Today we have a handful of pieces of ephemera from 1926-1934. When Mr. Wright received his premium receipt in 1926, The Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada had been in operation for 56 years—30 of them as The Ontario Mutual Life Assurance Company. During this time period, they moved between several head offices within Waterloo, Ontario. If you aren't familiar with The Mutual Life Assurance
8 Postcards for Family
Today I have some postcards that are hyper-specific in their purpose. I occasionally run across pieces that are addressed to specific relatives—'to my dear' aunt, uncle, cousin, mother, etc.—and dated about 1900-1920. That doesn't say much, I know, since much of my collection is from that period, but they're still interesting postcards. Most are made up of bunches of florals, often including
18 Pieces of Postcard Ephemera
I think some of the most fascinating aspects of collecting old postcards are the messages that can be found written on them. Each and every one tells a story of some kind (if you can decipher them) and represents a little piece of someone's life and history. Dear Helen, Suppose you are back in school after the holidays. I have a very nice school. L. Robbins, 1910
Girl With a Bouquet RPPC Image
I love this image so much. This real photo postcard shows a little girl holding a small bouquet of flowers. There are some elements that look like they've been painted—like the backdrop, and the stems of the bouquet. She has the appearance of stepping out of a foggy moor or something. Really haunting. I think that's part of why I like this vintage image: there's something odd about it,
A Brief History of the Transfer Decal
Once upon a time, people in North America—though probably more in the USA than here in The Great Snowy North—were wild about decals. Water-transfer travel decals could be found on your buddy's Winnebago or Aunt Velma's station wagon showing off all the places they've been. Maybe Uncle Bernie had something a little risque on his boat. They were brightly-coloured, a pain in the ass to install,
A Fresh Batch of 12 Christmas Greetings
One of my first batches of postcards was chock-full of Christmas offerings from 1913-1920. Winter scenes are most common in the Christmas cards that I find, and they tend to run the gamut from "birds are Christmas, right?" to "you're getting a sprig of greenery and that's final". Stingy bastards. This Christmas postcard gets really fancy in its lettering and includes a beautiful
6 Beautiful Christmas Scenes
Week two, and it's time to go into some of the lovely winter scenes that you can find in antique greetings. From peaceful snow-covered cottages to beautiful old churches standing against winter's chill, these scenes offer a pretty little taste of Christmas without relying on being cartoony or over-the-top. Now here's a pretty sight: a snowy churchyard beneath an overcast sky that's preparing
6 Christmas Clip Art Images
It's that time of the year! Time for holly leaves, Saint Nick, FIRE, and lots of rum balls. Yeah. Look. I know what I like, and rum balls are the best thing. I was making them without measuring the rum when I was a teenager, most flammable Christmas dessert ever. Anyway, I've gathered together a bunch of neat little Christmas-themed elements for your craft projects this week. Some of the
Vintage QSL Cards: Collectible Radio History
The world of vintage QSL cards was new to me when I first started collecting ephemera. I only ran into them one time, and I didn't have any involvement in the world of ham radios and radio broadcasting. So, when I found this batch, I had to ask myself, "What the hell do I have?" Off to Google and the delightful world of amateur radio. What is a QSL Card? QSL is a radio Q code that means
5 Cute Cat Images!
This week's collection of cute cat images represents my favourite companion, the humble cat. They're sweet, they're smart, and they're a little bit kooky—just like me! Cats are also excellent art subjects, and this batch of mid-century greeting cards confirms as much. We've been seeing cats in art for millennia. They were divinities and beloved companions in ancient Egypt and gifts to new
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