Tram Tuesday - Rotterdam, Netherlands

Like many cities throughout the world, Rotterdam started out with horse-drawn streetcars in 1879. Rotterdam also had steam-powered trams, which was more of a rarity; the majority of cities went from horse-drawn streetcars to electric-powered ones. In the case of Rotterdam, the electric-powered streetcars started replacing both steam-powered and horse-drawn streetcars in 1905. Line One, shown below, was the first electric-powered car and replaced a horse-drawn service.

On both of these cards, you see the pantographs above the streetcars; that's the electric rod device that collects electric current from the overhead lines. You don't see the overhead lines themselves though. They would have been visible on the photograph, but were often erased when the photo was colorized. Sometimes the pantographs weer also erased. It made for a cleaner picture.

Line 4 below, also replaced a horse-drawn service, and was added in 1906.

There are a lot of interesting details in this picture, including the advertisement on the left, the carts, the way people are dressed, and the over-sized chair on top of the building in the middle. Here's a close-up.

You can see the letters MEUB underneath. The entire word, blocked by a chimney, is probably meubilair, which is the word for furniture in Dutch.
Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

The message, sent in 1908, reads

Dear Madame!

Our sincere greetings from the second house on the left. Your devoted E.M. Pool

For a complete history of trams in Rotterdam, visit The Tram of Rotterdam website.

The Wurst Family

Do you happen to recall a previous post of the Whole Dam Family?  No matter, I'll put it at the end of this post. The Whole Dam Family postcards were printed to publicize a movie entitled The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog. I am guessing that the following two cards were inspired by the Dam Family phenomenon.
First we have The Wurst Family. I never 'Sausage' Wursts.

Then we have the Gunn Family, with a message written in shorthand on the front.

Both of these cards were sent before 1907. There is no message on the back of the card because postal regulations didn't allow it until 1907. The first card was sent to David Kampf in Brooklyn, New York.

The second card was sent to Miss Lena Frink in Bryn Mawr, California.

According to Rootsweb, Lena Frink was born in 1881 in San Bernadino, California and died in Bryn Mawr, California in 1959.

Oh, and here's the Whole Dam Family, which may have served as the inspiration for the other two.

Wearing My Heart Away for You

I don't usually post anything on the weekend, but just this once...
This card was inspired by the song I'm Wearing My Heart Away for You, written by Charles K. Harris in 1902. It is not the same song made popular by George Jones years later.

Here are the Lyrics to the song:

I'M WEARING MY HEART AWAY FOR YOU

I wonder where you are tonight, my love,

As all alone I sit and dream.

I wonder if your heart's with me tonight,

And if the same stars for you gleam.

I sometimes fear there is another love,

Some fairer face has won your heart;

But Ah, I hope the day will never come,

The day that we two must live apart.

The bees are droning in the wild wood, love,

The flowers their tiny heads bow low.

The birds are singing soft and plaintively,

They miss your dear kind face I know.

From o'er the meadow comes a faint perfume,

It whispers gently, "Love you're true;"

But Oh, my darling, if you only knew,

I'm wearing my heart away for you.

I'm wearing my heart away for you,

It cries aloud, "My love be true,"

I dream of you by night, I long for you by day,

I'm wearing my heart away for you. 

I found an old recording on the internet archive, but it's very squeaky. If you're interested in listening to it anyway, here it is.

Here's the back of the card, sent to Adele Littlefield in Detroit, Michigan.