If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 753

 

 

 

 

   

Bloedel Conservatory, Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, ca 1970s

 

Two postcards from the same place are shared this week.  The top card is identified as a Première postcard published by Natural Color Productions, Ltd. Richmond, B.C., Canada.  The unused card features a color photograph by Marty Sheffer of the Bloedel Conservatory.  There is a blurb at the lower left corner on the reverse:  “AW 80B … Queen Elizabeth Park features many colorful walkways.  This photo was taken from above the Quarry Gardens with the Bloedel Conservatory in the background.”

 

The Bloedel Conservatory is located at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park.  One of the Canadian centennial 1867-1967 projects, it opened in 1969.  The architectural design is a triodetic dome.  It is both a conservatory and an aviary, with around 500 different species of plants and 200 birds.  Three habitats are represented: tropical rainforest, subtropical rainforest, and desert.

 

Because the city of Vancouver already held a lease and had built an open air water reservoir on the proposed site for the conservatory on top of Little Mountain in the park, the project faced complications.  A lid was constructed over the reservoir, and conditions were attached to the conservatory, such as, it could not detract from the natural beauty of the site nor jeopardize the quality of the potable water supply to the city.  In 2009 the Vancouver Park Board voted to close the conservatory due to a budget shortfall.  Several groups lobbied to keep it open.  In 2010 the Friends of the Bloedel Association and the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association submitted a proposal to run the Bloedel Conservatory as part of the VanDusen Botanical Gardens.  A joint proposal was accepted.  In 2013 the Friends of Bloedel won the City of Vancouver Heritage Commission Award of Honour.  VanDusen Botanical Garden Association later changed their name to the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association to reflect the joint management. 

 

The second card is a Majestic postcard also published by Natural Color Productions, Ltd., and printed by Lawson Graphics Pacific Limited, KS 6633.  There is a blurb at the lower left corner on the reverse:  “KM-91  Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.  This beautiful floral garden was the outcome of a transformed stone quarry.  To add to the beauty and interest the unique Bloedel Floral Conservatory was constructed.  The Conservatory and Gardens are only a portion of the reason thousands of people visit the park each year.  It features tennis courts, a pitch and putt golf course, walking trails and as the highest point in the city, an excellent view.  Photo by Gammarax Studios.”

 

 

 

Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, ca 1970s

 

Queen Elizabeth Park is a municipal part located on top of Little Mountain in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  It overs 130 acres and was once the site of basalt quarry. 

 

The park land was an old-growth forest and spawning ground for salmon before the European settlement.  By the 1870s settle population began exterminating the grey wolves, elk and bears, chopped down the old growth forest and paved the salmon creeks.  In 1936 the B.C. Tulip Assocation suggested sunken gardens could be created in the old quarries.  By the 1940s the site was turned over the Vancouver Park Board and became a park and recreational area.  A gift of $1.25 million by Prentice Bloedel funded open reservoirs and built the domed conservatory.  There are covered walkways, lighted fountains, and a sculpture by Henry Moore, “Knife Edge Two Piece, 1962-65.

 

Both cards come from Bob's scrapbook collection.  Thanks for sharing.

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloedel_Conservatory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_Park,_British_Columbia

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 752

   

 

 

 

   

 

Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, ca 1970s

 

Today’s postcard is another one shared by Bob who found several unused cards in a scrapbook recently.  This card is also a Majestic Postcard with a photograph by Rolly Ford of the Lions Gate Bridge at Dusk.  There is a blurb at the lower left corner on the reverse: “KM-6  … This is the largest suspension bridge in the British Empire.  It is 4,977 feet long; the suspended section is 2,778 feet long.  The height of the towers is 380 feet.  The bridge connects Vancouver proper with the Municipality of West Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver over the entrance of Burrad Inlet.  The North Shore Mountains form the background for this spectacular night view.”  The card was printed in Canada by Lawson Grphics Pacific Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia and published by Natural Color Productions Ltd., Richmond, B.C.  

 

Lions Gate Bridge opened in 1938 and was once known as First Narrows Bridge.  The bridge is the namesake of the locally founded company Lionsgate Films. The bridge has three lanes with the middle lane reversible.  The reversible lane has signals and changes direction to accommodate traffic patterns.  The volume of traffic averages between 60,000 and 70,000 vehicles a day.  Trucks over 13 tons and vehicles with studded tires are prohibited.  In 2005 Lions Gate Bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.  

