Lily Elsie - the Edwardian's plumed hat lady

Part of the fun of looking at the old postcards is in their ability to provide a snapshot of an era. Sometimes, it's just that- a snapshot, that leads to investigation of a particular show or star or place, that tells us a lot about what was going on.

In this postcard, it is of the famed Lily Elsie. It is a toss up in this collection of who is more popular, she or Gladys Cooper. Both feature very prominently in postcard photographs of the period. Lily Elsie was hugely popular starting around 1907, but retired in 1911, only resurfacing for the 'war effort' productions of WW1.

She died in 1962.
(For a great site dedicated to Lily Elsie, please visit www.lily-elsie.com.)

This postcard is actually headed to Morecambe (from Leeds), instead of the other way round. Change is a good as a rest.

"6/6/17
1 Firth Grove Beeston Leeds
Dear Elsie, Thanks ever so much for the PC [postcard] received. Hope you are having a good time& that you are feeling better. Hope you are having nice weather. Love from Doris"

Made in Germany

Even though these postcards have no written in message, I think the reverse is still interesting for the place of manufacture.

Given that these were all mailed during the time of WWI, it is notable that the manufacture was often in Germany...'made at our facility in Bavaria' etc. There are one or two cards that have the place scratched out (in ink, by the sender), as clearly anti-German sentiment would have been running high.

I wonder what happened to the thousands of postcards printed for companies in Germany, like this one, after they were suddenly out of favour?

It's also too bad I can't really adequately post texture, as this is an example of engraved cards. I'd also like a larger version of this for my wall.

Glorious Blackpool!

The first thing I did when I read the message was smile. I really hope it was the time of Mary's life, as we all know that things got really ugly from 1915-1919, then again about twenty years later.
Still, Blackpool might have been a nice diversion from all of that.

Eve of Destruction

It's funny, one always thinks of people in 'history' as knowing how it all would turn out. For example, we know that WWI lasted from 1914-1918 (or 19), and we know exactly when it began, and what the consequences would be.
But Alice didn't know. And Elsie didn't know.
Frankly, it's eerie to be scanning these sometimes, knowing what we know now...realizing that someone is writing to their friend three days before the world- their world- changes forever with the outbreak of WW1.
I only hope, as I relieve my childhood memories of looking at these postcards, that the writers and recipients were truly having 'the time of their lives' as described on their notes to each other. Not everyone came home, in fact, lots of men never came back at all, which is why people like Elsie ended up with Canadian soliders, emigrating as they did after the first war.
Sometimes I wonder if, a hundred years from now, someone will stumble upon our words and wonder the same thing: "did she know what would happen?".

"You had better live your best and act your best and think your best today; for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow.”  Harriet Martineau

The why

My husband asked me today, "Why are you doing this? How will anyone know it even exists?". I suppose those are valid points, because I haven't figured out how to let other people know. Maybe, while I cruise favourite places like Retronaut, my tag line will lead a few people here. I think in the end what matters to me is that I have put these images out there: 'there' being the wide world of our beloved interwebs, where maybe someone will happen on it by happy surprise in the same way I find the bulk of my fun-things-to-look-at. And maybe by committing these to the web they will continue to exist long after any potential physical disaster befalls the actual postcards themselves (though they've made it a hundred years so far).

I have to believe there are other History Creepers like me out there, that enjoy looking at things that remind us that our ancesors were human and had their own full-colour world, and weren't just static black-and-white figures in a history book.

The sights of Birmingham

 These were from a trip one of Elsie's friends took to Birmingham.
Seems Muriel had an okay time. I'm always amused at the almost inane conversations...no wonder in Canada we talk about the weather all the time!

Wishes

There are many themes throughout this postcard collection: Gladys Cooper, Devastation of War, Christmas Greetings, Easter Greetings, and Well Wishes. These are from the Well Wishes section (and believe me, they said it a LOT, it must have been a heck of a time to be a postal worker, with all these postcards zipping about).

Portions of the postcard collection have not been addressed or stamped, and are in fairly pristine condition. Some have been sent through the mail, so it's quite interesting to read the backs of them sometimes, for both the penmanship and sentiments. For any of those  that I think might be interesting to fellow voyeurs like myself, I will also include the back of the postcard.

Georgian Postcards live again

I've started this site to publish images from a collection of postcards I inherited from my grandfather. I remembered loving these as a child, looking at the still bright images from a place so far away, and hearing all about the 'Great War' in which both sides of my family had fought.

I have a whole section of postcards from Belgium and France during World War I, mostly they document the destruction that happened, and the horror of the aftermath. I chose not to start with these, but instead with one I found fascinating. I am hoping to put up at least one, and hopefully two, postcards each day until the entire collection is online. Perhaps they'll be of interest to fellow font-junkies like myself, who love finding period typeface.

There are many like this one: they feature popular symbols for luck, including the swastika. Having been born in a 'anything-with-a-swastika-is-evil' world, it's amazing to see them in their former glory. And also drives home the fact that the symbol itself was chosen for luck. To a small child, this was an interesting history lesson- and one I never forgot.