#98--Why Did You Send Me a Card with a Pig on It?

A new year will be here in a just a few days.  I looked to see if I had an old New Year’s post card that someone had sent to my father, and I was surprised to find that I did.  Here it is:

I also have a Pinterest Board devoted to vintage New Year’s cards.  Sometimes, I go online and find cards to add to my collection and at other times, I like to just look at them.  Today was a day to look and pick several to put in this blog.  I noticed that the cards fell in several categories.

First were those like this one that involved Father Time, and sometimes Baby New Year.

Partying to celebrate the New Year, often with champagne

Or the coming of the New Year

And one theme that I found rather unusual:  pigs.  As it turns out, pigs are a symbol for good luck.  Of all the pig cards, this is the one I liked the best.

I cannot decide which one I like the best, but that big pig makes me laugh.

#87--Traveling with Chester Ingersol Richards

I have blogged before (#14--Mail for you--Chester Richards) about my collection of old postcards.  Some of them are over 100 years old, they have been sent to my great grandmother, grandmother, parents, and me.  Others have been purchased; before the days of digital photography, you were never knew whether or not the pictures you took would come out.  So those postcards were a backup to the photographs. 

Since it is summer and people are traveling, I thought I would blog again about some of my old postcards.  I never realized the amount of  genealogical information that you could get from a

postcard.  Not only do you know when and where the sender was and what the sender was doing, you also learn where the receiver lived and perhaps their relationship to the sender.  If you have those cards over time, you may be able to see when and where the receiver moved. 

My great uncle Chester (Chet)  Ingersol Richards was a great traveler and sender of postcards.  I have cards that he to his mother, Mary Jane Cochrane Richards, his brother, William F. Richards,his sister, Gertrude Richards Hannah and other relatives.   From city directories I knew where they lived, but the postcards gave me additional information.  For example I found that in 1905 Mary Jane Richards was visiting her daughter, Gertrude, in Auburn, because the card was sent to Gertrude’s husband’s office.  Chet and his brother, Will, were business partners.  I learned the address of that business because he always wrote his brother at their business address— 59-61 Reade Street, NYC.

Unfortunately, Chet was not a great correspondent.  All of the postcards below have pretty much the same message.  "Leave tomorrow....Much love, Chet."

This card he sent to his aunt, Emily Cochrane in March of 1908

This one from Constantinople was sent to his sister, Gertrude Richards Hannah in 1909.

His brother, William Fisher Richards received this card from Switzerland.  Unfortunately the date is not readable.  

Now I love to travel so I would really like to have a long conversation with Uncle Chet.  I would want to know where his favorite places were, what he liked to do on his travels, what steamships he took, and what advice he would give me about traveling.  I would also be interested in his reaction to learning that now we can fly to Europe from the United States in less than 7 hours.  

#81 Happy Valentine's Day

Esther Howland Card

With Valentine’s Day this coming weekend, I was reminded that I had some wonderful old Valentine postcards that were sent to my father in the early 1900’s.   I wondered about the history of Valentine’s Day cards, so it was off to the internet to do some research.   What did I find?  Briefly, beginning in the 1600’s it was not uncommon to give small gifts, poems, and notes expressing affection.   In the early 1800’s printed cards gained in popularity.  In England, cards were made out embossed paper and lace.  Having received one of those cards, Esther Howland in Worcester Massachusetts began printing similar cards in the United States.

While very fancy Valentine Day cards replete with real bird feathers, glass tokens, and dried flowers were popular during the Victorian Era, by 1900 printed Valentine postcards became popular. While the format may have changed the messages pretty much remained the same—sentimental expressions of affection.  I was interested to learn that recipients typically kept their cards, often putting them in albums.  I do have an album of cards collected by my mother, but the cards from my father’s family were kept in a box in the basement!

Here are a couple of the postcards that I particularly like:

The verse reads "My heart is small, but it true,

And I will offer it to you"

It was send in 1911, when my father was 7 years old.  It came from Auburn, New York so I think it may have been sent by his cousins, the Rosses, who in their message ask if he has reached the stage of having a girl friend yet.

This next one came from Manchester, New Hampshire in 1910 from Nellie.  I have no idea who Nellie was, but she asked if he remembered her helping him send out Valentines last year and hopes he gets lots of them this year.

This last one was send without a message, but by the handwriting I am betting that it was send by his mother,  The message is 

"When looking for someone to love you a lot,

I am hoping that you will forget me not"

If you like old postcards, you might want to look at my Pinterest Board:  Vintage Postcards.  I have lots of Valentine cards as well as card for most other holidays.  

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#76 Cochrane--Thank You Cousin Addie

The theme for this week is Thanksgiving.  Those who know me know that I have a collection of postcards.  Most of them are from places that my family or I have visited. Buying postcards before the advent of digital cameras was one way to insure that you had a image of the sights that you had seen. However, I also have holiday postcards and those are most special to me because they were sent to my father, when he was a little post.

I have several Thanksgiving cards;

This one is my favorite.  It was sent to my father in 1909 by his cousin, Addie Cochrane.  

I also have some other Thanksgiving cards.  I like this one because it combines the traditional colonial woman and boy with a turkey.

Turkeys seem to typify Thanksgiving.  Here is another card with a turkey featured on it.

I am grateful that my family kept these cards and that I am able to share them with you.

#14 Mail for You--Chester Ingersoll Richards

I come from a sentimental family—we keep lots of things.  Postcards are one item that we keep, both those bought to remember a trip and those received from friends and relatives. When I cleaned out my parents’ home, I found a box of postcards, most dated from the 1900’s to 1930’s.  So I added them to those my parents and I had,  and there was quite a collection.  Some had messages on them, others did not.  One set of cards that I found particularly interesting was from my great uncle Chester Richards (1867--1940) . 

                In 1908 Uncle Chet and his wife went to Europe.  I have cards he sent to his brother, his sister and his aunt.  The first card is from Cairo, Egypt and is of the Shephard's Hotel.  

Much going on here all the time.  Leave Sunday for Constantinople. 

With love,   

 Chet

The second one goes with the first as it is from Constantinople.

 Arrived here today.  Was on the water 4 days from Alexandria.  Terrible ??? but the weather was fine.  Much love,
Chet

I am not sure where the following fits in the trip, but here is one from Rome:

Arrived here Monday afternoon.  Sunday morning I attended Mass at St. Peters, the largest cathedral in the world.  Rome is full of priests, seminarians, and nuns. 

Love, 

Chet

I would love to more about this trip.  Where else did they go?  How long were they gone?  How did they get from place to place?

Where would you like to go?  Click on Comments and add your places.