The Paper Girl

Antique & Vintage Ephemera Since 2019

Vintage Boldt Castle Postcard

Most people are preparing for Christmas while I’m here thinking about Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands because of a vintage postcard. What a sad, beautiful place it is.

I found this image of Boldt Castle some time ago, in excellent shape and with a story to tell. It’s a tale of love, devotion, heartbreak, and over 70 years of neglect… with a happy ending for the landmark itself.

Back in 1900, old George Boldt—the guy that owned the Waldorf-Astoria in New York—held several parcels of land in the Thousand Islands, including Heart Island. He and his family spent many summers there near their farm on Wellesley Island, which itself was a massive operation. The old farm produced ridiculous amounts of food for Boldt’s hotels!

In all, the family held over 3,000 acres of land in the Thousand Islands region.

Love and Loss on Heart Island

Heart Island became the site of a monument of Boldt’s devotion to his wife Louise, the love of his life and mother to his children. Over 300 workers toiled for four years to build the beautiful, 6-storey, 120-room rhineland castle and crafted its exquisite gardens. George spared no expense. The castle had ample room for the entire family, state-of-the-art (for the time) amenities, breathtaking views… it would be a fitting gift to his beloved wife.

If only she would live to see it.

In January of 1904, Louise passed away very suddenly, leaving Boldt heartbroken. Construction stopped. George Boldt never set foot on Heart Island again.

Boldt Castle owes its current condition to the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. They obtained the property in 1977 and set to work almost immediately, consequently saving the remaining buildings from over 70 years of neglect. Their work continues to this day.

The Postcard

Vintage postcard of Boldt Castle on Heart Island, Thousand Islands, New York.

I bought this vintage postcard at an auction between 2020 and 2022. It was with a bunch of other postcards of American locales, most of which I didn’t recognize. Finding this one was exciting! I visited Boldt Castle once as a child, on a family trip to the Thousand Islands. My memories of it are fuzzy, but what I do recall is that it is hauntingly beautiful.

I spent my childhood summers going on little trips around Ontario: Ottawa, Gananoque, Niagara Falls, Sault Ste. Marie, Midland, Sudbury, St. Jacobs, and other interesting tourist spots. Mom and I went to Gananoque with my great uncle, but I don’t recall why.

The back of the postcard credits the photograph to Harold F. Keeler in Alexandria Bay, New York.

Back of vintage postcard of Boldt Castle. "This famous structure was built by George C. Boldt for his wife, whose death occurred before it was completed."

A Postcard for Peace, 1919

peace 1919
Peace. A post-WWI postcard.
Thank GOD for peace on Earth again,
Good will t'ward men once more.
Lift up your heart, 'twas not in vain
Our men went forth to war!
Conquered on earth, in sea and sky,
Cruel Prussian might shall cease.
And the whole world shall henceforth live
In amity and peace.

H.G. Wells was the source of the phrase “the war to end all wars”. This was the title of his book from 1914, The War That Will End War, a collection of articles he published in London newspapers. Wells had the idealistic belief that the end of the conflict would make it impossible to wage future wars.

Obviously this was not the case, as Wells himself acknowledged; those words took on a cynical, sneering quality through four years of WWI, and another six years of the Second World War.

I cannot imagine the horror of First World War survivors watching a second, more terrifying conflict emerge in 1939. Imagine celebrating the end of war and then, 21 years later, there it is again; and this time, when it’s over and the dust settles, a new word will be coined for an old horror.

Genocide.

I can’t grasp the mindset behind the desire to wipe out an entire group of people—and then working to go through with it. That scale of violence doesn’t make a lick of sense to me and it shouldn’t make sense to anyone else.

But that’s what we’re witnessing right now, in the year 2023: genocide. Thousands of people are dying in Gaza because of one leader’s lust for blood and land, and the world is just sitting by and watching it happen. The cowardice of our leaders is on full display, refusing to stand up for the downtrodden who have gone through seventy-five years of being abused, and maimed, and slaughtered, and kidnapped, and pushed from their homes to make room for settlers.

On November 11, 2023, at the 11th hour, it will have been 105 years since the end of the war to end wars.

If only.

2 Pretty Japanese Postcards

Today’s vintage graphics are a pair of pretty Japanese postcards.

I don’t know the dates, I can’t read the text, so we’ll just have to admire the artwork—and the artwork is quite lovely. Check them out with me below.

A river on one side, a wall of trees on the other, and a walking path in the middle: the picture of serenity. A relaxing stroll through nature where the details get harder and harder to discern as the scenery stretches out before you. Love that perspective, it’s awesome. Little blips of brown-orange here and there hint at fall being on its way. This would make a gorgeous art print.

A waterfall thunders over the rocks below before the river can continue on its journey. Another lovely picture!

If you happen to know more about the artist, or the image series, please speak up in the comments below. I’d love to be able to get my hands on more of their work.

Thanks for joining me, stop in again soon for some more vintage graphics.

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