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3 Antique Cabinet Card Images
Cabinet cards are fascinating. They give us this glimpse of people as they were, in fashions of the time. There’s a clarity to most examples that makes them difficult to look away from. I sometimes feel like I’m going to run into these people when I’m out in the world, even though they’ve (probably) been dead for a century.
I love cabinet cards because of the details. I get to see what these fashions looked like on people instead of on a mannequin in a museum, including the hairstyles of the time. It isn’t just rich people represented in these photographs, it’s everybody. Getting a photograph taken wasn’t quite as expensive as some folks may lead you to believe.
Presentation was very different back then. There was a good chance your photographer would have a fancy backing on your picture, with an elaborate advertisement for their studio. They could present your photograph to you in a lovely frame, as below.
Notsomuch framed as pasted onto a fancy card, I suppose. Look at those edges, the stippling, the embossed bits—so pretty! And that child was very distracted. Imagine trying to get a baby to remain still for any longer than three seconds.
These images are from the Cabinet Card Bundle that is up for sale in my shop, which is made up of 40+ high-quality images scanned from my collection. Cabinet cards, cabinet card frames, and the photographer logos.
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Camel & Rider Real Photo Postcard
I’m working on a long-form article about what postcards are used for, as well as a little bit of history on the development of postcards, so look forward to that Coming Soon. In the meantime, let’s take a look at a neat real photo postcard from my collection.
This is a colourized version of a postcard that was also released in black and white. It’s number 82 in an Egyptian Types and Scenes series, with this one titled Crossing the Desert.
References to camels in Egypt go back to around 263 BCE, when a Greek account book mentions the costs of renting out some camels to farmers. Fast-forward to 2,200 years later, and they’re used for everything from transportation to food. Evidence of camels during the Pharaonic period hasn’t been found yet, but it’s still possible that they were hanging out back then, too.
Anyway, I think this image is from around 1931. The colouring is nice and vibrant, and I didn’t have to do much restoration work here.
Thanks for joining me this week, everyone. While you’re here, don’t forget to take a look at the work I’ve been doing on my store.
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3 Early 1900s Cat Postcards
This blog is definitely pro-cat. They’re neat. They’re silly. They’re frequently featured on old postcards and in vintage photos for the same reasons we put them in memes, videos, and random pictures—because people love their cats.
Hell, I know I loved mine. I still do. Even once they’re gone, you never, ever forget a beloved pet and I don’t think they ever truly leave us behind. There’s always something of them with us.
Today, I’m taking three postcards from my new vintage image bundle and showing them off. You can find A Clowder of Cats, with all 13 postcards, in my shop. Or, download it at no extra cost when you become a monthly Ko-fi supporter.
I think this one is my favourite. Three sweet kittens in a row, and of course one is yelling. They’re always yelling! One other image in this series has the same background, so it’s highly likely that there are a bunch of similar postcards out there somewhere. Knock the background out of this one and you have a nice graphic to use on its own, or further split it into the three kittens.
Silver Sultan is a beautiful domestic long-hair cat. He even looks like he knows he’s being admired. Good on him! He must be asking where his snacks are—a ruler among cats should be spoiled!
Oh, would you look at this sweet thing? This adorable kitten is performing The Mewsic of De Pussy! Ha, I get it. Debussy. I think this graphic would make a great sticker, whether round or square. Every time I sit here and look at different pictures I start to ponder how it can be broken down into its elements, and there’s a lot to work with here.
Which is your favourite?
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Vintage Transport Truck Photograph
Today’s vintage image was found in a lot with several older photos, and is probably the most modern that I have in my collection. Look at the mountains in the background! They almost seem painted in. Cab-over trucks have always freaked me out a little bit, probably the idea of being on top of the engine just doesn’t appeal. They have some character, sure, but not nearly as much normal trucks.
My dad was a trucker when I was growing up. I have vague memories of being on construction sites in the early mornings, watching machines rumble by, and how loud everything was. It’s no wonder dad blasts the TV these days! He can’t hear a goddamn thing otherwise.
He never drove loads of lumber as far as I know.
Trucking used to be a very lucrative line of work! Not anymore, unfortunately.
