Hilarious Postcards Show What French People in 1900 Thought Life Would Be Like in 2000

These images, which were drawn by Jean-Marc Côté and other French artists, originally appeared on paper cards enclosed in cigarette and cigar boxes and, later, as postcards. They were first produced in 1899 for the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, with additional cards being released in 1900, 1901 and 1910.

There are a lot of known scenes, but here are some of the more striking. In addition to a range of tedious activities going automatic, the biggest theme seems to be an anticipation that we will tire of earthly pursuits and take to the sea and sky.

1. At School.

At School

Unfortunately for modern students, the prediction of a school where learning is simply wired into one's brain never came to be. Fortunately, this means they've avoided having to wear headpieces that look like Princess Leia wigs.

2. The New-Fangled Barber.

The New-Fangled Barber

The French anticipated we'd have a lot of trust in our modern machines, even when it comes to using sharp objects awfully close to the jugular.

3. Aero-Cab Station.

Aero-Cab Station

Although the cars would become airborne, the fashions, apparently, would stay pretty much stuck in the late 19th century.

4. Aerial Firemen.

Aerial Firemen

I think it was Icarus who had something to say on the matter of flying close to an open flame.

5. In Pursuit of a Smuggler.

In Pursuit of a Smuggler

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30 Funny ”Your Ideal Love Mate” Arcade Cards From the 1940s

Usually, people seek answers to questions such as when and where they will magically find true love. These vintage love cards could be the key to unlocking the mystery of where a soulmate is hiding. They displayed in penny arcade vending machines from the early 1940s, and originated in Chicago.

Is she or he the one? Customers received a novelty comic description and printed photo-card of a man or woman might expect to hook up with soon – for just one cent.

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Strange Novelty Hole Postcards From the Early 20th Century

Spanning from approximately 1905 to 1915 in the United States, the golden age of postcards stemmed from a combination of social, economic, and governmental factors. Demand for postcards increased, government restrictions on production loosened, and technological advances (in photography, printing, and mass production) made the boom possible. In addition, the expansion of Rural Free Delivery allowed mail to be delivered to more American households than ever before. Billions of postcards were mailed during the golden age, including nearly a billion per year in United States from 1905 to 1915, and 7 billion worldwide in 1905. Many postcards from this era were in fact never posted but directly acquired by collectors themselves.

Despite years of incredible success, economic and government forces would ultimately spell the end of the golden age. The peak came sometime between 1907 and 1910 for the United States. In 1909, American publishers successfully lobbied to place tariffs on high quality German imports with the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act. The effects of tariffs really started to make a large impact, and escalating hostilities in Europe made it difficult to import cards and ink into the United States. The fad may have also simply run its natural course. The war disrupted production efforts in Europe, although postcard production did not entirely stop. Cards were still useful for propaganda, and for boosting troop morale.

Here are some examples of novelty cards that have holes in which fingers can be inserted to make the postcard figures appear to have real arms, legs, or even a tongue:

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40 Stunning Real Photo Postcards Captured Street Scenes at Night in the 1960s

Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As an easy and quick way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular.

A real photo postcard (RPPC) is a continuous-tone photographic image printed on postcard stock. The term recognizes a distinction between the real photo process and the lithographic or offset printing processes employed in the manufacture of most postcard images.

Real photo postcards may or may not have a white border, or a divided back, or other features of postcards, depending on the paper the photographer used.

The last and current postcard era, which began about 1939, is the “chrome” era, a shortened version of Photochrom. However these types of cards did not begin to dominate until about 1950 (partially due to war shortages during WWII). The images on these cards are generally based on colored photographs, and are readily identified by the glossy appearance given by the paper’s coating. These still photographs made the invisible visible, the unnoticed noticed, the complex simple and the simple complex. The power of the still photograph forms symbolic structures and make the image a reality.

Here, below is a gallery of 40 stunning real photo postcards captured street scenes at night in the 1960s:

Hamilton St., Regina Saskatchewan

Fairbanks, Alaska

Central Ave., Albaquerque NM

Variety Park, Hereford TX

Dundas St., London ON

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Breakfast in Bed Charged Extra: Cute Animal Vintage Postcards From the Early 20th Century

In 1907, Raphael Tuck and Sons published a series of postcards featuring animal couples having breakfast in bed. The happy looking animals are drinking tea and have foods they would presumably enjoy, such as a robin and mice for the cats, biscuits for the spaniels, porridge for the three bears and mushrooms for the frogs. Strangely the geese and chickens both have eggs on their trays.

