Let's get the whole gang together for a picture

This is one of those photographs that deserves to be magnified, as the original (tattered) image is only three inches wide.

There is no information at all on the back.

So we're left to wonder:

• Is this a school class picture?¹
• What year or decade was this taken?
• What did all these children grow up to do?

Unrelated Halloweeny Footnote
1. If you've never read the short horror story “This Year's Class Picture” by Dan Simmons, I recommend that you track it down.

Victorian trade card for Magic Yeast Cakes (plus a creepy bonus)

A colorful bird appears on the front of this Victorian trade card, which is slightly smaller than a standard postcard. According to the reverse side, "The way to get a card like this is to buy a package of MAGIC YEAST CAKES."

It's interesting to think that late 19th century consumers would have been motivated to buy one product over another because of the presence of a picture of a bird. But it's also extremely hard for us to imagine the enthusiasm with which the public of that time embraced and collected these cards.

Magic Yeast Cakes were a product of E.W. Gillett of Chicago. In 1929, E.W. Gillett merged with four other companies to create Standard Brands. And, in turn, Standard Brands become part of Nabisco in 1981.

In doing some other research into Magic Yeast Cakes and Gillett, I came across a creepy piece of ephemera.

A publication called Happy Hours was apparently once distributed free to buyers of Magic Yeast Cakes. And this link shows one of the illustrations that appeared within. Boo!

Poetry excerpts from 1921's "Autumn Leaves" by Samuel C. Frey

Here's one final autumn-themed post before signing off for the day.

Pictured at right is Autumn Leaves, a purple-covered book of verse written by Samuel C. Frey and self-published here in York, Pennsylvania, in 1921. (It was printed by an outfit called Dispatch Print.)¹

Frey's 212-page book has sections titled Concerning Poetry, Patriotic, Religious, At Weber's Dinner, Tributes, Limericks and Miscellaneous. It is dedicated to "all who have music in their souls."

In the preface, Frey writes: "The verses in this book were, with few exceptions, written after the author's sixtieth year — this suggested the title. They were prepared for special occasions, or where something original was called for."

There is a list of roughly 400 "subscribers" whose "pre-publication support" apparently made the printing of this volume possible.

The intriguing list, full of names that are certainly of local historic interest, includes N. Appell, three Dempwolfs, A.B. Farquhar, George Hay Kain, S. Forry Laucks, Geo. W. Pfaltzgraff and six Smalls.

Here are some samples of Frey's verse...

A POEM IN THE MAKING
I thought I'd write a little poem
'Bout autumn leaves, you see;
Because it seem that autumn leaves
Were very much like me.

All summer long they have no cares;
To them time endless seems;
But when Jack Frost comes 'nipping round,
They wake up from their dreams.

WHO IS A PATRIOT?
Who is a Patriot? It's not the man
Who skins the Government whene'er he can;
Who uses a stamp for the second time;—
He's surely subject for warmer clime.

Not he who so craftily falsifies
In making out tax return, and thus tries
To beat the collector, and, when found out,
He claims the benefit of the doubt.

PERSONALS²
Bill Miller and his son-in-law
Are quite a funny pair;
Bill's always busy asking folks
More of his shoes to wear;
While Joe says we all walk too much.
How can we ever please
Two men of such contrary views
And diverse minds as these.

Carl Witmer and young Beitzel, too,
Are financiers of note;
They're taking money all day long,
Just as a thing of rote.
In other ways these two agree;
They both are found of sports.
For Carl doth play piano forte,
And Will on tennis courts.

Wayne G. McFall, he plays baseball,
Just as a recreation;
And while he plays, he umpire baits,
Just as a new sensation.
They make George Leber tired of life,
Wayne and his friend, Sam Ruby,
But when Sam tries to catch some flies,
He looks just like a booby.

LAKE WILLIAMS
Down in old Hopewell township, where
The watersheds divide;
Where little rivulets abound
And through the meadows glide;
two springs, but a few hundred feet
Apart, come bubbling forth;
One Southward to the Deer Creek flows,
The other, to the North.

From East and West come sister streams
And merge in one embrace;
Now smoothly flow through pastures green,
Now rush at rapid pace.
To West they turn; from Winterstown
A tributary flows;
From Hametown and red Lion, too.
The stream in volume grows.

