Ethnic Humor Valentines

I think these cards by the Gibson Art Co. are all well-intentioned, though I'm not sure all the Dutch humor cards were.  In some cases the humor was fueled by anti-German sentiments (during World War I) and in other cases immigrants who had been in the country longer resented more recent immigrants and their customs and fashions (wooden shoes.)  When that was the case the humor seems to be aimed at revealing the primitive intelligence and customs of the Dutch or other ethnic group. These cards, on the other hand, seem to focus on the charm of the foreign culture, even though they make fun of the language differences.

Though it may look like it, the cards are not water damaged. The red and green colors that you see are actually part of the paper.

The cards are all blank on the back and look like this.

Books and Pain Killers

It turns out that books were used with some frequency as a marketing tool on trade cards in the 1880s to promote all things unrelated, including pain killers. Books featured in an advertisement of medicine may have suggested that the product was backed up by learning and research, giving it an aura of legitimacy.

This card features Louise Paullin, an actress (who died in 1910), holding a book and promoting Burdock Blood Bitters as a treatment for demon dyspepsia.

Only part of the druggist stamp is visible at the bottom of the card though, so I'm not sure where to go to buy these Burdock Blood Bitters.

Now, on to the pain killers. Here we have the learned professor instructing young pupils in the use of pain killers.

In this case, the top of the card has been cropped, so I'm not sure what the brand is,  which means I can't go out and buy it.

The message on this one below is pretty clear though. It's fairly evident that this painkiller stuns birds and makes young boys drop their inkwells from trees. It will also make my hands soft and cure a felon quicker than anything else known. Dalley's Magic Pain Extractor: this one's for me! And it only costs 25 cents.

And finally, there's this smart child with her books and spectacles, who doesn't appear to be selling anything. It may have been a sample waiting for the appropriate imprint.

Don't forget to head on over to Sepia Saturday for some more book learning this week. Click on the photo to read all about it.

Valentines from the 1860s

Here are some very ornate homemade valentines. One has a date of 1869 on the back and another has a date of 1864. I assume the others are from around the same time.

The flap on the next one opens up to show a message that reads Devoted to Thee.

This one also has a little message inside.

And this one has a tiny little rhyme on the front. I'm trying to imagine what the shops that carried all of these decorative paper supplies must have looked like.

 

And finally, here's the one that says Valentine's Day 1864 on the back. The valentine may not look like much, but it's interesting to imagine that during the time this valentine was created, the Civil War was raging and Abraham Lincoln would soon be re-elected as President.

A couple of these valentines also seem to have a paper size stamped on the back. It does not correspond to the measurement in inches though. Is anyone familiar with these stamps?