A postcard appears occasionally that tells a story so complex it is difficult to manage the many interwoven parts. The story of the Shire Oak in Headingley, England, is such a tale. Eighty years have passed since the spring winds blew the tree down, but a plaque will help you find the spot where it once stood. Postcard History tells the rest of the story.
It is doubtful that there was ever an painter who aspired to be a postcard artist. Artists are usually categorized by the work they do. There are realists, surrealists, cubists, fauvists, modernists, impressionists and many more. Henry B. Wimbush was a watercolorist who for most of his creative life worked for Raphael Tuck & Sons.
On a day in the year 79 the citizens of Pompeii realized they had built their city too near the front gate of hell. When demons of fire spewed from Vesuvius, they destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and thousands who lived there and the art they appreciated. It took 18 decades to recover it.
Have you ever noticed the exceedingly cheerful blue sky, the one with the puffy white clouds, that appears in so many chrome postcards? We’ve seen it thousands of times and took it for granted from the very first. Not so James Brouwer of British Columbia. He is more perceptive than us, so once when he was sorting his collection he noticed that the sky in several of his cards was similar. Which led him to compare hundreds of his chromes and sort them into groups with the same sky. He discovered that a great many of them were printed by the Dexter Press (you know, the printer that Diane Allmen wrote the checklist of in October 7, 2021’s Postcard History). Vox Media has produced a very clear video that tells the whole story.
“How long will it take before the collector becomes the collected?” CreamofCards TV muses on the tendency of some collectors to stamp the backs of their cards with ownership information. He makes the point that, without that, your collection will eventually be scattered among who knows how many newer collectors and your efforts will be lost. With an ownership stamp, your collection will be remembered.
He is one of America’s favorites! Bob Petley had a long and successful career in postcards. This account has it all; a biography, a checklist, and examples from the files of a man who had no reason to be funny but left us laughing at each other and ourselves for decades.
The whole world likes cats, but not because they are cute, cuddly, and comfortable company. We like cats because we admire their intellect, inquisitive nature, and independence. A cat knows his own mind and mankind admires that character trait. Louis Wain reminds us that we like cats with every piece of his art.
Postcard History is a free online magazine dedicated to vintage and historic picture postcards and the many stories associated with them. We feature richly illustrated articles designed to both inform and entertain postcard collectors and history buffs. We also provide the most comprehensive listing of forthcoming shows around. And there’s a rich trove of links to institutional and personal online postcard collections. There’s also a comprehensive, verified listing of active postcard clubs in the U. S. and Canada, which we’re working on expanding worldwide.
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