Wednesday, January 23, 2013

From the readers: Hats, kids in danger, pedal pushers and a real film

Roll out the barrel, we'll have a barrel of new reader comments today!1

Postcard featuring a much safer way for a child to ride an animal: Regarding the hat, I originally wrote: "Those crossed rifles are the insignia of the Infantry Branch of the United States Army. The '42' above the rifles likely refers to the 42nd Infantry Regiment, which was constituted in 1917. I'm not sure what the 'SV' below the rifles refers to. Any experts on this topic out there?"

John Lincoski, a classmate of mine from Penn State University back in the day, came through: "Finally! My history dork skills are needed! 'SV' stands for service company. I think that's the headquarters company of the regiment. Also, judging from the cut of the jacket and hat I think this is more likely pre-WW1. More likely Spanish-American War or before."

Also, Jayne B. Lyons asked the question: "Do you have any idea why she would have worn the insignia?"

I replied: "No idea. Best guess would be that it's a relative's hat -- father, uncle, brother. I don't have anything further to go on, unless the girl pictured is the 'Valera Sell' whose name appears on the back."

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Vintage punny card: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year: PostMuse writes: "That is quite adorable! My granddaughter would have laughed herself silly over that pun. She is 5 and really getting into wordplay."

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A 50-year-old advertisement for The York Bank and Trust Company: This older post sparked a fun and tangent-filled conversation over on the Preserving York Facebook group:
  • Jennifer Huff Robinson: She's pretty hot for a bank ad.
  • Ted Schaefer: And she has flip flops on; they were a pretty new item around York in 1962.
  • Jennifer Huff Robinson: I didn't notice the flip flops, but I noticed the sleeveless top. She looks just like me and how I dress with having the convenience of so many banks around.
  • Ted Schaefer: She also has pedal pushers on which my mother wore a lot; my mother didn't wear tops like that though.
  • Terrence Dutchie Downs: It says they're the really friendly bank. Now you see why.
  • Betty Eppard Sipe: Pedal pushers, tube top and flip flops. Has to be the sixties.
  • Jennifer Huff Robinson: Pedal pushers???? I believe we call them Capri's in the new millenium. ... I'll duck now.
  • JoAnne Everhart: Jennifer, they were called pedal pushers because girls wore them to ride bicycles as slacks could get caught in the pedals and chain of a bicycle. I can remember as a child when blue jeans were called dungarees. Same item of apparel with a different name! Just thinking that in the 60's flip flops were called thongs!
  • Me: I love that this post became a launching point for a footwear discussion.
  • Scott Eby: Thongs certainly have a different meaning these days!
  • Roadside Wonders: Forget the broad ... I want that CHAIR!
  • Jennifer Huff Robinson: How did I miss that CHAIR!! Good eye Roadside Wonders.
  • Greg Halpin: I think she is to be seen as a sunbathing beauty, because she has "More time for relaxation..."
  • Ken Baker: There's a chair?
  • Ted Schaefer: Not only were they called pedal pushers, for a short time, around 59 or 60, they made them for guys and they were called clam diggers. I had a pair when I was 12 or 13 along with a rope belt, and boat neck T-shirt. Thank god that didn't stay in style long. I think Gilligan's Island was the influence of these clothes.

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Victorian trade card for George Boepple, bologna manufacturer: Wendyvee of Wendyvee's RoadsideWonders.net writes: "I've been staring at this for 5 minutes. For once, I am speechless, wit-free, and dumbfounded."

And Leslie Ann, who blogs at Lost Family Treasures, adds: "Ok. That's got me baffled. Let me think on it."

But Linda Chenoweth Harlow says the answer is obvious: "Clear to me. The child is standing on the cow's yoke and guiding the animal with the prodding stick as it's working in the field. Not sure it's feasible but that's what it looks like to me."

Of course, that still leaves a lot of unresolved questions. I'm sure Child Protective Services will be calling.

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A final #FridayReads of 2012 and looking ahead to 2013: Aadel, who authors These Temporary Tents, writes: "Okay - your book list has my brain swirling, but I'm sure that my book list would cause others to reel in feign dizziment as well. The two that stuck out to me - "The Forest in Folklore and Mythology" sounds intriguing. And I am off to bookmark "The Death of the American Shopping Mall" because I hate malls yet I am strangely attracted to them - perhaps because of my generation's fixation on them. Great list!"

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The third rule of the Spottswood-Greenville Book Club is...: My wife Joan writes: "Secondary footnotes? We have those now??"

(Clearly, she is forgetting the time that I had a tertiary footnote!)

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1973 women's fashions as featured in The Workbasket: PostMuse writes: "I kind of like the mini-marshmallow scarf. The man's ensemble, however, would have made even Mister Rogers recoil in horror."

Wendyvee writes: "Bingo! Now THAT should be your avatar!"

And my wife adds: "I think he looks very Nordic. And Mr. Otto has been known to sport a green vest and matching green cap (not knitted, but still...) I think I agree with you!"

Response to Wendyvee and Joan: Zero chance on the avatar. What do you think this is? A silly blog? We won't have that.

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Another Victorian trade card featuring a child in imminent danger: Bradley Uffner writes: "How is he going to hurt himself with a soup pot and a spoon? I don't see any decapitation dangers here."

Maybe Bradley is just pulling my leg. But I'm pretty sure that's a knife in the kid's hand — not a spoon.

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Old postcard of a suspicious-looking man mailing a letter: PostMuse writes: "I haven't read Sun Dog, but the Wikipedia entry has convinced me there is no way I should even think of reading it. Took me 20 years to recover from "Gerald's Game." I did read "11/22/63" without fear. Although, that one doesn't have any animal horror ... just a freaky Orange Card Man."

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Did Pop get a Py-sicle after winning this round of golf in Clearwater? Richard Gottfried, who describes himself on Twitter as "a Champion Minigolfer on a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour of the UK’s #Minigolf & Crazy Golf courses" writes: "Great blog and nice Minigolf blog post. I like the line 'BIGGEST LITTLE GAME ON EARTH' on the scorecard."

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Vintage "Auto Bingo" card, just in time for your Sunday afternoon drive: Duane Harper, checking in on Papergreat's Facebook page, writes: "My brother and I often played this game while traveling with the family. Great memories."

And York Daily Record co-worker Matt Goul adds: "I just played that beeping handheld baseball game with the red dots."

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Help me with official Papergreat Market Research: And last, but far from least, I recently asked readers to vote for what Papergreat subcategory they'd be most interested in seeing collected in book format. I joked that "a movie deal seems a bit out of reach at the moment."

But little did I know that Wendyvee was going to put together this gem, worthy of a Best Director Oscar:



Wendyvee, that was just plum awesome. Thank you!

Footnote
1. Barrel not included. Participating dealers only. Results may vary. If your barrel lasts for more than four hours...

3 comments:

  1. Footnotes and comment commentary. This blog is amazing.

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  2. I'll make sure to thank all of the "little people" when I accept my Golden Globes and Oscars :)

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    Replies
    1. I was totally in awe of that, by the way. It was probably the coolest thing I've seen on Papergreat. (JUST KIDDING, CHRIS!)

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