Paris from the Louvre

This is another postcard without inscription, which means there is no real verifiable date. It is from the 1916 book of Elsie Russell, so one can only assume that they predate the book in which they were kept.

The postcard reads, "Paris. - Panorama de la Cité, vue prise du Louvre. ND. Photo"

A better historian would be able to date this more precisely, but it is still a lovely view...look at all of the trees. Granted, there are more trees here than in the painting 'A View of Paris from the Louvre' by Louise-Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont done in 1835...but still. 

There doesn't seem to be a comparable photo from this vantage point showing what it looks like today, so I'll hope there is still some greenery left.

Any ideas about who ND. Phot. might be? Email me!

It's always sunny in Silsden

The Howden Gill is a winding stream in Yorkshire. The only hit on it is from a site called Yorkshire Walks, and it is marked on the postcard "Silsden". Silsden was apparently a very important town, especially in the era of mills, but also boasts the world's largest onion and a 1st century coin hoard.
It is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, so it would seem the place has been there quite a while.

This postcard was written and sent half a decade before the start of the First World War, during the height of the 'Golden Age', and sent to Morecombe, a popular vacationing spot (especially for people living in the North, and Scotland).

The front of the card reads, "Howden Gill Silsden".

                                                                               
The reverse is addressed to "Mr. Russell, c/o Miss Dawson 39 Clarendon Rd Morecombe WC"
and says, " Dear Friends we shall be pleased to see you & will meet the bus, off that train, hope you will have better weather. Yours truly Mrs Tillot."

 Postmarked 19 August, 1909.

Merry (belated) Christmas

If only these could be scanned in a calendar-appropriate order, life would be grand. But that's not how they show up, so they're posted as they appear. The hundred-year-old paper holding them is falling apart, so often they are hanging about in boxes, waiting to be scanned.

This one features the epitome of the Edwardian lady...ostrich plume, extravagant hat (thanks, Lily Elsie!)and wrapped in an ermine scarf and carrying a matching ermine purse. That's a LOT of ermine (which are really quite small while still wearing their own coats).

Puzzlingly, she is holding an umbrella, but that could just be a Canadian view of things: generally, snow here is a little more than an umbrella could handle.

Nonetheless, it's a charming card, worthy of not for the sweeping Beaux Arts font alone.

No inscription or postmark, undated.

The Golden Era

The glowing ease of the "Golden Era", which would come to a crashing end just four years later. A quick postcard about a lovely holiday, and a life of relative ease
.

Though you know, no antibiotics yet, so probably not all that great after all.

 

"Dear Elsie, Edna thanks you very much for your pretty PC [postcard]. Edna is having a happy time. Hoping you are well & enjoying your holidays. Love & kisses from Edna and her mother."

postmarked 19 July, 1910.