A Happy Christmas

Here's a beautiful card that was postmarked exactly 100 years ago.

One of the things I like best about this card is that it was addressed to Master Erick Brasie, in care of his father, the Postmaster, at Brasie Corners, New York.

Happy Christmastide

Here's a Raphael Tuck & Sons trade card from the early 1880s.  Raphael Tuck and his family produced beautiful cards from the 1870s until 1960.

The back of the card is blank, except for the logo. Here are some previous posts of Tuck cards.

Playing Squash at Christmas

This is a trade card, not a postcard. Trade cards were popular from about 1870 to 1890 as advertising and as collectibles.  In most cases it's clear what was being advertised, but there may also have been businesses that gave cards out to customers without their business name. It's also possible that this is a sample card, before imprinting.  Or, perhaps the artist was advertising, although I couldn't find out anything about E.E. Manly.
It may seem odd that the young lady is holding a squash racket, but squash was starting to gain in popularity in the 1880s.

 

 

Here's the back of the card.