If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 436

Sphinx of Naxos, Greece

The photograph on this unused postcard is of the Greek Sphinx of Naxos.  Although there is no message or address on the card and it does not appear to have been used it is stamped with a date:  25 IV 58 or 25 April 1958.  It is hard to tell if this was in lieu of a stamp like some pre-stamped postcards that can be purchased.  The only other information on the reverse is “Mimosa” printed on the center dividing line and “Kiel” printed at the bottom of the center line.  I found this card in with a jumble of mixed cards at a local antique mall and was attracted by the elegance of the statue.  

Ancient sphinxes can be found in many different countries and also in more modern artwork.  During the Renaissance there was a major revival of the sphinx image in decorative art.  Stylized sphinxes, as sculptures and images, can be found in Art Deco works as well.  

Originally the Sphinx of Naxos was a 7 ft or 2.2 m tall sphinx mounted on a 32 ft or 10 m tall column with ionic capitals and erected next to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi.  Today it is displayed in the Delphi Archaeological Museum.  Unlike the Egyptian sphinx that has a male head, the Greek sphinx has a female head.  The Greek sphinx was considered to have ferocious strength and acted as a guardian with one or more often flanking a temple entrance.  Viewed as treacherous and merciless the sphinx would pose riddles to those wanting to enter or pass by her.  If the riddle could not be answered or was answered incorrectly she would kill and eat the individual. 

The sphinx was also associated with royal tombs.  Designed to look like a bird of prey, with the chest and wings composed of impressive carved feathers, the tips of the wings are turned upward.  The body is that of a lioness. 

Fragments of this statue were excavated from the Temple of Apollo sanctuary in 1860 with the remainder found in 1893.  It was carved from a large piece of Naxian marble.   The solid construction gives the impression of motion and vitality with details of hair, chest and wings.  Most carvings at the time, around 560 BC, were reliefs while this one is three-dimensional.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx_of_Naxos

If this Thursday it must be postcards, 435

Stens Masugn, Grafversfors, Sweden, ca early 1900s

This vintage postcard with a photograph of Stens Grafversfors [Graversfors], Sweden has an undivided back and no postage stamp.  A note on the address side of the card states that only the address is to be written on that side.  Divided backs replaced undivided backs around 1900-1910 in most countries making it possible to guess at the year the card was sent.  Without a stamp or postmark it suggests that the card may have been sent in an outer envelope with a letter or in a package instead of being mailed separately.

Reverse

Addressed to Carl Sköld, the message under the picture says:  “A greeting from mother.”   I think it is possible that this scene was a familiar one to Carl who may have lived near here before he left Sweden for America.  Carl was born in 1886 in Kvillinge, Östergötland, Sweden.  He immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 in 1903 and first lived in McKeesport, Pennsylvania where he was living in 1908 and filed the Declaration of Intention papers to become a naturalized citizen.  He received his citizenship in 1914 when living in Seattle, Washington.  That puts the date of the card to between 1903 when he arrived and 1907/1908 when divided backs were introduced.

The scene shown on the card is of Graversfors mill or stone mill named after Jacob Gravers who started the mill around 1736.  Carl Ekman, another mill owner, bought Graversfors in 1857 because the furnaces at his original mill were not sufficient for the manufacture of iron.  Ekman built a new furnace in Graversfors in 1860.  In 1861 the railway line between Katrineholm and Norrköppnat opened for travel.  Then in 1869 the Graversfors post office was established.  From that time until the 1920s Graversfors thrived with trade and had a school.  Times turned bad and the mill was closed in 1936.  The post office closed in 1964 and rail traffic ceased in 1969.  The station house was demolished.  Today Graversfors consists mostly of recreational buildings.

