Looking for something to do in Milwaukee this weekend?  Head out to West Allis to the Milwaukee postcard show Sunday April 6 2014 (details above) between 9 am - 4 pm. Find something to add to your collection. The thrill of the hunt is almost as good as the satisfaction of adding that new find to your album or files. What will it be this weekend?

Laplander Ethnic Folk Costume Finnmark Norway 1925 postcard

Lapland is a region largely within the Arctic that spans parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. The Sami people, earlier referred to as Lapps or Laplanders, are the historical inhabitants of this area. This postcard captures the traditional dress of Sami living in the Norwegian region of Finnmark. While Norwegians form the majority of the population on the outer islands, the population is mixed in the fjord settlements, with Sami forming the bulk of the population in the interior.  A reversal of Norwegianization policy in the 1980s has seen an official apology from the King of Norway, reparations being made to Sami, the introduction of Sami language in schools, and a revitalization of their culture.

                    Camp Fire Girls Council Fire Camp Shawano Miami Valley Ohio 1950c postcard

The Camp Fire Girls organization was created in 1910-12 as a sister organization to the Boy Scouts of America to provide girls the opportunity to participate in similar experiences their brothers, cousins, and school friends were able to enjoy in the scouts.  Camps were established for these camp fire activities across the USA with the Council Fire being one of the highlights of the Camp Fire experience. 

Today the organization, now known simply as Camp Fire since the admission of boys in 1975, describes itself as a "nonprofit youth organization focused on building self-esteem, character development, leadership skills, and social responsibility."

                              Covered Wagon Boys Camp Puh'Tok Monkton Maryland 1950s postcard

For many, memories of summer camp in one's youth are evoked by cards such as these.  Outdoor adventures, camp fires in the evening, and talk late into the night. What boy in the 1950s wouldn't have enjoyed clambering around a covered wagon, even going for ride in it, in the age of the TV cowboy & western?

No exaggeration here! Just as it was caught - a fine example of the halibut catch in the Alaska fisheries circa late 1940s to early 1950s.  Click on image for further postcard details.

The Cawston Ostrich Farm was established by Edwin Cawston who in 1885 imported 50 ostriches from South Africa to start his farm in South Pasadena, California. After an early setback that saw only 18 birds survive the overland railroad trip from Galveston Texas to Pasadena, Cawston was able to breed the flock up to 100 birds. 

By the early 1900s, the Cawston Ostrich Farm had grown into a major tourist attraction, combining the exotic with a short trolley ride to and from downtown Los Angeles. A slew of postcard views ensued, permitting visitors to share their day at the farm with those who stayed at home. 

While at the farm visitors could ride on the back of ostriches, take a ride in an ostrich drawn carriage, or, as shown above, watch an ostrich race.  At the store that was linked to an ostrich product factory on the property, visitors could purchase ostrich-feathered hats, boas, capes and fans to take home as mementos of their day out with the ostriches.   

Click on image for more information about the card.

                         Exaggerated Corn AT & SF Railroad Car of Kansas Corn Albertype postcard

A very nice example of the exaggeration category of postcards from the early twentieth century.  Every locale, it seems, engaged in "boosterism" through the medium of the postcard - the biggest corn, celery, fish, etc. or world's longest bridge or tunnel, tallest tower and so forth. There it was for all the world to see - if they believed their eyes...

                       Pan American China Clipper Plane Flying Boat San Francisco California postcard
                                                             click on the image for more details

The China Clipper (NC14716), a four engine Martin M 130 flying boat, flew the inaugural flight for Pan American Airlines' trans Pacific service between San Francisco and Manila in The Philippines.  Taking off from Alameda CA on November 22, 1935 it island-hopped its way to Manila reaching its destination on November 29, delivering 110,000 pieces of mail along the way. 

The China Clipper service opened up a new era of travel in the Pacific, permitting faster travel both for people and mail. The British were also opening up air routes across the Pacific in the mid 1930s with flying boat service to Australia and New Zealand in the South Pacific.

A flower seller in traditional dress on the Cote D'Azur, France, postcard, circa 1910.

Slideshow of postcards issued by the Parfumerie Bruno Court, Grasse France, circa early 1900s