I wish my letter carrier sent me nice cards like this.
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Don't you love the way this feminine hand reaches out from the doorway?
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Charles Stebbins, also known as Letter Carrier No. 5, was born in 1859. Although the 1880 Census shows him working as a cigar maker, by 1883 he was working for the post office. He was still working there in 1930, but I lost track of him after that. Strangely, the 1910 Census lists his race as black, but in all the other years he is listed as white.
Here's a scan of a 6.5" by 8.5" glass negative of a mailman delivering a letter to a distinguished gentleman. I think the location is Lake George, New York.
Finally, if you have plans to move soon or go on vacation, be sure to let the post office know so they can forward your mail. You could try using this card as long as you change the year.
Great detail in the glass negative.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she thinks she'll "catch" something from the carrier...interesting how the envelope is presented to her upside down; what's with that? And those glass plate negs are absolutely clear! Lisa's right -- fabulous detail!
ReplyDeleteLove love love
ReplyDeleteYou know I would!
I did indeed, and I'm glad you did.
DeleteThat hand is indeed a hoot, especially combined with the postman's shadow, which seems like a smokey apparition slipping inside the (very over-sized) door- there is more than meets the eye to this card! The porch view really looks like something out of a movie, very staged, do you think it was used to promote the postal service? Beautifully crisp shot as the other have noted.
ReplyDeleteI love the mailman card. I would love to get a card like that from my letter carrier.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to lose sleep thinking about Mr. Stebbins being black one year....What the others said about the glass negative -- I agree!
ReplyDeleteVery cool. That disembodied hand is unsettling. Interesting about Mr. Stebbins being black one year by the census.
ReplyDelete