SWEET LITTLE BOY RIDING HIS HANDCAR : TOY : MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA : RPPC

This vintage undivided back real photo postcard features a sweet little boy riding a handcar. The message on the reverse of the card reveals that the boys name is Robert and the card was mailed to his grandparents in Alliance, Ohio. The message is written by the boy’s parents in wording as if the boy himself wrote the card. Robert tells his grandparents that he has much fun on the handcar and that he wishes that they could see how fast he can ride. The message also reveals that the postcard was written in 1906 and that Robert and his family resided in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Typically, a hand car is a railroad car that is powered by it’s passengers. They were used by the railroads as well as in mines. (SOLD)  

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Published in: on February 5, 2023 at 3:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FOUR MEN IN SUITS AND THEIR FOUR BICYCLES : REAL PHOTO POSTCARD

This vintage real photo postcard features four men and their bicycles. These men are well dressed and by today’s norms, they would not bike wearing dress suits. During the era seen in this image, men would wear bands on the bottom of their pants to avoid having their pant legs getting tangled in the spokes of their bike. (SOLD)

Published in: on October 16, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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FIVE HAPPY WOMEN AND TWO HAPPY MEN RIDING BICYCLES (1939)

This vintage real photo postcard features five women and two men riding bicycles on an unidentified street. Judging by their smiles, they are all having fun. The riders are dressed for warm weather. Are these bicylists tourists? The caption on this postcard states “From Corso”. My assumption is that the photo was taken by the Corso studio. The location of that studio and the locale where this photo was taken, is unknown. An inscription on the reverse of the postcard indicates that the photograph was taken in 1939. SOLD

Published in: on May 20, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE GIRL AND HER BICYCLE (RPPC)

 

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2020-04-11_171140 BIKE GIRL3This vintage real photo postcard features a young woman and her bicycle. It is a studio photograph which explains why the woman and her bike are inside the house.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on April 3, 2020 at 12:00 pm  Comments (7)  
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PORTRAIT OF A DAPPER “CYCLING GENT” AND HIS OSMOND BICYCLE

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This vintage real photo postcard features a well dressed gentleman posing with his bicycle. Although this is a studio photo, the bicyclist looks like he is ready to go for a ride. His attire is such that his lower pant legs are prevented from becoming entangled in the spokes of his bicycle tires. The gent is wearing a bicycle club badge on his cap. A note on the reverse of the postcard states “Osmond Cycle”. The Osmond Cycle Company was located in Birmingham, England. Frederick John Osmond was born in 1867. He was a bicycling super star. He later manufactured bicycles under his own name. He was managing director and works manager of his firm, which employed 120 people. He was a trained engineer who joined the Whitworth Company in Birmingham as the cycle department manager. He began there in 1891 but after being demoted to make room for the owners son, Osmond left and he and his brother opened their own bicycle company. At that point in time, Osmond was a legend in the sport of bicycling. He won his first major title on a tricycle in 1887. He was only a one year veteran in the post at the time of his victory. Three years late, he began riding on two wheels and he dominated the one, five, twenty-five, and 50 mile events. Osmond’s company produced motorcycles between 1902 and 1925. The business was sold in 1911 but maintained the Osmond name until the late 1920’s. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).  (SOLD)

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Published in: on March 30, 2020 at 2:18 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A SOLDIER STANDS IN A FARMERS FIELD WITH HIS BICYCLE (FOXCO)

This photograph features a uniformed soldier standing in a farmer’s field and posing behind his bicycle. This photo was found in a shop in the Texas Hill Country. It was part of a group of Foxco images from the mid 1940’s. This photograph was developed by Foxco of San Antonio. The company has an interesting history.  The Fox Photo Studio was opened by Arthur C. Fox in 1906 in San Antonio, Texas. Fox sold the studio for seven hundred dollars to Carl D. Newton in 1909. Newton was a clever entrepreneur. One of his gimmicks was to offer a free camera to anyone buying three rolls of film and prepaying developing and printing fees. His successor to the business was Carl D Newton II.  By the mid 1930’s Fox advertised itself as the world’s largest Kodak finishers. Their processing plant was in operation around the clock. The company expanded and opened facilities in Dallas, Houston, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The company grew and grew and ultimately reached 12,000 dealers nationwide. In 1986, the company was sold to Kodak. Carl D Newton III kept the retail division of the business, calling it Fox Photo. Later, the business changed hands a number of times until it faded into history.  The photo measures about 3 1/4″ x 2 1/4″.    (SOLD)

Published in: on October 3, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FRENCH BOY AND HIS BICYCLE

This vintage real photo postcard features a well dressed young boy posing with his bicycle. The boy is wearing a black armband. Black armbands were first utilized as a sign of mourning in 1770’s England. This postcard is of French origin and was published circa 1910. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).  (SOLD)

Published in: on August 6, 2018 at 3:07 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MISS MATTIE LOVEDAY AND HER BICYCLE IN WASHINGTON D.C.

This cabinet card has seen better days. It is quite faded and appears to have been trimmed. The young woman in this photograph poses with a bicycle for an unknown photographer. The subject of this cabinet card image is identified by an inscription on the reverse of the photo. The young lady in the photograph is Miss Mattie Loveday. Preliminary research yielded a disappointingly small amount of information. Here is what we know. The 1900 US census reveals that Miss Loveday was born in 1883 and was a student living in Washington D.C.. She lived with her father (James P. Loveday) and mother (Florence D. Loveday). Also in the home was a 20 year old brother (Arthur), 11 year old sister (Annie), and 7 year old brother (Leo). Her father and older brother both worked as clerks. The brother was also a soldier. Mattie was 17 years old at the time of the 1900 census and it is my guess that this photograph was taken close to that year.  SOLD

 

Published in: on February 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THREE YOUNG MEN AND THEIR BICYCLES AND THEIR CIGARETTES

A European (probably French) photography studio created this portrait of three young men posing with two bicycles. The men are well dressed but give the appearance of ruffians. The cigarettes hanging from their lips create a roguish look. Two of the boys are wearing high boots which indicate that they are the bike owners. Tucking pant bottoms into the boots prevented bike accidents. This photo postcard of a trio of bikers is a rare find and likely dates to the 1900’s decade.  SOLD

Published in: on March 29, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A NERVOUS YOUNG MAN AND HIS BICYCLE

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This vintage real photo postcard features a young man standing beside his bicycle. The look on his face can be described as similar to a “deer in the headlights”. One could also describe his expression as nervous. It is as if he just got caught doing something wrong. Maybe it has something to do with the cigarette that he is holding in his right hand, though I doubt it. He is wearing a great outfit and cap but I would surmise that his boots don’t make pedaling a bicycle particularly easy. Note that the backdrop in this studio photo is quite pretty and detailed despite that it is obviously fake. This postcard was produced in the very early 1900’s.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on January 3, 2017 at 5:52 pm  Comments (2)  
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