LIMERICKS
Last March, as Winter receded,
The warnings of friends he unheeded;
The temperature fell,
He went to — well,
Where underwear never is needed.

There was a young man from near Etters',
Said his dogs had invisible fetters
For they never would go.
His friend said "That's so;
Because them dogs is both setters."

Two stages ran daily their courses;
Were driven by two different forces;
The Dillsburg tramps
Used acetylene lamps;
East Prospect, a set o' lean horses.

There was a young lady from Dover,
Who walked in a field of new clover.
Her stockings were thin,
The bee's stinger went in;
The girls said "Darn" and moreover.

At a famous hotel called "The Brogue,"
Election day's fights were the vogue.
Or loser or winner,
A saint or a sinner,
There was fighting by good man and rogue.

Footnotes
1. For another post about a York County poet, check out "Piggy Pork: His Odyssey" by Thomas Yost Cooper.
2. Other names mentioned in Personals include Harry McNeal, George Rudy, Joe Radcliffe, Bob Fluhrer, Charles Craumer, Harry Wiest, Charles Kline, Jake Stager, C. Leroy Blair, Joe Wallazz, Lloyd Myers, G. Edward George, Harvey Gross and Luther Melhorn.

Postcard of "Autumn Woods" by American artist George Inness

Here's another postcard featuring an autumn scene. It pairs nicely, I think, with last month's "Farben-Aufnahme direkt nach der Natur."¹

The artist is George Inness (1825–1894), an American landscape painter who was a major part of the tonalist movement. His works, many of which can be seen here, included numerous depictions of autumn, including Early Autumn Montclair, Autumn Oaks, Autumn Gold, Autumn Meadows and Spirit of Autumn.

This one is titled Autumn Woods, was created very late in Inness' life, and has long been property of The Art Institute of Chicago. It is an oil-on-canvas work.

I look at the house in the background of Inness' painting and imagine that, on a windy and rainy October night, this woman is sitting inside.

The postcard itself is unused and was published by The Detroit Publishing Co., which was in business from approximately 1880 to 1936.

According to an extensive history of The Detroit Publishing Co. provided by Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City:

"Originally a printer of religious books and calendars, the Detroit Photographic Company Ltd. shifted production in 1897 when owners William A. Livingstone and Edwin H. Husher saw the potential in postcards. After negotiations with Orell Fussli, Detroit became the sole American company to license the Swiss photochrom process, which they would eventually register in 1907 under the name Phostint."

Footnote
1. And if you want to get your Complete Autumn Ephemera Fix, here is a list of past Papergreat posts:

• Postcard: "Farben-Aufnahme direkt nach der Natur"
• Postcard: Autumn in Nebraska and The Mite Society
• Postcards: Autumn scenes from Pavlovsk Park in Russia
• Here's Uncle Willie from Hartley, just sitting in the hay

Here's Uncle Willie from Hartley, just sitting in the hay

Greetings! I'm hoping to have a trio of autumn-themed posts for you today.¹

First up is this cabinet card, which measures 6½ inches by 4¼ inches. Written on the back, in pencil, is: "Uncle Willie from Hartley June 1897."²

Besides that note, I don't know a thing about Uncle Willie. Hartley is common location name. There are Hartleys in Texas, Iowa and California, among other places. So I think, beyond those few words written in pencil, this photo will remain forever within the category of Mysteries.

Here's a closer look at Uncle Willie. He doesn't look terribly pleased to have been plopped into the hay.

Footnotes
1. It is not, however, feeling very autumnal here in York, Pennsylvania. Today is the first of five consecutive days in which temperatures are forecast to be in the 80s. Here, we'd call that an Indian Summer. In other parts of the world, autumn heat waves are (or have been) called:

• Saint Martin's Summer (formerly used in Britain)
• Old Wives' Summer (formerly used in Britain)
• Veranillo de San Miguel or Veranillo de San Martín (Spain)
• Verão de São Martinho (Portugal)
• Brittsommar (Sweden)
• Altweibersommer (Germany and Austria)
• Vénasszonyok nyara (Hungary, where the white spiders seen at this time of the year are associated with the norns of Norse folklore or medieval witches)
• Bobų vasara (Lithuania)
• Intiaanikesä or Akkainkesä (Finland)

2. I know, of course, that June is not an autumnal month, but the pile of hay sure gave me that autumn vibe. So there.

Old postcard: 1368's Altes Haus in Bacharach, Germany

The peaceful-looking setting in this vintage illustrated postcard features the streets of Bacharach, Germany. The town, which now has a population of fewer than 2,000 but a robust tourism business, sits in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in western Germany.

