Streetcar Sunday - Los Angeles

We think of Los Angeles as being centered around freeways and automobiles, but it wasn't always that way. The early streetcars, known as the Yellow Cars, carried passengers in L.A.'s dense downtown area and to the surrounding neighborhoods. The Los Angeles Electric Railway operated from 1901 until 1963 on narrow gauge, 3.5 foot tracks.  There were 20 lines and 1,250 streetcars. There were also 'Red Cars", operated by Pacific Electric. Often people would take trips that used both systems. By 1963, the streetcars had all been replaced by diesel buses.

Mostly, I am astonished by the number of people crowding the sidewalks.

Birthday Greetings to J. Wheeler Smith

I have no idea who J. Wheeler Smith was, but he received this card for his 90th birthday in 1910. Born in 1820,  J. Wheeler Smith might have been considered too old to fight in the Civil War. Imagine that. He probably died before the first World War.  His life experience was so different from mine, yet I hold this card of his in my hand. This really sums up my fascination with old postcards.

Here's the unedited message:

Please except hearty congratulations and best wishes  for this your 90th birthday. Hope you will see many more. Just recd. your kind letter.  You certainly are a wonder to me, so smart for one of your years. With all good wishes I am sincerely

Mrs. J.H. Prentice.

Beatific Smiles

I bought both of these photo postcards for their beatific smiles. Something about them radiates calm, warmth, trust, hope, honesty, and a total lack of malice. They act as a tonic to renew my faith in humankind. Am I reading too much into the photographs? Probably - but for a dollar or two a piece I  think I got my money's worth. They both make me smile too.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order. Based on the stamp boxes, both are from approximately the same time period: 1904-1920.

To view more old photos and the fascinating stories that accompany them, check out the many wonderful posts of Sepia Saturday.