The cards were sold in the USA and Great Britain, with some designs also being sold in Canada, Italy and France. The series must have been popular, because another series was released in 1908, and more sets appeared in later years. Some were plain, others were sold as Christmas or New Year’s cards, and others were sold as souvenir postcards at various British resorts.

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Humorous Musique du General Oku Postcards From the Early 20th Century

During the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), a French postcard company produced a set of several postcards mocking General Oku Yasukata, whose name is a near-homophone for the phrase “au cul” — French for “of the ass”.

Though not involved in the fighting, the French were allied with Russia: hence the petard- humor directed at the Japanese. Unhappily for European leaders, not to mention Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the Japanese nonetheless prevailed.

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A Collection of 50 Lovely and Fun Easter Cards From the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Happy Easter!

Here is a gallery of 50 colorful Easter postcards from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The earliest known depiction of the Easter bunny in the United States was acquired by the Winterthur Museum in 2011. The drawing from 1800 is by schoolmaster Johann Conrad Gilbert, who immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany.

In fact, the Pennsylvania Germans brought many Easter traditions to America, which had their origins in the Pagan holiday celebrating the beginning of spring, known as Eostre. The hare, which is one of the most prolific animals in nature, was considered a symbol of fertility, and children would prepare baskets of colorful eggs for the hare to sit on.

Christians adopted these traditions for Easter, in which believers celebrate the resurrection of the messiah Jesus Christ. But the themes of birth, rebirth, and renewal remain constant. The grass is green, flowers are blooming, baby animals are being born. It’s a time of year when everything seems dewy and new. That’s why vintage postcards for Easter, especially those from the Victorian era, are so charming, with their depictions of fuzzy bunnies, newly hatched chicks, children and young women dressed in their Sunday best, and beautiful pastel flowers.

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Street Scenes of the U.S From the 1960s Through 30 Wonderful Color Real Photo Postcards

Postcards are always of great historical and social interest. In 1903 Kodak introduced the No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak. The camera, designed for postcard-size film, allowed the general public to take photographs and have them printed on postcard backs, usually in the same dimensions as standard vintage postcards. Many other cameras were used, some of which used glass photographic plates that produced images that had to be cropped in order to fit the postcard format.

In 1907, Kodak introduced a service called “real photo postcards,” which enabled customers to make a postcard from any picture they took.

While Kodak was the major promoter of photo postcard production, the company used the term “real photo” less frequently than photographers and others in the marketplace from 1903 to ca. 1930.

Here’s a look back at images of street scenes of the United States from the 1960s through a gallery of 30 wonderful vintage postcards:

Wenatchee, Washington

Bennettsville, South Carolina

Miles City, Montana

Yuma, Arizona

Livingston, Montana

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CANOE be Valentine? A Collection of 20 Valentine’s Day Cards From the Mid-20th Century Punning Native Americans

Like portrayals of African-Americans, images of Native Americans on valentines and other ephemera reflected the racial attitudes of the time in which they were created.

Some vintage cards here may be uncomfortable to view, but we feel it is important to remember how recent and pervasive the use of racist and ethnic caricatures were in mundane, daily entertainment. It normalized negative stereotypes in a way that made overt institutionalized racism such as the residential schools for Native American children possible.

That’s not to say we don’t still see such imagery around today – we do – and while there is plenty of room for improvement, we have come a long way in that it is not as common, not as ordinary, not as accepted in mainstream society without any real challenge as it was, in our (not all that distant) past.

CANOE be Valentine?

HONEST INJUN Valentine! If you ever get outta my “SIGHT”... It’ll be an-ARROW escape!

Don’t be so CHILLY Sweetheart

“HOW” ’bout us be-um Valentines Me not Squaw-k. Be-um mine.

Honest Injun I like you Heap lot.

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22 Amazing Vintage Superhero-Themed Cards for Your Valentine’s Day

Exchanging cute Valentine’s Day cards featuring fictional characters and romantic phrases is a holiday tradition as old as candy hearts with silly phrases on them. What better way to let the object of your affection feel loved and appreciated than by giving him or her a message from their favorite superhero? Sometimes, though, a seemingly sweet pun from Spider-Man just sounds more like a reference to auto-erotic asphyxiation.

Other times, a nice superhero pun or innuendo is just wildly inappropriate for the youngsters who will actually receive these cards. Take a look at these superhero-themed Valentine’s Day cards that may have missed the mark when it comes to courting young love.

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