The Guide to Gracious Living

We interrupt this postcard blog to bring you an announcement from our sponsor, The Guide to Gracious Living, also known as Amy Vanderbilt's Etiquette. I know - it's a book, not a postcard. Don't even think about complaining though, because I'm sure there's a section in the book somewhere that addresses such things as being improper.  This book is extremely helpful in a number of situations, including how to entertain if you have only one maid.

There are also many stylish illustrations.

 

Say, I wonder who drew those?

Yes, that's the same Andy Warhol who did the bright Marilyn Monroe paintings. He didn't even get top billing here, but then he was just starting out.

Here's a nice menu to help you plan your formal dinner.

Even back in 1956, the1893 Chateau de la Grange must have been a tall order.

Here's one final illustration:

Iconic New York

Never mind the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building is the ultimate icon of New York.  Or is it the Brooklyn Bridge? Or the Statue of Liberty?  Well, my vote is for the Flatiron Building, but if you ask me tomorrow I may have a different answer.

 

This is from the set of tiny  (1.75" x 2.75") cards, one of which I featured recently (the Brooklyn Bridge.) Although the Flatiron is my favorite, the others are also nice.

The Empire State Building would look more impressive if they hadn't cut the top off. This probably should have been a vertical shot.

And here's another view of the Brooklyn Bridge, this time from below.

And finally, the George Washington Bridge.

Happy Pickelhauben to You

Here's a great real-photo card of German soldiers wearing the Pickelhaube. That's the name of those ornate spiked helmets worn by Prussians and then other German military in the 19th and early 20th century. For formal occasions, various plumes could be attached to the finial to create an impressive ceremonial appearance.

The problem was that these impressive helmets weren't well suited for combat. Often they were made from leather with metal added only as a decoration. They didn't cover much of the head either and they were heavy. It's fairly evident that they were designed mostly as a fashion statement, when you consider that cloth covers for the helmets became standard issue in 1892. Why? Well, to protect them from dirt - and also because the highly reflective nature of the helmets made the soldiers wearing them very easy to spot.

Later, when World War I broke out, it was quickly discovered that the helmets were a serious liability for trench warfare. They didn't protect the wearer from shrapnel - and I'm sure you can just picture a line of the spikes sticking up from a foxhole. This lack of utility led to their replacement by unattractive steel helmets.

This card was sent in 1912 by Ulrich Baumann (?), who may well be one of the soldiers pictured on the front of the card. He sent the birthday greeting to Miss von Lorenz, who was staying with her excellency, Frau von Hugo, the wife of Major von Hugo, the German Military Attaché to Paris. It was sent to Pomerania, which was probably a vacation destination rather than their year-round residence. The postmark indicates that the card was sent from the Elsenborn Übungsplatz, a military training facility. Click here to see another card sent to Frau von Hugo.