 

Decorative lights that make the bridge a distinctive nighttime landmark were gifted to the city of Vancouver by the Guinness family in 1986.  There have been improvements and necessary updates over the years to the bridge to replace deteriorating concrete and improve the suspended structure of the original bridge.  In 2009 the lighting system was updated with new LED lights.  

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 751

  

 

 

 

 

Stanley Park Totems, Vancouver, Canada, ca 1970s

 

This unused Majestic souvenir postcard features a color photograph by Gammarax Studios, of totem poles found in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  The identifying alpha-numerica code, KS-6875, appears at the bottom of the center line on the reverse.  The card was printed in Canada by Lawson Graphics Pacific Limited and published by Natural Color Productions, Ltd. Richmond, B.C.  At the lower left corner on the reverse is a blurb:  “KM-3A  Totem Poles, Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  Indian carvings on each Totem Pole tell their own enchanting tale.  Each figure, animal, and head depicts some phase of life or belief of the early coast Indians.” 

 

There are ten totem poles at Brockton Point located in the easterly part of Stanley Park.  Four of them were originally brought from Alert Bay and placed at Lumbermen’s Arch in 1924.  Some of the poles were carved in the 1880s.  More poles were purchased in the 1920s and 1930s from the Haida Gwaii and Rivers Inlet.  All were moved to Brockton Point in 1962 when and overhead road at Lumberman’s Arch was built.  Many of the have since been replaced with replicas, the originals now kept in museums for preservation.  The most recent totem pole was carved by a member of the Squamish Nation in 2009.  The Totem Pole Interpretive Center has a gift shop and visitor center near the totem poles.

 

Thanks to Bob for sharing this card from his scrapbook collection.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brockton_Point

https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/totems-and-first-nations-art.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Park

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 750

 

 

 

 

Valentine, ca 1910-1915 signed by A. Heinmüller

 

Happy Valentine’s Day.  This Vintage Valentine illustration by A. Heinmüller is a reproduction by the local printing company, Laughing Elephant.  His signature is difficult to see but is found just under the barrel.  As was typical for this era, there is a poem or verse suitable for the holiday.

 

 

 

Signature of A. Heinmüller

 

The only information currently available is an AI Overview stating that A. Heinmüller was a prolific German illustrator in the early 1900s.  His illustrations appear on holiday postcards for Thanksgiving, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, and Valentine’s Day, etc.  Two companies were listed as publishers for holiday themed cards from 1895 to 1915; International Art Publishing, of Berlin, Germany and New York, founded by Wolf & Co., and, Art Lithographic Publishing Co.  Both were managed by Samuel Garre.   

 

Typical of German postcards of the era, the cards were embossed, lithographed images in bright colors with detailed scenes.  Heinmüller’s illustrations featured children, idealized women, dogs and seasonal holiday themes.  His signature appears as either A. Heinmüller or Heinmüller.  Most of his cards were published between 1907, when the divided back was introduced in the United States, and 1915.  He was a popular illustrator during the golden age of postcards.  The original postcards are collectible and known for their charm.

 

For additional information, see:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:International_Art_Publishing_Co.

https://laughingelephant.com/

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 749

 

 

 

 

Bruges – Entrée du Béguinage – Brugge – Ingang vn het Begijnhof, ca 1920s

This unused postcard has a perforated top edge indicating that it was in a booklet of souvenir cards.  The black and white photograph featured on the card shows the entry way and part of a bridge that leads into a Beguinage or what might be termed a retreat or commune center for women.  The location is identified as Bruges, the largest city in West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium.  The dominant language in the area is Dutch even though the card’s title puts the French title first.  The card has a divided back.  No information blurb or photographer is provided.  There is the number 14 at the lower left corner on the reverse.  That may indicate that it was number 14 in the booklet.  The logo was used in the 1920s and is the means to estimate the date of the picture.  ARFO postcards were based in Bruxelles, Belgium. 

