Vintage Oversized Greeting Cards

My sorting and organization project is in full swing.  I think I have emptied all the boxes in the garage and now the task will become much easier.  In the last box I found a large manila envelope bulging at the seams with old greeting cards.  Most of these cards would be from the late 1940's through the 50's, as they were given to Madeline's children.  There are so many!  I do believe I could open a vintage greeting card store with all the cards I have discovered.  It is mind-boggling!

A few oversized cards stood out so I pulled them out and will feature in this post. 

Here is a sweet Christmas card featuring a little girl, snowman, and a bird.  The snowman has two tabs which can make him stand out a bit when on a table.  This is a Rust Craft card from Boston, MA.  On the back is printed:  "The original of the design reproduced on this card was painted by Marjorie Cooper a member of the Rust Craft Artists' Guild."  It really is a beautiful card that would look great in an old frame.

Baby's First Christmas in a shoe!  The baby is actually a separate piece and can be removed from the shoe.  I need to put this one aside in a special place as next Christmas will some lucky baby's first Christmas at our house.

Another Baby's First Christmas card.  Like the snowman above, the baby has tabs that make him stand out. 

The back of the card, with the note that it is a Marjorie Cooper painting as well.

For a Special Someone - I really like this card because it shows a little girl, a puppy, a book, and a doll.  All things I love.  Just about all these cards were given to my sister-in-law Judy who was the oldest in the family.

Santa on the chimney with his sack of toys.  There are even a few feathers for his beard.  This one was a Hallmark card from 1949.

Moving on to birthday cards, this is a very cute one.

Here is the back of the card with a little verse.  The girl is on brads so she can be manipulated and her head rocks back and forth.  The name of the maker is "Rock-N-Play Cards".

On to Valentine's Day!  This is a sweet card with a little kitten with a big bow.  The kitten is flocked so he feels soft.  On the back there is a cardboard stand to show him off.

Last card - another valentine with a kitten.  This one has a metal heart around his neck and also has a stand on the back to show him off.  I love how each of these cards has something special about them.  I think they are all true works of art. 

Dave "Boo" Ferriss - Red Sox Player

Madeline's father went to Red Sox spring training every year in Florida.  I guess he got to know many of the players and one of those was Dave "Boo" Ferriss.  I discovered many letters from Dave to Madeline, from his college years to his days as a Red Sox.  She often talked about their friendship and shared newspaper clippings about him.  What I didn't know is that she had three bulging scrapbooks on Dave Ferriss alone!  This is where things get a little sensitive.  From all his letters I can see that he thought of Madeline only as a friend, the daughter of James Farmer, mayor of Keene, NH.  But I believe Madeline had stronger feelings for Dave.  Whatever the case, the letters, cards, and photos are a part of her history.

An autographed photo which I know she treasured.

With her brother Charlie.

The original of the charlie photo I found in a photo album. 

This photo was also in the album, but the other player is unknown.

I found several Christmas cards from Dave.

A post card he sent her after the war.

In this letter he asks Madeline to save the newspaper clippings about him.

Letter sent with a ticket to World Series.

That ticket stub!

I think they had a very nice friendship.  If you want to know more about Dave "Boo" Ferriss, click here.  And here is a nice little video about him.

Cocktail Lounge Souvenirs

Madeline loved a good time and Boston is a great place to have good times.  It was my city once, too, and now it is my youngest son's city.  But in the early 1940's, it was Madeline's city.  Here are a few souvenirs she kept from those days.

 The Eliot Lounge was a great bar which later turned into a great sports bar. I enjoyed a few drinks there myself. This article, written on the closing of the Eliot Lounge, captures the essence and spirit of the bar.

Check out those prices!  Madeline has this dated March 15, 1949.

I believe this would have been on each little table at the Kenmore Hotel bar. Notice the tab on the right hand side. There is a slot on the left side where that goes into so she stands up. This is Beverly Stull, who played at the Kenmore from time to time. All I came up with in my research on Beverly is this one sentence in a gossip column in the Pittsburgh Post Gazzette on May 1, 1947: "Beverly Stull, the Leechburg accordionist, home for a few days after a string of winter engagements in California, pulls out over the weekend again for a booking at the Kenmore Hotel in Boston." 

Hard to see, but this is a swizzle stick from the Kenmore hotel bar.  For more info on the Kenmore hotel, see a previous post here.

Madeline must have carried big purses to put all these goodies in!  Here is the drink menu of rum drinks:

60 cents for a frozen daiquiri!!

History of radio station WJZZ which broadcast from the Pink Elephant is here.

Front and back of matchbooks. 

 

Here is a menu from the Stueben restaurant and New Vienna Room.

Odds and Ends From a Newly Discovered Box

In my quest to really get serious about organizing Madeline's archives, I discovered a box that I had never looked in.  Or haven't looked at since we unloaded the collection a few years ago.  Inside was a treasure trove of vintage greeting cards, letters, memorabilia, dried and decaying corsages, and the gems below that I'm sharing today.  There are a lot of greeting cards which I will share in another post, as well as some special memories she saved from her favorite Boston cocktail lounges.  Today's items have no relation to each other, just want you to know that from the start. 

Vintage wrapping paper, I would say maybe from the 50's.  I just love it! 

Very feminine!  There were only these 2 and they are both just small pieces.  This is one thing I wish she saved more of!

Her business card from Paine Furniture Co in Boston.  She only worked there for a few years, but that is where she met her husband, Archer.  Paine's is the oldest furniture store in the country.  And they are still in business on Cape Cod!  Check them out here.  If you would like to see an old store catalog, click this. 

Post card of the Union Oyster House.  She must have picked this up at the restaurant on Oct 4, 1947.  If you ever go to Boston, you must eat here.  The restaurant is full of history and the food is very good, traditional New England fare.  (I grew up in Boston.)  Here is the link to their website.

Western Union telegrams.  (I think Peewee was her cat!)

Telegram envelope

WWII ration book - there were 4 books in the box:  Madeline's; her husband Archer's; and his parents.

Coffee stamps

Full page - I'm surprised there were any left.

"Spare" stamps - wonder what they were for?

To learn more about ration stamp books, visit this site and this one.

The Boston Braves were a minor league team in 1947. 

Ticket stubs from Red Sox games.  On July 2, 1947 the Red Sox played the Philadelphia Athletics.  The winning pitcher was Connie Mack (PA) and the losing pitcher was Joe Cronin (RS).  The score was 7 to 6. 

Madeline loved to ride trains and she often traveled on the New Haven RR.