This humorously cynical postcard is was copyrighted in 1907 and mailed in 1909. The name C. Eckstone is present on the front of the card, as it is on many postcards produced just after the turn of the century. The artists full name and biography are unknown.
EL JOMAR …on the Gulf of Mexico
4300 Gulf Boulevard
St. Petersburg Beach, Florida
“A new and different concept of resort living in the tropics. 200 ft. of private beach. All units are air conditioned and have free TV. A panoramic view of the gulf from EVERY unit. Your choice: bedroom apts., studio apts,. or hotel rooms. Bridal Suite. Daily maid service. Open year ’round.”
An interesting collage-like postcard, featuring the Phillips Hotel while also showcasing other Kansas City landmarks. The postcard was mailed in 1946.
You guessed it, this panorama shows the Third International Pageant of Pulchritude and Ninth Annual Bathing Girl Revue, held at Galveston, Texas in 1928.
Here’s a panorama of the second “International Pageant of Pulchritude” (and Eighth Annual Bathing Girl Review) in Galveston, Texas.
This panoramic photograph from 1926 shows the contestants in the “First International Pageant of Pulchritude & Seventh Annual Bathing Girl Review”, held in Galveston, Texas. This was the first international beauty pageant, one that would later be called the Miss Universe Pageant. I consider myself to be reasonably literate, but I must admit that the word “pulchritude” threw me for a loop. I looked it up, and in case you too were befuddled, pulchritude is a fancy word for “beauty”. Well let me just say, there was a passel of pulchritudinous princesses parading about in that pageant!
Volkswagen endeared itself to the American public by creating ads that were humorously self-deprecating long before it was commonplace to do so. This magazine advertisement is from 1962, the first year that the Volkswagen would come from the factory with a gas gauge.
Last week I shared some postcards and photos of the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs, but I had forgotten I had this one. Postmarked in 1912, it was made by the Detroit Publishing Co.
An Aerial Honeymoon appears to have been a comic stage show centering around a newlywed couple seeking privacy aboard a crowded airship. The suggestive farce from the Byrne Brothers followed a lengthy run of their production, Eight Bells.
Wade Park Manor was Cleveland, Ohio’s most luxurious address when it opened in 1923. The eleven-story hotel had 143 suites, and overlooked the Cleveland Museum of Art’s lagoon. The hotel survived the great depression but was never the same, falling into decline until it became a retirement facility in 1964.
This postcard is probably one of the earlier “chrome” cards, as it’s artwork is reminiscent of that found on the earlier linen cards. I suspect that the image would have looked more naturalistic on the textured surface of a linen card, as the colors here are pretty strong. The description reads:
Cameron Motor Lodge
New, Ultra Modern, Fireproof
Private Tile Baths, Steam Heat
Air-Conditioned & Ceiling Fans. Telephone 8171
On U.S. 341 and 23, two blocks from the center of
town and U.S. 280 and U.S. 319 and 441.
McRae, Georgia
WAYNE’S MOTEL
Route U. S. 441, State 71
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
“20 new modern units with tile baths, tub and shower combination. Air conditioned and air cooled. Electric heat. Kitchenettes. In the heart of the attractions at Pigeon Forge, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains. Phone Sevierville, Tenn. 2640. P. O. Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open the year around. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ogle, Owner-Mgrs.”
Founded in 1895, the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben was an organization whose initial purpose was to keep the city of Omaha as the host of the Nebraska State Fair. The Knights diversified their goals over time, becoming an important civic/philanthropic organization. Ak-Sar-Ben Field was built to generate revenue to fund their charitable contributions, with the thoroughbred racetrack opening in 1920 and the Coliseum in 1929. (don’t tell anyone… Ak-Sar-Ben is Nebraska spelled backwards)
Besides the “last day at school” photo that I posted yesterday, other group photos of kids are included in “Beulah’s Album”, a couple of which appear to have been taken at the same time and place. Again, these photos all appear to date from the 1930s. How amusing that the boys and girls are segregated in the photos. (except for the fourth picture…I’m not sure what’s going on in that one)
