Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
My guess would be that the photo on this postcard was taken in Eastern Europe, possibly in the Carpathian mountains. The Carpathians stretch from Czechia down through parts of Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania, with Romania containing just over half the range (51%). At first glance the buildings seem to be in some disrepair,... Continue Reading →
This German Feldpost (field/military) postcard is dated Aug. 19, 1916. Infantrymen are being entertained by a man in civilian clothes holding a music box with the words "Automate à musique" on the front. Perched calmly on top of the music box is a black and white cat. A second man in civilian clothes stands a... Continue Reading →
This postcard came from the estate of Hazel Alberts Peterson (1898-1989). The photo was taken in front of the Young Ladies' Hall at Seattle Seminary, a Free Methodist secondary school that was expanding at this time along with the city nearby. Hazel Alberts is the girl in white who is seated on the railing of... Continue Reading →
This postcard shows a group of Seattle Pacific College students on a hiking trip in the temperate rainforest near Seattle. The photo may not have been taken during the same trip as the photos in the two previous posts, but was likely taken within a year or two. The postcard came from the estate of... Continue Reading →
This postcard shows a group of Seattle Pacific College students on a hiking trip in the temperate rainforest near Seattle. The image was reproduced in the June 1914 school yearbook, The Cascade, in a feature titled "Jolly Hikers." The postcard came from the estate of Hazel Alberts Peterson (1898-1989). For more information about Hazel and... Continue Reading →
This postcard shows a group of Seattle Pacific College students on a camping trip in the temperate rainforest near Seattle. The image was reproduced in the June 1914 school yearbook, The Cascade, in a feature titled "Jolly Hikers." The man at the back, second from left, is Winfred Nathan Thuline (1886-1982). Eventually I hope to... Continue Reading →
This postcard came from the estate of Hazel Alberts Peterson (1898-1989). As a girl, Hazel Alberts attended Seattle Seminary, a Free Methodist college preparatory school. College-level classes were introduced in 1910, and in 1915 the school's name was changed to Seattle Pacific College. For more information about Hazel and her family, please see the page... Continue Reading →
According to the Fall 2008 newsletter of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society, in 1928 Ed and Florence Clark moved to the town of Lincoln in the White Mountains of New Hampshire to raise sled dogs and demonstrate their abilities for tourists. On April 5, 1932, Florence summited Mt. Washington with a team of dogs, becoming... Continue Reading →
These postcards were acquired by a British or American sailor during the First World War. They were probably made available to the men as keepsakes of their service. In the image above, a line of sailors is visible in the distance, probably on a brief leave to sightsee. The snowy hills on the island below... Continue Reading →
On December 15, 1917, an armistice was signed between the Central Powers and the new revolutionary communist government of Soviet Russia. It went into effect two days later, on December 17. The Soviets wouldn't officially leave the war until the following March, after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, but the December armistice clearly felt like the... Continue Reading →
To continue the cooking theme of the previous post, this postcard from Germany is an unusual portrait of a young cook in her kitchen uniform. Taken in a studio against a rustic painted backdrop, her spotless white clothes glow under careful studio lighting. Like CDVs in the nineteenth century, individual postcard portraits were often exchanged... Continue Reading →
This photo postcard likely originated in northern Europe. The presence of a nun at the back of the room and a crucifix on the wall suggest the class may have been offered by a convent or other Catholic organization. The back provides no information.
Tokens of Companionship 
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