"Glædelig Jul!" by Carl Røgind

                                                                                 
                            GLÆDELIG JUL!  by Carl Røgind (1871 - 1933)  Danish Illustrator
                                                  Nissen og Katten på Gave-Uddeling
                                                               
                                                                                                       - Postcard ca. 1910                                              

Postcards of Paola, Kansas, c. 1912

                                                              ~ City Park, Paola, Kansas, c. 1912 ~
                                                                    Real Photo Postcard (RPPC)
                                                                                            ~
                                 Note Henson-Woodman Hardware & Stoves across the street.

Real Photo Postcards (RPPC), in popular use from around 1903 to 1930,
provided an opportunity for everyone to produce their own cards for mailing.

The photograph was taken by a special Kodak camera that could make postcards
using special postcard-sized film.  The image would be developed directly from
the negative onto postcard backs.  The picture postcards produced were good
quality photographs, in both matte or shiny finishes.

The blank side was divided like any commercially-made postcard, with places
for the address and the message provided.  Postcard stamps in 1912 were 1¢.

                                   Real Photo Postcard ~ Typical look of the reverse side, c. 1912.

If you can remove old black and white photographs from family albums, you
might discover that some are in fact postcards ~ a ready-made card with a
custom photograph taken by your grandparents or great-grandparents!

                                 Water Works Dam ~ Paola, Kansas, c. 1912, RPPC

                                 Julia at the Water Works Dam, Paola, Kansas, c. 1915
                                                             (family photograph)                                                
                                                                            ~

Watch a video about the history of Paola, Kansas, 

produced by the Chamber of Commerce, courtesy of YouTube. 

                                  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss4VKYqNH5Y                                           

                                                           

Vintage Thanksgiving

                                         ~ GOOD WISHES FOR THANKSGIVING DAY ~
                                           Embossed ~ Printed in Saxony c.1910, No. 870                                                            

"Airs Above the Ground"

        The Spanish Riding School of Vienna

                  Spanish Riding School Vienna/ Spanische Hofrietschule Wien
                                   -Postcard photos by Hans H. Rau, Vienna,
                                       from a folio "Das schöne Wien", c. 1970.

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna presents a thrilling equestrian spectacle
featuring the high-stepping maneuvers of the world-famous Lipizzaner stallions.
These "Airs Above the Ground", originally used on the battlefield as defensive
postures, became the centerpiece of this fantastic equine ballet.

      - Postcard folio photo by Hans H. Rau, Vienna, c. 1970                                                                
If you plan to visit Vienna, click on the link to the Vienna Ticket Office website
for a performance schedule:  www.viennaticketoffice.com/detail_en.php?ID=77 .

Wein Museum has an extensive collection of historical postcards, and is looking to
augment its collection with examples dating from 1945 to the present, including
the work of Hans H. Rau.  When you access the website, click on Collections,
then click on Topography and Urban Development, and then click on Picture
Postcards:   www.wienmuseum.at/en/collections .
                                                   

Victorian Scraps

                 Victorian Scraps from The Victorian Sticker Postcard Book,
                 Collection of Elke Dröscher, © 1982, Harenberg Kommunikation,
                 Dortmund, West Germany, © 1985, English text Copyright,
                 Running Press Book Publishers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Victorian scraps, those charming embossed die-cut images of animals, fruit,
flowers, children, Santas, and Valentine hearts have been inspiring crafters
since the 19th-century, are still being produced today.

Scraps come in sheets connected by tabs where one can find the name of the
firm producing them, and the country of origin, often Germany or England.

When cut out individually, scraps can be put into books devoted to collections
of them (scrapbooks, if you will), or incorporated into handmade greeting cards,
or used in découpage decorating.

Here is an excellent website called Victorian Scrap Papers that displays hundreds
of these precious images, and provides links to even more.

They can't help but inspire.  Happy scrapbooking!

www.victorianscrappapers.com                                                                       

Badminton anyone?

                                          THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART
                                                             Kansas City, Missouri

                                                                SHUTTLECOCKS

                                 Claes Oldenburg, American, born Sweden, 1929, and
                                 Coosje van Bruggen, American, born The Netherlands,
                                 (1942-2009), Gift of the Sosland Family; aluminum,
                                 fiberglass re-inforced plastic, urethane paint, 1994.
                                      © Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
                                                    Photo: Attilio Maranzano

This shuttlecock (one of four) looks as if has just landed out-of-bounds
in a giant-sized badminton game, on a lawn whose scale befits such a match.

Claes Oldenburg and his late wife Coosje van Bruggen have been turning
everyday objects into whimsical public art installations from Kansas City to
Korea for decades.  Oldenburg, age 82, was on hand last Saturday to witness
the unveiling of his latest creation-- a 51-foot high paint brush, erected in
Lenfest Plaza in Philadelphia.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in downtown Kansas City is a cultural gem
and a major institution on the American art scene.  Go!

          en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson-Atkins_Museum_of_Art
                             
 

Volendam, Netherlands

                          Two Volendam maidens in traditional "Klederdracht"
                          -Postcard postmarked 1912, addressed to Miss Irene Van Zanten
                            of West 9th Street, Holland, Michigan, U.S.A.

Historic Volendam, Netherlands has been a tourist destination for decades.
It is about a 40-minute drive north of Amsterdam on N247 Highway, and is
a popular day trip for Amsterdamers and foreign visitors alike.

If you prefer, there are also organized tours of Volendam and region departing
from Amsterdam:  Click on the link for "Marken, Volendam and Windmill Tour",
Amsterdam Tours and Canal Cruises, Tours and Activities in Holland.

amsterdamcitytours.rezgo.com/details/3865/marken-volendam-and-windmill-tour

The two Dutch girls in this postcard are wearing the traditional "Klederdracht", or
costume of the Volendam region.  If you go there, you too can try on a dress and
lace cap and have your picture taken!

The website VVV Volendam is all about things to do in Volendam.  Click on the
British flag for the English translation.

                                                           www.vvv-volendam.nl/ni

For more Dutch-themed postcards, visit:

CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN:

Postcards of a Pleasant Peninsula

www.circumspicemichigan.blogspot.com

CIRCUMSPICE MICHIGAN is dedicated to Michigan postcards.  There, you 

will find recent postings of two cards from Holland, Michigan, with links to related 

websites.