The Brooklyn Bridge

 The biggest part of my postcard collection is focused on my hometown, Chicago, IL.  As time has gone by I've branched out to include other cities.   To that end I have about two dozen or so vintage scenes from New York City.  Here's the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

This card dates from somewhere between  1915 and 1930.

If you're a reader interested in history there's a good chance you've read something by the late David McCullough.  

A Century of Progress

 The 1933 Chicago World's Fair, A Century of Progress, opened 90 years ago.  This is a first day postcard, rather than a cover.  There were lots of picture postcards issued commemorating the two year fair.  I have around 80 of them from at least eight sets.  Lord knows how many sets there were.  

This card appropriately has the one cent Fort Dearborn stamp.  Also issued on May 25, 1933 was a violet three cent letter rate stamp depicting the modern Federal Building.

Fountains -- Paris to Chicago

"Parc of Versailles -- The  Basin of Latone, a grand waterworks' day"

I haven't figured out how to date these old French postcards but I assume it's from the early 20th century.

Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park was inspired by the French Fountain at Versailles.

Here's an RPPC (Real Photo Post Card) of Buckingham Fountain with the Chicago skyline to the west. It had to be taken previous to 1931 when this card was sent. I'll go into more detail about this Chicago landmark in a future post. I probably have at least another dozen different cards.

Postcard -- Paris 1913

 What a great card!  It's Paris at the tail end of the Belle Epoque.  The title is  "Paris -- Notre-Dame Vue de L'ile Saint-Louis" (Notre Dame Seen from Saint Louis Island).  I love the painting.  It looks like late afternoon at the end of a rainy day.  

I don't speak any French (I took Spanish in school).  Here's what I can make out using Google:

My dear Loulou.    We ____ very good    Arrived and went for a short walk before going to sleep. I can't make out the last part.  The corner says: Your father--- kiss you too  

This is the street  in Brussels, Belgium that contains 329 Rue des Palais.  It looks seedy only partially I think because the street is torn up.  Note the Midas Muffler shop on the corner.  

There is a mixture of old and new on the block.  I have no idea if even any of the older structures date from 1913.  Speaking of that date, 1913:

Belgium hosted a World's Fair in the City of Ghent.

My first thoughts on seeing the date, 1913, was "I wonder what was going to happen to Mademoiselle Laurent".  It was about a year and a half after she received this postcard that the Germans invaded her country.  

It will remain a mystery what happened to Loulou and her Papa.  If they survived the next four years, there was a good chance they would face many more challenges in the following decades.    

Thanks for visiting.

Greetings From Humboldt Park

As a reaction to the Industrial Revoultion in the 19th century many big cities built parks as green getaways from the noise and pollution.  Chicago's great parks were mostly conceived and contructed between the end of the Civil War and the early 20th century.  Humboldt Park, on the West Side, is one.    

Here are seven postcards dating from around 1906 to 1930.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!

Dating back to 1868, Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo is one of a handful of the oldest in the United States.  Here's a trio of postcards dating from 1910 to 1923.

"I fed it -- Not."

The sender saw two plays while in Chicago.  The first was "Sally", which opened at the Colonial Theater the previous month.  That theater was torn down in 1924.  Here's a great photograph.

From the 1929 film adaptation.

Chet Baker's 1956 version:

Aretha Franklin recorded the song in 1962.

Tony Bennett sang it in 2015

The second play, a mystery, was "The Cat and the Canary".  I wasn't able to find a reference to it's Chicago run.  This is from it's 1922 Broadway production:

Chicago Baseball Parks 1937

 Baseball season is almost here.  Spring training games begin in less than two weeks. Opening Day is about 6 weeks away.  The White Sox, who look to have an exciting team, will not be playing in Comiskey Field.  Did the Sox ever play in Comiskey Field?  As far as I know it was always Comiskey Park.  The Cubs, as they have been since 1916, will be playing in Wrigley Field.

This card dates from 1937.  I tried my best to figure out where the Wrigley image came from.  I had no luck at all.  Was it taken from an actual photograph?  Note all the fans standing on the field.   Can anyone date it? 

Happy Valentines Day?

My wife and I don't actually celebrate Valentine's Day.  The cynic in me sees it as an over-commercialized  excuse for companies to guilt us into buying cards, flowers, chocolates etc. at marked up prices.  It's not that I don't love my wife or enjoy giving her gifts. (Truth be told I did buy her a couple of bags of Ghirardelli  heart chocolates yesterday.  The dark chocolate sea salt hearts are her current favorite.)  I just don't like feeling that it's an obligation.  I'm probably in the minority.  Is there a Cranky Old Men Anonymous? 

On a more positive note here are some Valentine related cards. 

I like to play up my crankyness but I really am just a sentimental old fool.  My postcard collection includes about a hundred early 20th century romantic images.  I saw this one and loved illustration.  It dates from around 1906.

This card actually deserves it's own post.  You may see it again.

Bob Love's #10 jersey was the second in Bull's history to be retired (Jerry Sloan's #4 was first).  He was a key member of the first Bulls teams I remember watching as a kid.  These days he's the Director of Community Affairs and Goodwill Ambassador for the Bulls.

There have certainly been times in my life when Valentine's Day was sad and lonely.

Mr. Valentinetti turned 92 last September.  As you can see Vito is in the "played on both Chicago teams" club.  I think this photograph is from his time with the Cubs.  He wore #57 on the North Side.

If you're alone today, have some chocolate.  If you're in love, have some chocolate.  Chocolate's always good.  (Unless you can't eat it for medical reasons).  What's your favorite chocolate?