If this is Thursday it must be postcard, 743

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas

 

The vintage illustration from ca 1900 on this unused modern postcard was reproduced by a local company, Laughing Elephant.  The illustrator is not identified.  The card features two children and a cut Christmas tree. 

 

Christmas trees are usually evergreen conifers, such as spruce, fir, or pine.  Today there are also realistic artificial trees, some even with lights already attached and ready to plug in.  The tradition or custom of having a Christmas tree originated in places like Germany, Latvia and Estonia, where Protestant Christians brought and decorated trees in their homes.  Long ago instead of artificial glass, wooden, or metal ornaments things like roses made from paper, tinsel, apples, cookies, and candies were used as decorations.  Moravian Christians were the first to illuminate Christmas trees with candles.  The candles were set in holders that clipped onto a branch and had a drip dish affixed to catch the hot melting wax.  After electricity was common in homes, candles were replaced by Christmas lights as we know them today.  An angel, representing the Angel Gabriel, or a star, for the Star of Bethlehem, is often placed on the top of the tree.  Some people still add candies, gingerbread, chocolate, handmade ornaments, or ribbons, as tree decorations in addition to store bought ornaments. 

 

Evergreen trees symbolize eternal life.  The triangular shape of an evergreen tree is also a symbol of the Trinity and points to heaven.  Anciently, tree worship was common among pagan Europeans.  In pre-Christian times it is believed that trees or evergreen branches, were used as decorations by the ancient Romans as part of the holiday called Saturnalia, in honor of the god Saturn, held in mid-December.    Even after Christianity was introduced in Scandinavia, ca 1000 AD, their houses and barns might be decorated with evergreens to scare away the devil. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://laughingelephant.com

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 742

 

 

 

 

 

Lectern, inner room of the hall of Old University, Heidelberg, Germany

 

The Old University in Heidelberg, Germany is featured on the front of this card distributed by Edm. V.  König, Heidelberg.  M. Bauder is identified as the photographer in the space at the upper right corner where a stamp would be placed on the reverse side of the card.  At the lower left corner on the reverse is F 137.  The place is named at the upper left corner as “Heidelberg – Alte Universität, Aula.”  There is no date on the card; however, it does have scalloped edges that were popular from the 1940s to the 1960s.  The card is a color picture and is likely to have been distributed closer to the 1960s. 

 

The hall shown on the card is the main assembly hall and lecture theater of the University.  Built over a period of 23 years between 1712 and 1735, the Old University was based on plans by the baroque architect Johann Adam Breunig.  It replaced a four-story college building erected in 1591.  The name “Old University” came into use in the 1930s after another lecture hall was constructed and called New University. 

 

As can be seen on the card, the wall behind the speaker’s platform is the focal point of the room with the arched painting by Ferdinand Keller (1842-1922).  The painting depicts the foundation and history of the University allegorically.  The wooden ceiling has four round paintings by Rudolf Gleichauf (1826-1896) of female figures.  The figures represent Philosophy, Medicine, Jurisprudence and Theology.  The walls list 37 names of famous Heidelberg scholars, divided into two rows.  The entrance area commemorates the Grand Duke of Baden.  A tablet of congratulations from the University of Freiburg dates 1886 hangs above the doorway.

 

Today the Hall of the Old University is used mainly for academic celebrations, and as a venue for concerts, readings, and presentations, especially awards of cultural prizes. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_University,_Heidelberg

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Keller_(painter)

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 741

 

 

 

 

 

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy

 

The Palazzo Vecchio, or Old Place, in Florence, Italy is featured on this pink tinted unused vintage postcard.  While the card does have a blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse it does not identify the photographer or the publisher/printer.  With a magnifying glass it is possible to see horse drawn wagons at the right near the arches and at the left center near the building, making it possible to estimate the date of the picture to the late 1890s or early 1900s.  The card has a divided back narrowing the publication date to after 1902 for the card itself.  The blurb is in English and says:  “The Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy—For many years this magnificent building was the seat of the Florentine government.  The court of the Palace dates back from the 16^th century.  On the right of the picture is the Loggia de artists, in marbles and bronzes.”

 

Before full-color photographs were common or available for reproduction, various methods of tinting or coloring pictures was a popular trend on cards like this one.  Pink or light red seems to be predominant on most early tinted cards.  Sometimes more than one color was used.  This card has a slightly darker reddish tint on the building behind the main structure.  The foreground is a very pale pink in contrast. The top of the tower is partially cut off on the card, hence there is not a complete image of the entire building.

