Farouche Exegete
@faroucheexegete.bsky.social
Retired existential pragmatacist and science illustrator.
December 9, 2025 at 2:04 AM
In the 1910s, the population of Readlyn Iowa was around 200 to 400, and had it's own post office. There lived my great great uncle, sending Christmas wishes to his young nephew. My favorite postcard, with all the features of Christmas, in a fantastic design.
December 25, 2024 at 10:51 AM
In the 1910s, the population of Readlyn Iowa was around 200 to 400, and had it's own post office. There lived my great great uncle, sending Christmas wishes to his young nephew. My favorite postcard, with all the features of Christmas, in a fantastic design.
Christmas postcard from the early 1900s. A postman laden with gifts, vines of holly draping over him. This full color image is uniquely varnished, shiny with cracked shellac and traces of gold ink. "A merry Christmas" is cheerful, while the tone of the image is dark greys and blues.
December 24, 2024 at 11:37 PM
Christmas postcard from the early 1900s. A postman laden with gifts, vines of holly draping over him. This full color image is uniquely varnished, shiny with cracked shellac and traces of gold ink. "A merry Christmas" is cheerful, while the tone of the image is dark greys and blues.
An unmailed 1908-1920s Christmas postcard featuring Santa's portrait framed in a gold horseshoe and holly. "A Christmas wish from a loving heart, That good luck and you may never part." This card reminds me of The Shaggy Man from Oz and his Love Magnet, portrayed as a horseshoe.
December 24, 2024 at 1:04 AM
An unmailed 1908-1920s Christmas postcard featuring Santa's portrait framed in a gold horseshoe and holly. "A Christmas wish from a loving heart, That good luck and you may never part." This card reminds me of The Shaggy Man from Oz and his Love Magnet, portrayed as a horseshoe.
A Christmas postcard dated 1914. A smiling young boy stands on a short stool in front of a table with a phone and bough of holly. A toy soldier lies on the floor, and "Christmas Greetings" is inked in gold on the bottom. This is a slightly embossed card, and has glossy black ink, the rest matte.
December 22, 2024 at 3:11 PM
A Christmas postcard dated 1914. A smiling young boy stands on a short stool in front of a table with a phone and bough of holly. A toy soldier lies on the floor, and "Christmas Greetings" is inked in gold on the bottom. This is a slightly embossed card, and has glossy black ink, the rest matte.
1921 Christmas postcard in full color. Another elegant framed image, surrounded by holly, this time of a stone bridge and farm buildings. This is undoubtedly from the same package of postcards as yesterday. This is the last of the yearly postmarked cards I have, the rest will be of interest to me.
December 21, 2024 at 4:05 PM
1921 Christmas postcard in full color. Another elegant framed image, surrounded by holly, this time of a stone bridge and farm buildings. This is undoubtedly from the same package of postcards as yesterday. This is the last of the yearly postmarked cards I have, the rest will be of interest to me.
1920 Christmas postcard in full color. An elegant framed image of a European robin sitting on a bough of holly. "With Christmas Greetings" on an embossed ribbon across the card. This is a tasteful card, sent to the now "Mr." grandpa, instead of the former "Master".
December 20, 2024 at 1:26 PM
1920 Christmas postcard in full color. An elegant framed image of a European robin sitting on a bough of holly. "With Christmas Greetings" on an embossed ribbon across the card. This is a tasteful card, sent to the now "Mr." grandpa, instead of the former "Master".
1919 Christmas postcard full color lightly embossed. Two reindeer pull a sleigh of toys, a fir tree, and an American flag. Santa, posed with one leg in chimney, has a pack basket with a doll and what looks like a wombat, but is most likely a toy bear.
December 19, 2024 at 11:15 AM
1919 Christmas postcard full color lightly embossed. Two reindeer pull a sleigh of toys, a fir tree, and an American flag. Santa, posed with one leg in chimney, has a pack basket with a doll and what looks like a wombat, but is most likely a toy bear.
1918 Christmas postcard, full color vertical format. A pleasant blurry creche scene with three people kneeling before Mary and Jesus. "Christmas Greetings" on a non-embossed card. This probably frustrated my grandfather back when he was collecting postcards to cut them up for a scrap book.
December 18, 2024 at 2:32 PM
1918 Christmas postcard, full color vertical format. A pleasant blurry creche scene with three people kneeling before Mary and Jesus. "Christmas Greetings" on a non-embossed card. This probably frustrated my grandfather back when he was collecting postcards to cut them up for a scrap book.
1917 Christmas postcard with a cute illustration of Santa, a bag of gifts, Christmas presents, and a fir tree in an old fashioned biplane with tricycle undercarriage. "Yuletide Greetings" it proclaims, "Santa left his reindeer home And in an airship now doth roam." Very cheerful and cute.
December 17, 2024 at 3:24 PM
1917 Christmas postcard with a cute illustration of Santa, a bag of gifts, Christmas presents, and a fir tree in an old fashioned biplane with tricycle undercarriage. "Yuletide Greetings" it proclaims, "Santa left his reindeer home And in an airship now doth roam." Very cheerful and cute.
