The Soap Box

There seems to have been a lot of soapbox speechifying in the past week on a variety of topics so when I came upon this postcard, sent to my grandmother's sister, Mayme, in June of 1909, I had to laugh. (Mayme was not a well young lady so the family sent her postcards from their travels--exotic places like Glenham, South Dakota and Nelson, Wisconsin.)

I love the slightly quizzical look--dripping with false piety--that we see on the gentleman's face. His coat, top hat, and what appears to be a bible provide a clever juxtaposition to the soap box he sits on and the sentiment expressed on the card. And since clearly that wasn't humor enough...the writer scribbled in pencil on the card (you can see this if you click on the image): "Do you think that's so?" runs up the side and "Angelic He! Ha!" is at the top.

Even better is the verso, though. It's all in ink, informing the family of when the writer will be home and asking if they all still "chew the rag as much as ever, ha ha" but then, in altogether different penciled handwriting is the following..."Don't think I ment {sic} slur by sending, but I thot {sic} it was pretty good." It seems as if the sender realizes that the intended recipients may not see the same humor as he does within the vignette. A century later, though, we're all in on the joke.

This is me stepping off my soapbox, then, to bid farewell to February's chilly winds and bid welcome to the spring breezes of March.

Having Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Here...

Happy St. Valentine's Day to one and all!

Earlier this morning I was flipping through my postcard collection looking for something all Valentiney and sweet. While I found some lovely floral arrangements--complete with gold glitter in some cases--with detailed embossing, there was nothing covered with cupids or hearts. (I'd later realize those are probably in Minnesota with my mother as she used them as inspiration for a quilting project, I think.) No worry, the bouquet of roses I did find served my purpose just fine.

I used to be a much more avid postcard collector than I have been lately, but I've still managed to pick up a few over the past couple of years in little wayside shops or even on e-bay. Some of them are quite fun and I'll try to post them here now and then or as the spirit moves me.

As an opener though, a couple of favorites that have a little story to tell...

Any (either) of you who have read my earlier pieces know how much I love Paris. I came upon these postcards one afternoon at a shop in my hometown of Rochester, Minnesota. They are at first glance, perfectly nice photos of Paris...Sacre Coeur and The Opera. But what compelled me to buy them was the little near short-story on their reverse sides. It's hard to see on the Opera Garnier card which was damaged in a move, but both cards are addressed to a loved one, a misspelled Ahmie rather than Amie. (If you enlarge the photo below you can read Bill's note to his Ahmie.) I surmised Bill was a GI in Paris and he'd bought a pack of cards to send home to his wife or girlfriend. The back of the Opera card reads: Ahmie: I didn't get to see this building. It is one of the nicer buildings in Paris I guess. It was in the collection I bought so on to my honey. Love Bill. The reverse of the Sacre Coeur card reads as follows: Ahmie: Another place I didn't get to see. Maybe I will get a chance one day. What ever [sic] it is looks pretty good. Love, Bill. 

I remember being charmed at how nonchalant our Bill was about the structures, surely two of the most famous and most recognized buildings in the City of Light, but not to our GI. His comment that Sacre Coeur "looks pretty good, what ever it is" is really charming. 

And then there's the handwriting...Bill had really lovely handwriting for a man...in fact, it is almost too perfect. At any rate, this little glimpse into a couple, whether they were married or just young lovers, is delightful to me. I can almost imagine the girl, Bill's Ahmie, showing the cards to her friends and remarking on how kind it was of Bill to think of her or how Bill would've enjoyed the cosmopolitan delights of Paris. A delicious little reverie for St. Valentine's Day, no?