The German caption on the back of the card states:

"Das alte Haus in Bacharach ist eines der schönsten Kleinode altdeut-cher Baukunst am Rhein. Welch hohe architektonische Bedeutung dem aus dem Jahre 1368 stammenden Hause zukommt, beweist der Umstand, daß es im Jahre 1897 auf Staats und Provinzkosten ausgebessert wurde."

Roughly, that translates to:

"The Old House in Bacharach is one of the most beautiful early German architectural gems on the Rhine. Its high architectural significance, dating from the 1368, was proven by the fact that it was repaired in 1897 with state and provincial funds."

The Altes Haus (“Old House”), a medieval timber-frame structure, remains one of the top tourist draws in tiny Bacharach.¹

It is with mixed feelings that I report that the building is now a restaurant.

Here's a 2003 Flickr photograph taken by by Roger Wollstadt...

The good news, anyway, is that the restaurant garners very good reviews on TripAdvisor² and is ranked as the #1 attraction in Bacharach.

As a final note, the producer of this postcard is listed on the back as "Astudia-Karten vom Rhein. Verlag von Hoursch & Bechstedt-Köln."

Footnotes
1. Other attractions in Bacharach include:

• The Wernerkapelle Ruins, which are detailed nicely on the Carrotspeak blog
• On old town wall that still circles parts of the city
• The well-preserved (compared to elsewhere in Germany) town wall towers, which according to Wikipedia, are: Diebesturm (“Thief’s Tower,” remnants), Zehnt-turm (“Tithe Tower”), Spitzenturm (“Pointed Tower,” remnants), Postenturm (“Post Tower”), Holztor (“Wooden Gate,” also called Steeger Tor), Liebesturm (“Love Tower”), Halbturm (“Half Tower,” remnants), Kühlbergturm (“Kühlberg Tower,” remnants), Sonnenturm (“Sun Tower,” remnants), Hutturm (“Hat Tower”), Kranentor, Markttor (“Market Gate”), Münztor (“Mint Gate”), and Winandturm (“Winand’s Tower”)
• Stahleck Castle, which sits above the town

2. One reviewer highly recommends the riesling soup. They also offer a cheese-and-bread plate that I know my wife would love.

1908 receipt for 400 calendars from Yoe Printing Company

This fragile and elaborate 1908 receipt is for Yoe Printing Company. I suppose if you run a printing company, you want your receipt to be a showcase for all of the wonderful things your company can do with design and color. And this paper certainly accomplishes that.

Yoe is a tiny borough of about 1,000 residents in York County, Pennsylvania, about 12 miles from where we live. It was incorporated in 1893. Here's an excerpt regarding Yoe's history from the borough's website:

"Originally called Snyderstown, Yoe Borough encompasses 136 square acres and was built upon what was once part of two farms in York Township, one belonging to Jacob Snyder, which was bought in 1815, and the other farm, which belonged to Henry Taylor.

"In 1871 Aaron Snyder, a son-in-law to Jacob Snyder, moved back to the family farm which was then owned by Henry Taylor’s son Zacharia, and set up a sawmill operation, thus establishing the first business in what was to become Yoe Borough. ...

"In 1888, the people of Snyderstown applied for a permit for a post office, but were turned down because there was already a town bearing that name in PA with a post office. So, Moses Snyder suggested the name of 'Yohe' in honor of this mother and Aaron Snyder’s first wife Catherine Yohe. So as not to offend the second wife of Aaron, Moses suggested dropping the 'H' out of the name, and thus the spelling of 'Yoe' came to be. The settlement of Yoe continued to flourish, and on August 23rd 1893, was incorporated into a borough and thus Yoe Borough was born."

Also according to the borough website, Yoe had about FIFTY cigar factories in 1907. They churned out about 100,000 cigars per day. Holy smokes!

