Here's an interesting, and very old postcard I found the other day: a happy couple casually hanging out together, with her smiling and pointing her finger at him (while showing off her ankle), and projecting a playful, stern warning: "Now, behave if you can." So, initially I think the guy was doing just fine in the behavioral department, that is, until the postcard itself was mailed, because apparently the smudgy inked post office postmark was incorrectly applied to the wrong side of the postcard-- thus giving the man a strange demonic appearance! With his multi-horned crown, hollow black eyes, bat-winged mustache, and goatee-- why, he looks the absolute opposite of good behavior now! (NOTE: The woman was never seen nor heard from again.)
I wonder if this image is composited? The background is a backdrop, and I assume it was photographed at once, but the there looks to be some editing (look around the woman's left leg.) Certainly would have been a lot more work back in the day! Now you can do this with your phone but it would take photographer, chemist, guy with exacto, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have a different view of the postage mark -- the woman is a succubus and she's beaming waves of black evil at the man (through her finger) to curse his soul. Which makes the behave line all the more evil ... "if you can, under my power!"
Pretty ankle contests were a thing in the 1900s. It would be interesting to see the back of the card. Many of these contests were sponsored by hosiery companies as a promotion, add oddly enough , judged by policemen. Maybe that gave it an objective, fair connotation.
ReplyDeleteBy the rules I invented in high school, that woman is totally cool. I mean, there were a lot of rules, and I've forgotten most of them (make of that what you will), but among those I do remember: "Anything you do by hand, it's cooler to do with just one hand. Anything you do with one hand, it's cooler to do with just one finger. Anything you do with one finger, it's cooler to do with your hand shaped like a gun." On yeah, and "wear a hat."
ReplyDeleteI think it's quite likely that the background, rather than being a backdrop, was painted right onto a medium format print, and that was shot reduced to the postcard size for the print run. That sort of fits the look of the brush strokes (those leaves, say) and the paint splats in the bottom left hand corner. That might also account for the collage look to the figures here, which seems to mostly happen when they abut the background.
After enlarging the picture, the gent in question has one large black eye taking up the entire eye socket. Either he is the father of the black-eyed children often mentioned in urban legends, or is a very early space alien trying to fit in to society, and failing.
ReplyDeleteWhich year was this posted?
ReplyDeleteThe card is postmarked 1911... I went ahead and uploaded the backside for anyone curious. Good luck reading most of the correspondence though!
ReplyDeleteUgh, quill pens are the worst. I assume she just ripped it out of the chicken out back and scribbled this. Here's my best guess, which can't be totally wrong:
ReplyDeleteMr Bill FXXXXXX
Fetherngill
Greeney
Ill
Hello Bill,
[?] Your card received
[?] how are you
[?] this eve it is 5:30 pm
I just returned in [sic]
I was out riding in
the atto [auto] with Nelly
a couple [ours for hours?] this eve
now am awful lonely
wish you were here
beside me [maybe a name here? Corra Carter?]
someday.
Corra isn't the best speller (I fixed some of them), and I think she's misspelt Mr. Featherngill's name. I can find no Greeney, Illinois either (frankly, Greeney could be Bill's last name), but there is a Greene County in that state. Whether or not she knows his name or address, she is fond enough of the man to have put XXX across the top of the card. Mwah, mwah, mwah!
Most of that seems pretty accurate —and you get definite props for even trying, haha! Thanks!
ReplyDelete