WELL ARMED OLD CHIEF OF GHADAMES : POST ITALO-TURKISH WAR : LIBYA : RPPC : 1913

This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait captioned “The Old Chief of Ghadanez”. The chief is well armed in this photo. He is holding a rifle and a sword. The modern spelling of Ghadanez is “Ghadames” or “Ghadamis”. Ghadames is an oasis Berber town in the Tripolitania region of northwestern Libya. The town is 287 miles southwest of Tripoli and lies near the borders with Tunisia and Algeria. Ghadames is known as “the pearl of the desert”. The town is mainly inhabited by Berbers. This postcard was postmarked in 1913. The card was sent during turbulent times in Ghadames. In 1911, soon after the Italo-Turkish War had begun, the town was occupied by Italian troops. The town changed hands a number of times until 1915, when a general rebellion caused the Italian soldiers to retreat to Tripoli. This postcard has an Italian stamp and a 1913 postmark. Interestingly, it is addressed to someone in Oakland, California. The message on the card is written in two languages, English and Italian. SOLD

Published in: on October 31, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BASEBALL TEAM PORTRAIT : TRIPOLI, IOWA : BATS, BALL, GLOVES : RPPC (1912)

This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of members of a baseball team. Pictured are ten uniformed players and presumably, their coach clad in a shirt and tie. The coach is holding a glass of wine or champagne. I wonder if he is celebrating a victory. Note the players equipment seen in the first row. You can see gloves, a catcher’s mit,  bats, and even a baseball. This baseball team is from Tripoli, Iowa. The team members look to old to be high school players. Perhaps the team was in a semi pro league. This photo postcard was postmarked in 1912. (SOLD)

Published in: on May 8, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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