Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: axes

"A heart and a hand, / All thy own to the last. Th. Moore." Postmarked in Ellicottville, N.Y., March 16, 1909. The couplet on this postcard is from a poem, "Come, Rest in This Bosom," by the Irish poet Thomas Moore .

For the Vintage Photos Theme Park, a photo of troublemakers and misfits (that guy always was a troublemaker: photo featuring a misfit—someone set apart from the rest of the people by dress, action, expression, etc.) . A jolly bunch of men and women are posing under a tree—and on a tree house or platform attached to the tree—for what turned out to be an overexposed photo that then faded over time. After I scanned the photo and adjusted its contrast, I was able to spot some interesting details, like the beaming smiles on some of the women's faces and the bow ties and striped shirts worn by a few of the men. One fellow at upper right is smoking a pipe and holding the legs of a guy who's sitting on the railing above him. And then there's the dude who's smack dab in the middle of the group (see a cropped version for a close-up view). He's puffing on a cigarette and seems to be lunging toward a man in the front row. Judging by the blur of the hatchet he's holding in his raised hand, the man in front received a blow to the head just after the photographer snapped the photo. Or at least that seems to be what this troublemaker wanted us to believe. Notice, too, how the young woman to the left of the hatchet wielder is grinning. It's hard to tell if she's in on the joke or is actually oblivious to the impending hatchet chop. P.S. For another rabble-rouser caught on film, see Aieeeeee!!!

"Worst clam bake I ever went to. Tables set in open field. Broiling hot sun. Clams half done. One waiter to our table. Everything in the bake was smoky. Everybody disgusted. C. L. Deane." Complaints about the food and service at a clambake that was held over 125 years ago. For more information, see the front of this ticket :

"Bristol County Association. G.A.R. Clambake. Riverview Park, Labor Day. Seat No. 332." Handwritten additions to the front of this ticket: "C. L. Deane & J.D.H. Jr. Sep. 6/88. (over.)" Handwritten note on the back (see below): "Worst clam bake I ever went to. Tables set in open field. Broiling hot sun. Clams half done. One waiter to our table. Everything in the bake was smoky. Everybody disgusted. C. L. Deane." "C. L. Deane" was clearly displeased with the food and service at the clambake that he and "J.D.H. Jr." attended as part of an early observance of Labor Day in 1888. The Bristol County Association, based in Bristol County, Massachusetts, was a local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), an American Civil War veterans' organization. C. L. Deane may have been Charles Learned Deane (1871-1955). If so, he would have been only 17 years old when he registered his complaints about the clambake on his ticket for seat no. 332.

"The Revolt of Turkey. Bernhardt Wall. Copyright 1907 The Ullman Mfg. Co. New York. 2130." This appears to be a case of domestic poultry unrest rather than foreign political intrigue.

The humor of this postcard may not be evident to us today, but when it was published in the early twentieth century the poem that it refers to— Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight —was well known. It tells the story of a brave woman who prevents a bell from ringing in order to stop the planned execution of her lover (Wikipedia provides a synopsis and reprints the entire poem in case you're interested in the details). So—as the original recipient of a postcard like this would have realized—it's ludicrous to compare a woman's heroic efforts to spare her lover's life with a boy's attempt to stop the ax from turning his pet turkey into Thanksgiving dinner. To top things off, the kid's wide-eyed expression and wild gesticulations (as if he's reciting a dramatic poem!) makes the situation seem even more absurd.

"25 Firemans Cards, 20 cts." A card pasted in an "Agent's Sample Book" that was issued by an unidentified calling card company. For an example of another card that was in the "Agent's Sample Book," see Comic Imp Card: I Am ________, Who the Devil Are You? For other firemen's calling cards, see below for C. H. Moscrip, H. G. Phelps Hose Company No. 1, Sidney, N.Y. , Eugene O. Chase, Second Leading Hoseman, Danielsonville, Conn. , and Fireman Calling Card .

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

A young George Washington on a die-cut trade card shaped like an axe head. "Rosenbaum & Co., 208 North Eighth St.," Philadelphia, Pa. See Catalogue of Rosenbaum and Co.: Fall Season, 1881-82 for illustrations of the picture frames and other items that were available from this company.

A beards photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten note on the back of this real photo postcard: "Uncle Jim in the Old Timers Parade." I don't know where or when this "Old Timers Parade" took place, and I'm not even sure which one is "Uncle Jim." I'm certain, though, that it must have taken quite some time for these fellows to put on grow those long beards and moustaches!

"The Fireman. A Dealer in Chops." Axe chops, of course, not pork chops!

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of I Should Have Known Better - people engaged in potentially risky behavior or suffering the aftereffects of a mishap . I think this was intended to be funny, but it seems more scary than amusing.

A young Lizzie Borden playing with her friends. 8-)