Anyway, see you again soon with more vintage images.
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Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere: 11 Vintage Flower Images
Today I have a collection of floral graphics for you. Let’s explore!
A pair of pink blooms on a pink lined background, and a cheery birdbath with small bunches of pink and red flowers. That background in the first image is very interesting. It’s not the paper texture. Someone sat down and decided they wanted their image to look like that. Even with a ruler, imagine how long that must have taken!
I can spot at least three elements in the bird bath scene that could be separated from the main image and used on their own: the bird bath itself, the branches at the top of the picture, and the right-side bunches of grass and flowers. What do you think?
The images along the left here are all from different mid-century greeting cards. Some were from birthday greetings, some from Easter cards, others from bridal shower gifts. One or two are from old postcards that were in such terrible shape that nothing else could be used.
Just click on each one to open it at full size in a new tab, depending on how your browser does things.
Use these smaller images when making digital papers. Play with the blending modes, erase bits and pieces, mess around with the adjustment layers, make patterns out of them—elements like these can add interest without using up a lot of hard drive space.
You can even change their colours with those mentioned adjustment layers. 😉 Experiment! That’s the best way to learn.
I like this little bunch of flowers simply because it’s pretty.
The roses above could be separated from their background or the entire rectangular piece could make up the border of a new file. Put it through a program like Vector Magic and see what happens.
The original of these two graphics, the red version, came from a general greeting postcard, and I thought the little bridge scene was striking on its own. It translates well to monochrome grey, and with masking may have an interesting look when other colour combinations are applied to it.
I hope you enjoyed these files. What have you made this week? Share it with me in the comments!
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6 Unique Vintage Valentines to Capture Your Heart
In the spirit of the holiday, today we have a batch of vintage Valentines for your pleasure. From the sickeningly sweet to the shockingly sassy, you can count on old cards to deliver something special.
And, my goodness, some of today’s are certainly unique.
Vintage Valentines usually share some pretty consistent imagery: you can expect hearts, the occasional flower, and even some flowery language. Some of them were definitely designed by people that really don’t like the holiday. Nothing beats the Victorians for weird, though.
Our first card is a little… it’s not the weirdest I’ve seen, it just makes me wonder if this guy is really okay.
I’m not sure this is romantic or anything—it comes off as a bit troublesome. Are you okay, dude? Do you need couples’ counseling, maybe a new partner?
This early 1900s card was sent to the sweetheart of a man named Ernest on October 22, so a bit early to be for Valentine’s Day, but it still fits the theme! His message? “Kindly answer as soon as possible. Yours in sincerity, Ernest.”
I wonder if he ever received a response?
The sweet little Valentine above is covered in Forget-Me-Nots. I adore this one because of the “doodle” artwork style! I liked the lady enough to cut her out from the card, as shown below.
What adventures will she have?
Some little clipart hearts. The first is the original, the other two were recoloured. You can accomplish this with overlays in Photoshop to get whatever look you desire.
A midcentury drummer boy Valentine, his arm moves and bangs the cymbal. One could edit that arm out of the graphic and he’d still look good.
Lastly, but certainly not least, this lady watering heart-flowers is from an antique Valentine card.
Thank you for joining me again this week. Stop by again soon for more free vintage graphics!
P.S. Consider buying me a coffee or subscribing to my newsletter to help support the site. This is a passion project, and earnings from products, affiliates, etc. help me spend more time writing and editing.
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Sweet Antique Beach Postcard by Douglas Tempest
A little treat today, readers.
In this antique postcard, we have a bunch of children playing on the beach while their dog looks on (and tries to help). “We are as happy as can be. I wish you were here with us.”
I would like to be there, too, as I’m looking outside at snow and temperatures well below freezing.
This card brings with it a little bit of postcard history. The artist, Douglas Tempest, was one of Bamforth & Co.’s long-time artists. He worked for the company for his entire career, right up until he passed away in 1954—and he had two other artists working in his style to keep up with demand for his designs.