For more information see:

https://sv.wikiopedia.org/wiki/Graversfors
https://www.ancestry.com/

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 434

“The Flood,” Flemish tapestry, ca 1550
[photo:  Jerzy Malinowski]

This postcard has a photograph by Jerzy Malinoswki showing a group of people struggling with the waters on a fragment or section of the tapestry titled “The Flood.”  Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza [KAW] distributed the card.   The tapestry is part of King Sigismund Augustus’s collection found at the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków, Poland.  The design is one created from a drawing by Michiel Coxcie and dates to about 1550.

Sigismund II Augustus, born 1520 and died 1572, was the son of Sigismund I the Old.  He was King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Lithuania.  His reign covered the years 1548 to his death in 1572.  He was the last male member of the Jagiellons and although he was married 3 times he died childless thus ending the reign of the line.  A passionate collector of jewels he was said to have had 16 chests of precious items including a ruby worth about 80,000 scudos as well as a diamond medal with the Habsburgs Eagle on one side.  He also collected tapestries and is recorded to have had 360 pieces commissioned in Brussels between 1550 and 1560. 

Michiel Coxie (1499-1592) was a Flemish painter.  Coxie studied in Rome where he painted the chapel of Cardinal Enckenvoirt in the church of Santa Maria dell’Anima.  However, his principal occupation was designing for engravers.  He returned to the Netherlands where he continued to work on altarpieces.  In 1541 he became the court painter to the Regent Maria of Austria.  Later Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, by Philip II of Spain and by Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva, patronized him.  During that time he also designed tapestries for the Brussels looms. 

Traditionally tapestries are woven by hand on a loom with wool, linen or cotton as the thread although sometimes silk, gold, silver or other alternative threads might also be incorporated into the designs.  Decorative tapestries could be rolled up and moved from place to place as desired by the owner.  Typically the designs might include symbols, mottoes, coats of arms, religious and mythological images, or hunting themes.  Tapestries were also hung on interior walls of castles for insulation during the winter.

Wawel Castle located in Kraków, Poland was built during the 13th and 14th centuries at the behest of King Casimir III Great.  It consists of several structures surrounding an Italian-styled courtyard.  In 1978 the castle was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Kraków.


For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund_II_Augustus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiel_Coxie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussel_tapestry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawel_Castle

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 433

Stone House, Manassas Virginia, 1862

[photo from the collection of Manasses National Battlefield Park]

This is an unused postcard with a hand-printed photograph taken in 1862 of the Stone House located on Warrenton Turnpike (U.S. 29) in Virginia.  The picture is from the Manassas National Battlefield Park and was published and distributed by Cards Unlimited, Inc. of Keysville, Virginia.  The code at the lower left corner on the reverse side is:  MB 001.  

The photograph is not large enough to see much detail but it appears that the man in the light colored long coat may be a Confederate soldier or officer, one other man has a light shirt or jacket, the other men are in dark jackets or coats with one having light colored pants.  The man closest to the house has a black stovepipe hat.  Photographs such as this offer a unique glimpse into the past.

Wormeley Carter inherited the tract from his father in 1801 and by 1805 had sold a substantial portion of the land.  After he died his son, Thomas, had the remaining property.  The first mention of a house on the land was when Thomas sold the house and 148 acres to John Lee in 1828. 

When the Frauquier and Alexandria Turnpike Company began constructing a 28-mile toll road from the Fairfax Court House to Fauquier Court House, toll stations were planned to be located every 5 miles along the route.  It is known as the historic Warrenton Turnpike.  The project was started in 1812 and took the company 16 years to complete the road.  One of the stops was where the Stone House would be built. The early toll stop was in operated by a Mary “Polly” Clark in 1828 but it is not believed the house at that time was the same one.  Travelers would pay a toll to use the road and could stop at the house for food, drink and possibly lodging.  From tax records and other documents Thomas O. Clark, the son of Polly Clark, probably built the Stone House in 1848.  Later, when the toll road traffic had diminished the property was sold to Henry P. Matthew where he farmed the land and his family lived in the house.