 

The Palazzo Vecchio has had different names at different times over the centuries.  It was called Palazzo della Signoria, Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo Ducale depending upon what entity was using the building.  The people of Florence decided to build a palace here that would be more secure and defensible in times of conflict.  Construction for a new building began in 1299 on the ruins of Palazzo dei Fanti and Palazzo dell’Esecutore di Giustizia that had once been owned by the Uberti family.  The Uberti were said to be rebels and the new fortress palace was built to prevent that family from rebuilding at that location ever again. 

 

A cubical shaped building it is made of solid stonework, with two rows of two-lighted Gothic windows, each with a trefoil arch.  Decorative bas-reliefs by Michelozzo were added in the 15^th century.  Crenellated battlements are supported by small arches and corbels.  There is also a simple tower with a clock. 

 

When Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici moved his official seat from the Medici palazzo to this palace in 1540 he renamed it Palazzo Vecchio or Old Palace.  He also commissioned an above-ground walkway called the Vasari corridor that went from the Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi, over the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti.  He also moved the seat of government to the Uffizi.  Today most of the Palazzo Vecchio is now a museum. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 740

 

 

 

 

 

Skyline view of Cologne, Germany, ca 1979

 

This is a used postcard postmarked 1979 and featuring a silhouette view of the Cologne on the Rhine River, Germany.  At the upper left corner on the reverse, it reads:  “Köln Am Rhein. Rheinufer mit Dom, Gr. St. Martin und Rathausturm” [view with Rhine River, Church of Great St. Martin, and the City Hall].  At the bottom left corner on the reverse is:  Fabaufhame: Horst Zeithen [color by Horst Zeithen].  The center line also on the reverse side has the code Z 100, and Gertrud Zeithen with an address as the printer/distributor. 

 

The handwritten message was sent unsigned to the writer’s mother and perhaps a brother.  Part of the message is worth repeating here as it mentions the Cathedral in Köln.  “…The Cathedral in Köhn is one of the finest in all of Europe.  With many works of art and lots of gold.”  The stamp was one from a set issued in 1977 that featured castles and palaces. 

 

 German stamp issued in 1977, one in a set featuring castles and palaces

 

St. Martin’s, also known as Great Saint Martin Church, can be seen on the left side of the card.  The foundations date to about 960 AD and rest on remnants of an earlier Roman chapel.  That chapel was on what was then an island in the river.  A Benedictine monastery was housed there for a time.  Today the buildings, including the tower, form one of the landmarks of Cologne’s Old Town.  It was badly damaged during World War II.  At the time the postcard was sent restoration may have been in progress but the project was not completed until 1985.

 

On the right side of the picture is the Cologne City Hall or Rathaus complex comprised of several buildings.  The city council and the offices of the Lord Mayor are found in the complex.  It is the oldest city hall in Germany with the oldest of the several structures dating back approximately 900 years.  Buildings that were added over the centuries are representative of several different architectural styles from Gothic, Renaissance, to Modern Movement.  The site was home to the former Ancient Roman Ptraetorium that was destroyed by an earthquake in the late 8^th century. 

 

Cologne is the fourth most populous city of Germany with over one million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region.  The city is home to more than 30 museums and is a major cultural center for the Rheinland area of Germany.  The University of Cologne is one of Europe’s largest and oldest universities. 

 

The Rhine River is seen in the foreground of the photograph.  It is one of the major rivers in Europe and begins in the southeastern Swiss Alps and flows downstream from Lake Constance running eventually down into the Netherlands and emptying into the North Sea.  It is the second longest river in Central Western Europe after the Danube.  It also contains Rhine Falls the most powerful waterfall in Europe.   

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin_Church,_Cologne

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 739

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving greeting, ca 1910-1920

 

This reproduced vintage illustration was printed by the local company, Laughing Elephant.  They specialize in vintage artwork/illustration preservation and reprinting.  If the artist or illustrator has signed the work, then Laughing Elephant will credit them.  No signature or initials appear on this illustration, so we do not know who created it.  The dress the girl is wearing suggests that it dates from between 1910 and 1920.