Tempest worked on anti-Kaiser cartoons during the beginning of World War One for Bamforth. These weren’t animated: they were “lightning artist” films, or films showing him drawing war cartoons in much the same way as quick portrait artists would demonstrate their craft. Mr. Tempest was only part of four wartime cartoon films as onscreen cartoonist—after 1914, animated war cartoons became the norm and his focus returned to postcards.
Much of his wartime work was dedicated to experiences on the home front, such as food shortages and women doing “men’s work”.
That’s it for today!
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Letters From Scotland
Hidden among a lot of paper, tucked into those funky little Royal Mail envelopes, was this set of fascinating vintage ephemera in the form of letters from the 1960s. A teenager named Olive wrote them to her aunt, also named Olive, and had a lot to say about what was going on at the time!
My goodness, it was a lot. We get to read about teenage fashion choices, the Beatles, the Queen, and… well, you’ll see. This batch of retro paper is a great introduction to what we find while hunting for and preserving vintage ephemera!
You can click through the first letter at your leisure below, or just read my transcription.
Dear Aunt Olive & Family,
Thank you for your last letter.
Angus’ boat sounds marvellous. I am enclosing a picture of the Queen holding Prince Edward on her official birthday. I think the Queen’s tour of Germany has done a great deal of good for relations between Germany and Britain.
I expect you will have heard that the Queen’s honours list was announced. The ‘Beatles’ were given the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire). Many of the teenagers think it is marvellous. I’m afraid my friends and I think it is ridiculous. My mum is ‘fuming’ about it. I think this will lower the honour of this title. Everybody says they have helped export. I quite agree about this but they themselves have not done it willingly, it has just happened because of them. All that they have done is achieve a personal ambition. I always think that it is people who have done something to help others that should be honoured in this way. And they are not the only people to have gone on tours abroad. I think they must give a wrong impression of Britain’s teenagers to people abroad, and it is mainly due to groups like them that teenagers are largely looked upon as irresponsible, screaming young fools.
Next Thursday we have our Sports Day. I have not gone for any of the serious races, but I have gone in for all of the funny ones. e.g. Chair, Camel, Wheelbarrow, etc.
Next Tuesday is our Parents Day. We have been busy doing projects lately and I have a picture which I embroidered going on show then. I am now making a donkey. I have made the main body in grey felt with a mane & tail of grey fur fabric. I just have the saddle and little carrots and things for putting in the ponies’ bags to make now. So I might have it finished in time to go on show then as well.
I am getting my dress home today which I have made at needlework. I am going to wear it when the girls of my class have a night out. We are all going out for our dinner one evening in the last week before we leave Seymour Lodge. We have booked at one of the hotels quite near the school and as it is in Dundee, I am going to stay the night with one of the girls.
Mum bought me a new pair of shoes to go with my dress. They are dark brown suede, with a sort of ‘T’ strap. They are mod shoes. I don’t know if you have this craze in Canada, but they are shoes with fairly rounded toes and thick heels. Mum says they remind her of the shoes when she was young.
Well that is all for now. Cheerio, God Bless,
Olive
P.S. I am also enclosing a cartoon which I cut out of the Sunday Post. It is typical of the craze that boys have for letting their hair grow long now. Often girls can not be recognized from boys because they all wear ‘jeans.’From what Olive has written, we can deduce that this letter is from 1965 as that’s when The Beatles earned their MBE. There was much tut-tutting about it at the time as the honour typically went to veterans and civic leaders, so for it to go to a musical group was… not taken very well by some people. Olive, for example. Look, Olive had very strong feelings about the MBE, apparently!
Anyway, Seymour Lodge was a private girls’ school at the time of this letter, and closed around 1966. The school had moved from Seymour Lodge itself to a different building during the war, and the property was put up for sale in 2012. There’s a good chance it’s a private home by now.
Olive Returns, With a Vengeance!
That’s not all we hear out of Olive—in fact, we get another batch of letters here that you can also snatch for your digital ephemera collection.
Here’s what she has to say this time.
Dear Aunt Olive and Family,
Thank you very much for last letter and the calendar. Thank you also for the pattern for that poodle. I have made four already. Two white ones and two pink ones. Thank you also for your Easter card and the parcel you sent.