 

 

Logo of ARFO postcards, used in the 1920s

 

Who or what were beguines?  They were religious women who lived in a community but did not take vows or retire from the world.  A superior, called a mistress or prioress, provided guidance.  Sometimes the Beguinage was a single dwelling suitable for a small number of women but some were large complexes with courtyards and several houses.  The community was mostly self-sufficient with a central chapel or church, a brewery, a bakery, and a hospital as well as a farm.  Beguinages originated as early as the 12^th century and existed in cities and towns in the Low Countries until the 18^th century.  Today the only preserved Beguinage in Bruges is Ten Wijngaerde.  The picture on the card is only called the Beguinage of Bruges.  Besides the one in Belgium, there are others in the Netherlands and Luxembourg that are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beguinage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princely_Beguinage_Ten_Wijngaerde,_Bruges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruges

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_ARFO_Postcard,_Bruxelles.jpg

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 748

 

 

 

 

 

Ohio Amish Country, ca 1970

 

Wilbur Evans published this unused postcard from the 1970s.  The blurb at the upper left on the reverse: “Ohio Amish Country.  During the summer months the AMISH hold Sunday Church Meetings outdoors.  White shirts, black vests, and straw hats if the dress of the Amish gentlemen.”  One woman can also be seen in the picture.  She is wearing the traditional bonnet, black jumper style dress with a long-sleeved blouse.  The card is identified as a “Lusterchrome” product made by Tichnor Bros. of Boston, Mass.  The trademark for the company was filed in 1955 and expired in 1996.  

 

Holmes County has the largest settlement of Amish in Ohio with Geauga County coming in second.  There are approximately 84,000 Amish people living in Ohio.  They are one of the religious groups that formed from Anabaptist Christianity.  Those groups include:  Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Beachy Amish, Old Order Mennonites, and Conservative Mennonites. 

 

The Ohio settlement began when Jacob Miller and his sons, Henry and Jacob, came from Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1808 and built a cabin at Sugarcreek, Tuscarawas County.  Henry wintered over on the claim while his sons returned to Pennsylvania.  The rest of the family returned the next year.  By 1810 and 1811 eight more families had joined the group now at Walnut Creek.  By 1818 prices per acre had been reduced by the government encouraging more people to move to Ohio.  By 1835, 250 Amish families had settled in Holmes County.

 

The traditional source of income is farming.  They use manual and horse powered labor only.  There is a cooperative wholesaler, Green Field Farms, of organic agricultural products.  Membership in the co-op is limited to only those who use horse-drawn vehicles.   Many of the Amish people supplement their farming income with sales of hand-made goods, such as brooms, baskets, quilts, leather goods, woodworking, and other items sold from homes or from local shops. 

 

I remember when my son and his wife, who had just moved to Ohio, joined a “box” cooperative that supplied vegetables and other produce in season.  Part of the requirement was to work a certain number of hours at the farm.  My son, a college professor, was there one summer day when a few Amish girls or young women arrived and began working the fields, planting and digging.  He marveled that they could be out there all day in the heat and humidity wearing long dark dresses and bonnets, while he had to retreat several times to the cool shade and have drinks of water.   

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Amish_County

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 747

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rothéneuf, Cȏte d’Émeraude, Un coin du Havre, France, ca early 1900s

 

This is an unused, divided back, postcard with a black & white picture by the French photographer and postcard publisher, Henri Le Malloit (1866-1953).  The title identifies the view as part of the harbor.  Rothéneuf is a seaside village resort community located in northwest France not far from Saint-Malo. 

 

The Emerald Coast, or Cȏte d’Émeraude, is a name given to the English Channel coast of eastern Brittany near the border with Normandy, France.  Eugene Herpin, who was a lawyer and historian, named it because of the colors of the sea and the shore.  It was hoped the name would encourage tourism and development. 

 

Thursday postcard #605, dated 27 April 2023, has another view of Rothéneuf that includes the famous sculptures in the rocks that were created by Abbé Fouré, who lived as a hermit in the cliffs above Rothéneuf. To see it, use the search option on the blog:  Rotheneuf.  

 

The photographer, Henri Le Malloit, used this logo on his postcards:

 

 

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27%C3%89meraude

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roth%C3%A9neuf

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Henry_Le_Malliot