 

Although wild turkeys were found in America at the time the Pilgrims, a feast such as we know now as a Thanksgiving dinner most likely does not date from that era.  Instead, it is more likely that writers during the 19^th century, who were popularizing the holiday, featured a turkey dinner and all the trimmings.  The original Pilgrims relied on ingredients native to America that they learned were edible from Native Americans and by experimentation.  Foods such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn or maize, squash/pumpkin, green beans, ad cranberries. 

 

Thanksgiving is a national holiday but also a time to reflect and express gratitude. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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

https://laughingelephant.com

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 738

 

 

 

 

 

George Washington quote from Farewell Address, 1796 and Mount Vernon, dated 1944

 

This used tinted Linen postcard is a M W M Litho card featuring a portrait of George Washington, a quote from his Farewell Address, and his home, Mount Vernon.  The card is postmarked 25 January 1944 and although it was mailed it does not have a stamp.  Where the stamp should be placed is a cancellation mark:  “B War S Bonds and…”  [Buy War Savings Bonds and Stamps].  On the reverse center line is MWM Color Litho Postcards Made Only by MWM, Aurora, Mo.  Linen cards were popular from 1930 to 1945. 

 

There is no evidence that a stamp was removed from the card.  During World War II there was a shortage of postage stamps and it is possible to find some cards and letters with a cancellation mark like the one on this card but no stamp.  The postage fee was probably paid at the post office at the time the card was mailed.  Or, sometimes letters and cards without stamps were paid by the recipient as postage due.  Soldiers could write “Free” where the stamp should be placed and not have to pay to send letters home even from overseas. 

 

Mount Vernon is the former residence of George Washington who was the first president of the United States.  A Founding Father, he was also the commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War.   The land for the estate was purchased by the Washington family in 1674.  At the time of the purchase the property was known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation being named after the nearby creek.  The original wooden house was built in a loose Palladian style around 1734 by Washington’s father, Augustine Washington.  After George’s older half-brother, Lawrence Washington, inherited the property he renamed it after Vice Admiral Edward Vernon.  It is located on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia.  George Washington leased the estate beginning in 1754 and became the sole owner in 1761.  When he became the owner, he chose to keep the Vernon name.  Washington expanded the house twice, once in the late 1750s and again in the 1770s.  This was the home of George Washington for the rest of his life.  After his death in 1799 the estate declined as it was passed down through several generations.  The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association took over ownership of the mansion and part of the property in 1858.  In 1960 it was designated as a National Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Today it is still owned and maintained in trust by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.  It is open to the public daily.

 

The quote on the card:  “Every portion of our country finds the most commanding motives for carefully guarding and preserving the Union of the Whole” is from Washington’s Farewell Address of 17 September 1796.  It was written as a letter to friends and fellow-citizens after 20 years of public service near the end of his second term as president.  This was just before he retired to his home at Mount Vernon in 1796.  The first draft was written in 1792 by James Madison when Washington was thinking of retiring after one term as president.  Alexander Hamilton amended the original letter in 1796 to include support for the government and the adoption of the Constitution at the conclusion of Washington’s second term. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_Farewell_Address

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

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 737

 

 

 

 

 

Marienburg, Westpr. [West Prussia] now Malbork, Poland

 

This unused, divided back vintage postcard features a black & white photograph from Echte Photographie.  Along the center line on the reverse of the card is “Verlag H. Hemmpel, Buch u. Papierhdlg., Marienburg, Westpr.—"  The code 63398  1F is found at the lower right corner on the reverse.

 

The Knights of the Teutonic Order founded the town of Marienburg in the 1200s.  The castle was built during that period and acted as the order’s headquarters.  It was also one of the residences of Polish kings.  As a fortified castle it was Europe’s largest Gothic fortress and the world’s largest brick castle.  Construction lasted nearly 230 years.  It is a complex of three castles combined into one. 

 

No World War I battles were fought in Marienburg; however, there was an influx of refugees, inflation, unemployment, and shortages of food supplies that caused hardships.  Near the end of World War II, most of the local population fled or were evacuated.  There were fierce battles here in early 1945 and about 50% of the castle was destroyed.  In June of that year the town was turned over to Polish authorities and the town was renamed Malbork.  Polish people displaced by areas annexed by the Soviet Union began repopulating the town following World War II.  Bricks from the ruins were used to rebuild the oldest sections of Warsaw and Gdańsk instead of restoring the Malbork Old Town. 

 

For additional information, see:

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