Penny just loves her toy and she runs about the house shaking it. Also thank Audrey for the pencil, note-pad, and soap-dish.
At the weekend we were at Pitlochry camping. On Sunday it was lovely and warm. To-day I sat my ‘O’ level Arithmetic. It was not as bad as I expected. At least I was able to attempt all the questions, but whether they are correct or not I don’t know. I will not get the results to these exams until about June.
‘O’ level means ordinary level whereas ‘A’ level means a higher grade. These exams are all for the Scottish Certificate of Education. These exams are usually sat in 4th Year at Secondary school, but I left in 3rd year to go to Seymour Lodge and have not had the opportunity to sit them until now. These exams are just to prove that you have attained a reasonable grade in the various subjects.
I am having my photograph taken tomorrow at school. Our whole class is being photographed as we are the leaving class. If it turns out alright I will send you one. It is being taken in uniform.
Well I will have to end off now, God Bless,
Love,
Olive
Further confirmation that Olive was part of the private school at Seymour Lodge! I think what she means by “the leaving class” is that her group were the last students that would attend the school, as it was to be sold within the year.
Now, she mentions a town called Pitlochry, which has a population of about 2700 people. You’ll find it on the River Tummel in Scotland, and it looks to be quite lovely! Has anyone been camping in Scotland? Do you get eaten alive by bugs during camping season there, too?
Anyway, thank you for joining me today to read young Olive’s letters. Now that we’ve spent some time with her and traveled back to 1960s Scotland for a while… it’s on to other things! Tune in next week for more digital vintage and a story or two.
P.S. If you like what you see here, consider buying me a coffee. Every dollar buys me more time to spend working on this site. ♥
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Old Machar Cathedral Postcard
St. Machar’s Cathedral is a church in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Named for the Celtic Saint, Old Machar is supposedly built on the site of an ancient place of worship that was established around 580 BCE. Whatever building was on the site by the 1130s was designated a Cathedral proper—it became the seat of the area Bishop—and St. Machar’s saw further, extensive growth between the 13th century and the 16th century.
With reformation in 1560 came a loss of official cathedral status, then it went back-and-forth a couple of times after. Now, ‘Cathedral’ is just part of the building’s name. Yes, it’s confusing as hell. No, I can’t quite figure it out, either. The Church of Scotland doesn’t make use of bishops or that whole system, so—here we are!
Anyway, on to the postcard. You won’t find any of the remains of Sir William Wallace here, but you will find a very detailed silhouette.
I do not know when this piece was produced. Its striking silver and gold background makes the silhouette of the Cathedral and trees stand out, and nothing more is needed to complete the image. It’s a lovely way to showcase a specific location.
In fact… why not reproduce this sort of image with a local landmark?
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4 Real Picture Postcards
My last batch of Real Picture Postcards (RPPCs) was made up of family photographs—this one is just a little different.
Let’s start with this: a child in their Communion dress.
When I obtained this image I wondered if it was wedding-related, then remembered that one’s first communion has its own traditions that match what’s happening here. There are so many neat little details, from the framed print of The Last Supper to all the aspects of the child’s communion outfit. Very cool.
I feel like we could see this couple on the street today.
This RPPC is delightful. They both look like they don’t really want to have their photograph taken, even though they’re obviously getting this professionally done, and they appear to be dressed in their Sunday best. I like to imagine that they turned to each other after the picture was taken and said, “Oh, thank God, it’s over, let’s go home.”
Baby has a stuffed animal of some kind in one hand and is dressed in the coziest outfit imaginable. That is one intensely disapproving stare—perhaps the distraction tactics didn’t go well?
Fun fact: blurry areas in photographs from this era are usually caused by movement.
And now… antelope! Antelopes? Both are correct, apparently. The animal in the middle and the one on the far right look a little like a copy-paste job at first glance. These critters live up to 10 years in the wild (if they don’t get eaten first) and up to 20 in captivity, in case you didn’t know.
That’s the batch for today. Check back soon for more vintage images!
P.S. If you like what I do here, consider supporting my work.
The Paper Girl
Antique & Vintage Ephemera Since 2019