1916 full color Christmas postcard vertical format. The background is white tile with pale ivy growing on them; as if a floor. A red bow and a holly bough scattered on it. Not quite a smarmy as the postcards with children on them, not quite as elegant as pure inked illustration.
December 16, 2024 at 4:08 PM
1916 full color Christmas postcard vertical format. The background is white tile with pale ivy growing on them; as if a floor. A red bow and a holly bough scattered on it. Not quite a smarmy as the postcards with children on them, not quite as elegant as pure inked illustration.
1915 Christmas postcard. An elegant brown and red inked card with an illustration of revelers hauling a yule log home for celebrating Christmas. Albertine Randall Wheelan is the illustrator. The off-center formatting and the two-color design make this a stand out postcard image to me.
December 15, 2024 at 12:00 PM
1915 Christmas postcard. An elegant brown and red inked card with an illustration of revelers hauling a yule log home for celebrating Christmas. Albertine Randall Wheelan is the illustrator. The off-center formatting and the two-color design make this a stand out postcard image to me.
Very cute full color 1914 Christmas postcard with a young child on skis, holding an umbrella an a basket of holly. It's adorable because "ski" is spelled wrong, but "bough" is correct. The illustration is signed "Tien" and the card publisher is F.A.Owen Company from Dansville New York.
December 14, 2024 at 11:38 AM
Very cute full color 1914 Christmas postcard with a young child on skis, holding an umbrella an a basket of holly. It's adorable because "ski" is spelled wrong, but "bough" is correct. The illustration is signed "Tien" and the card publisher is F.A.Owen Company from Dansville New York.
1914 postcard. Holly decorates a framed picture of a smiling young child with a pair of skates slung over its shoulders. I find most children in these older images to be utterly ambiguous as to their gender. Were I to rely on clothes, this might be a young boy, wearing a red and white stocking cap.
December 13, 2024 at 3:30 PM
1914 postcard. Holly decorates a framed picture of a smiling young child with a pair of skates slung over its shoulders. I find most children in these older images to be utterly ambiguous as to their gender. Were I to rely on clothes, this might be a young boy, wearing a red and white stocking cap.
1912 "Genuine Photograph" Christmas postcard with a small faded photo of Readlyn, Iowa. In this vertical format postcard, the photo has a group of horse-drawn carriages lined up on the grass to the right, houses on the left.
December 12, 2024 at 4:49 PM
1912 "Genuine Photograph" Christmas postcard with a small faded photo of Readlyn, Iowa. In this vertical format postcard, the photo has a group of horse-drawn carriages lined up on the grass to the right, houses on the left.
A 1911 Christmas postcard, full color, with silver ink declaring "A Joyful Yuletide". A vignette of two children posing as they skate at a pond. Dressed in white fur and wool, they both have fur hats on their heads, decked with puffs of white feathers. Only the frame around the picture is embossed.
December 11, 2024 at 12:20 PM
A 1911 Christmas postcard, full color, with silver ink declaring "A Joyful Yuletide". A vignette of two children posing as they skate at a pond. Dressed in white fur and wool, they both have fur hats on their heads, decked with puffs of white feathers. Only the frame around the picture is embossed.
1910 postcard. This is a unique card with heavy embossing and a glued on holly leaf embossed cardboard cutout. I bet this would be a good basic card to glue any center piece onto. The back side of the card is smooth, so the actual postcard itself is doubled layered.
December 10, 2024 at 12:23 PM
1910 postcard. This is a unique card with heavy embossing and a glued on holly leaf embossed cardboard cutout. I bet this would be a good basic card to glue any center piece onto. The back side of the card is smooth, so the actual postcard itself is doubled layered.
1909 postcard. Santa Claus sitting at his desk writing in a big book. Full color, cartoon style, with very fine horizontal embossing on white stock.
Yep. Doing Christmas postcards until the 25th.
Yep. Doing Christmas postcards until the 25th.
December 9, 2024 at 12:11 PM
1909 postcard. Santa Claus sitting at his desk writing in a big book. Full color, cartoon style, with very fine horizontal embossing on white stock.
Yep. Doing Christmas postcards until the 25th.
Yep. Doing Christmas postcards until the 25th.
A 1908 Christmas postcard with a pair of weird cherubs that are only heads and a pair of wings. I'm sure this was considered quite tasteful at the time of printing. Logo in bottom left backside of the American publisher Curt Teich & Company.
December 8, 2024 at 12:31 PM
A 1908 Christmas postcard with a pair of weird cherubs that are only heads and a pair of wings. I'm sure this was considered quite tasteful at the time of printing. Logo in bottom left backside of the American publisher Curt Teich & Company.
And Thanksgiving Greetings to those that observe it. A postcard from 1913.
November 28, 2024 at 12:31 PM
And Thanksgiving Greetings to those that observe it. A postcard from 1913.
