Tram Tuesday - Attleboro, Massachusetts

There was grass growing in the middle of Park Street in Attleboro circa 1907. It was a big wide street with lots of space separating the sidewalk and the streetcar tracks.

It doesn't quite look like that anymore. Here's a more modern view.

View Larger Map

Frank B. Eldredge sent this card to Jose Galavisi in Buenos Aires Argentina in 1907. Frank was a little perturbed. It seems he had sent Jose some American stamps in anticipation of an exchange, but Jose had simply returned the stamps.

The message reads:

Your letter with enclosures received 

am sorry you returned the sheet  of common stamps I hoped you would have sent  me a sheet of common Argentine stamps in return or handed it to someone who would. I should like a list of what you desire in USA stamps and also would ask what catalogue you use for medium of exchange. Upon receipt of list from you I will send you what I wish in Argentine stamps provided your list contains stamps I can furnish.

 

Giant Peaches

No need to worry about those peaches rolling off the flatcar; note the carefully positioned braces.

Rosella sent this card in 1912 to her sister, Mrs. Ina Clark, in Eureka, California.

The message reads:

Dear sister:-

Mamma received your Birthday postals . We are waiting for you to come home and see us. Uncle Hans'  and Uncle Amos' came up in the automobile on mama's birthday. How is Mrs. Crothers? We are all well and hope you are the same. Best regards from Raymond and all. 

Rosella.    write soon

Shoes in the 1880s

I was looking for some old family photographs with shoes for this week's Sepia Saturday and came up empty handed. Nearly every photo seems to cut off the feet and shoes. For all I know they sat for portraits with no shoes on at all. I do have some very nice shoe advertisements from the 1880s though. One of my favorites is the trade card featuring solar tip shoes.

I somehow had this idea that solar tip shoes would be open in the front, allowing the sun to warm your toes. Not so. Instead, they were especially durable tips made by folding the sole leather over the tip of the shoe.

This is one of the few trade cards for shoes that highlights the shoes at all. Many of the advertisements simply showed heartwarming scenes that had nothing to do with shoes, like this one:

And this one:

Many just had their business name printed on stock advertising cards. These could just as well have been ads for a grocery store or watch repair.

So, I had to wonder what the shoes of the 1880s were really like. I know that women's shoes had a high heel and a narrow toe and didn't look comfortable at all. On the other hand, when I went to the Wisconsin Historical Museum's online collection to look at the examples of children's footwear of the era, they not only seem well made, they look soft and comfortable. You can see the shoe collection here.

Step on over to Sepia Saturday to see more posts on shoes.