The house is primarily known for serving as a field hospital during the First and Second Battles of Manassas also known as the First and Second Battles of Bull Run.  It is part of the property of the Manassas National Battlefield Park listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The first major battle of the Civil War was called the First Battle of Bull Run by the Union forces and the First Battle of Manasses by the Confederate forces.  It occurred on 21 July 1861 extremely close to Stone House.  In the two hours between 10 am and 12 noon there over 1,000 mean were wounded. 

As the battle shifted away from the house surgeons and Northern soldiers began to seek refuge inside the house.  The strong walls made of stone provided some shelter, there was a well in the yard, and the main road to the hospitals of Washington, D.C. was not far away.  Control of the house shifted between the armies with the Union forces eventually settling in.  The house was under fire for the rest of the day as the battle raged on.  Flags were placed in the windows to indicate that it was being used as a hospital.  After a day or two the Confederate forces re-took the house and the Union troops retreated.  At the end of the fighting the house continued to be an army hospital with the Confederate forces occupying it until March 1862.  It is not known whether the Matthews family returned to the house at that time.

The Second Battle of Manasses or Bull Run was fought 28-30 August 1862.  This battle was much larger in scale and numbers than the First Battle held on the same ground.  Stone House was quickly reconverted to a hospital.  Some Union troops were buried in the Stone House yard.  Two wounded Union soldiers were taken to an upstairs room where they carved their names into the floorboards.  Those carvings are still visible today. 

After the Civil War the house was sold and changed hands a couple more times.  Today it is not occupied as a house but is part of the Manasses National Battlefield Park with various tours and programs offered.

For more information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_House_Manassas_National_Battlefield_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Bull_Run

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 432

Wartburg, Eisenach, Germany, ca 1904

The postcard shared this week has an etching of Wartburg by Carl Jander, Berlin.  It is an undivided back card with a postmark of 2 12 04 or 2 December 1904.  Only the address of the recipient was allowed on the reverse and the message of “Merry Christmas, H.F. Sill Carioble” is found at the lower right corner on the picture side of the card. 

I was first attracted to the card because it was old, then when I picked it up I noticed that it had a texture and appeared to be an etching or engraving.  Etchings were reproduced but not mass-produced during this time period and earlier.  Etchings are made by burning designs or pictures on copper plates with acid.  The copper plates were then inked and pressed onto paper to produce copies.  Usually the artist signed etchings.  An engraver carves directly onto surfaces using tools not chemicals.  The only information I could find on Carl Jander is that he was a German etcher working in the early 1900s.

The subject of the card is Wartburg Castle located in Eisenach, Germany and built beginning in 1067.  Substantial renovations have been made, the most recent in the 19th and 20th centuries; therefore, while the castle still contains substantial structures from the 12th through the 15th centuries much of the interior dates to more recent times. 

Wartburg was the setting for a legendary Minstrels’ Contest in 1206/1207.  Richard Wagner later based his opera Tannhäuser on that event.  The castle was the home of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in the early 1200s.  It is also the place where Martin Luther stayed while translating the New Testament of the Bible from Greek into German.  The castle was the inspiration for Ludwig II when he decided to build his famous Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Today it is one of the most visited tourist sites in Thuringia and offers guided tours of the interior of the buildings.  There is a museum in the castle.  Donkey rides up the hill to the castle are available for children.  There is also a hotel next to the castle that was originally built during a 19th century reconstruction phase.  

Canceled stamp on the postcard

Stamp without cancellation marks

[internet image]

The stamp on the card was part of a new series issued at the beginning of 1900 that featured allegorical and patriotic subjects.  It has a picture of the German actress, Anna Führing (1866-1929) who posed as Germania in an 1891 photograph.  Her picture on the stamp eclipsed her acting career as she is remembered as the model for the Germania postage stamp rather than as a live theater actress or a silent screen star.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warburg
https://www.stamp-collecting-world.com/germanempire_germania00.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichspost