version, for instance, appeared in a 1911 letter sent to American musician and composer William D. Dawson: "My Dear Mr. Armstrong: I duly received, welcome, and possessed myself of your portrait and am glad to have it. At the same time I am ashamed to recall that I have so long neglected to acknowledge it or to send the reciprocal photo to you. I have autographed one this evening and it will be shipped by freight tomorrow. It is warranted to scare away rats and burglars" (see W. T. Norton, William Dawson Armstrong, American Composer , New York: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1916, p 87). For another 1906 real photo postcard with a "scare away the rats" joke, see Guaranteed to Rid Any Cellar of Rats, Roaches, or Other Creatures (below).