So, that's some context for Yoe. The Yoe Printing Company, with J.K. Taylor as the sole proprietor, was founded in 1896. According to the receipt, the company handled advertising novelties, calendars, fans, leather goods, cigar cases (obviously), and bottle cartons.

Also stated on the receipt: "We contract for large printing orders" and "We do the highest class of work at the minimum expense."

That brings us to what this receipt was for. R. Wm. Ziegler¹ of Market and Penn streets in York paid $26 to Yoe Printing Company for 400 calendars on July 2, 1908.² Have no doubt, this was a major transaction. Something that cost $26 in 1908 would be the equivalent of $654 in 2012, according to The Inflation Calculator. That's a lot of coin to spend on calendars. I believe, but haven't ever confirmed, that Ziegler ran a pharmacy in York. If that's the case, it would have made sense for him to make a bulk purchase of calendars, either to sell in his store or give away as promotional items.

As for Mr. Taylor, I found this sad tidbit in an issue of The Inland Printer that was published sometime between October 1910 and March 1911:

"With assets of $8,800 and liabilities of $38,241, James K. Taylor, as an individual and trading as the Taylor Printing Company, and the Yoe Printing Company, at York, Pa., has been declared a voluntary bankrupt. Alvin Riest was appointed receiver."

Finally, I found this humorous news item in the June 15, 1904, edition of the Reading Times:

"YORK COUNTY. Miss Sadie Clay, an employe of the Yoe Printing Company, York, accidentally used her last week's pay as fuel for the fire. Her pay envelope got mixed up with some rubbish which she threw into a stove."

Footnotes
1. This is the third R. Wm. Ziegler receipt to appear on Papergreat (we can be thankful that he kept them!) and I think it clears up once and for all that the correct spelling of his last name was, in fact, Ziegler. Here are links to the other two receipts:

• An old receipt from F.W. Behler
• An old receipt from L.B. Hantz, contractor, of York

2. On July 2, 1908, the New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in the opener of a four-game series. The Giants went on to sweep the series. The Phillies, however, went on to have a respectable 83-71 season, finishing fourth in the National League. Their best hitters were Sherry Magee (.283 batting average, 30 doubles, 16 triples, 40 stolen bases) and Kitty Bransfield (.304, 25 doubles, 71 RBIs, 30 stolen bases). The second baseman was Otto Knabe. On the bench were Moose McCormick and William J. "Kid" Gleason, who went on to manage the Chicago White Sox in the infamous 1919 World Series.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Mikey, together in one post

Happy first day of autumn! Today we have a couple of vintage magazine advertisements that have absolutely nothing to do with autumn.

First up is this Pabst Blue Ribbon¹ advertisement featuring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. from the August 1950 issue of The American Legion Magazine.

Fairbanks — who never quite achieved the Hollywood fame of his swashbuckling father but, more importantly, played a key role as a US naval officer in World War II — is enjoying his lager in a glass that looks fairly unsafe for boating. He's also trying to drink while he's strapped into a huge rod-and-reel rig. Given that he needs two hands for his rod, I'm not sure what he's going to do with his beverage after the person with the tray leaves. It doesn't seem as if this was thought through.

Next up is an advertising icon that everyone 30 and older should be familiar with: Mikey. This advertisement from the September 20, 1977, issue of Woman's Day is essentially a pictorial summary of the famous Mikey/Life television commercial that first aired in 1972.

Mikey was portrayed by child actor John Gilchrist and the other two boys in the commercial are his actual brothers — Michael (on the left) and Tommy. It seems that Michael and Tommy had the more difficult thespian responsibilities in the commercial, but are always lost in the shadows of The Mikey Performance.

And, no, Mikey/John Gilchrist did not die from eating Pop Rocks and guzzling soda. He's alive and well.

Now, Pop Rocks and Pabst Blue Ribbon — that might be another question entirely.

Footnote
1. Here is some interesting information about the modern-day popularity of Pabst Blue Ribbon, courtesy of Wikipedia: "The beer experienced a sales revival in the early 2000s after a two decade-long slump, largely due to its increasing popularity among urban hipsters. ... [T]he company has opted not to fully embrace the countercultural label in its marketing, fearing that doing so could jeopardize the very 'authenticity' that made the brand popular."