Certificate of Baptism 1906

Every once in a while I will purchase some antique books from people in the US. I came across this certificate in one of those books. It is the baptism certificate for Gladys Eleanor DeRodes who was born on March 10th, 1905 and was baptised on February 25th, 1906. It has been folded several times and is nearly ripping into two. It's so lovely, a little piece of history and family keepsake that should be cherished. Even if not by the family. One of those huge life milestones you look forward to and can't believe has passed so quickly when you are raising your own children.

This Guy

I have looked up the name on this card in many variations so many times I am convinced that he was a figment of someones imagination. Ha, alright probably not, but I still give up. If anyone out there has any ideas, I am open to suggestions. Hand painted, and not so well, I might add, this little beauty fell out of a Danish book that was published in the 1908. It didn't seem to belong in the book it was found it, but the back does suggest it may have been glued into another book or pamphlet at one time. Any tales of yellow faced, white bearded men who had a thing for mice and books ring a bell?  That could make for a very interesting, if not freaky, idea for a book.

A Girl in a Toga

First thought that comes to mind is this girl was conned into doing a dramatic role for some old Shakespearean play and is donning the toga, ferns, and the headband completely against her will.  Well, it would be against my will. She is holding her arms in a bit of a defensive way, shy perhaps. The dress not covering all the bits she had hoped that it would? This photo has no date on it, rotten, but it looks early 1900's to me.

Doesn't this remind you of a Jane Austen type thing to do? Or like Little Women when they would all dress up and put on plays just for fun? It's a pretty cool and unique picture to be hanging out in a book for who knows how long. Our girl here is married, so let's suggest that her husband just loved the photo and tucked it away to keep it safe. Isn't that a lovely thought.

Shaggy Haired Boys

There's no date on this little piece of paper and the back has nothing on it that helps either. I am guessing these boys might have been known to the person who left this in a book, or perhaps they were famous! Anyone look familiar? A boy band from Denmark? The hair makes me think the 60's or 70's, but they are dressed so indistinct to a time period, could be now. Someone had a crush!
 I remember cutting out pictures and articles about people I had a crush on when I was young. I had this serious infatuation with Mikhail Baryshnikov , the dancer. He is, was, and always will be my crush boy. If you don't know him, look him up on YouTube, or you can see him as The Russian that Carrie dates on Sex and The City. Still so very swoon worthy.

Insurance Congress Magazine May 1928

This is a full sheet of paper from May of 1928. It says its the Nordic Body for International Insurance Interests. So, not really sure what it means. I can tell you that one head line is this word, brandforsikringsselskabet and it translates as fire insurance.Seriously, have you ever seen such a long word??? I cannot even fathom attempting to pronounce it. Anyway, I am assuming the paper is talking about all the different types of insurance out there and what the latest trends are. I just love that it's from 1928. Before WWII, before the Great Depression, an interesting time in history. A fun find.

W. Somerset Maugham

A little history first. William Somerset Maugham, born in 1874 and died in 1965, was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer.He lost both parents by the age of 10 and was raise by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Not wanting to become a lawyer like other men in his family, he eventually trained and qualified as a doctor. The first run of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, sold out so quickly that he gave up medicine to write full time.

During WWI he served with the Red Cross and in the ambulance corps before being recruited in 1916 into the British Secret Intelligence Service. During and after the war, he travelled in India and Southeast Asia. All of these experiences were reflected in later short stories and novels.

First of all, wow! I had no idea he led such a crazy and cool life. This fell out of a book of his, I assume it was pasted in the back of the book. Many older books do the paste in the author thing. Kind of odd, right? I mean, it's not like the author of this book will change. It will always be his novel. You'd think he'd get a permanent place in the book. Anyway, I read The Painted Veil and fell instantly in love with Maugham. I then rented the movie with Edward Norton and fell instantly in love with the movie. But now, whenever I see or hear Somerset Maugham's name, I see Edward Norton. And oddly enough, not his character in The Painted Veil, it's totally his character from The Illusionist. Oh, I can't not think of him in that long coat, sporting the goatee, my goodness. My goodness, indeed.

Mystery Woman in Furs

Usually when someone cuts out a picture from a newspaper they keep the description of what we are seeing intact. This one leaves us to our own imagination to figure things out.

 It must be fairly old. Look at the door of the vehicle she is exiting from. Tall windows, plush leather seating. It could almost be a Cinderella type horse drawn carriage, but I imagine it has an engine.

Is she really that cold? And what's with the guy helping her out? Turkish hat, long beard, and robes. She can see the photographer, looking straight at him. Possibly resignation. Her picture might get taken often. But who is she? This sounds like the opening of a book. A mystery. And we'll make sure to write into our story the cute boy in the cap in the background. I like it. Solid start.

Sex Object?

So here's the translation;

"you get so into the room, you see her lying there naked on the bed, you are then angry with yourself that you perceive her as a sex object" 

Yup, my thoughts exactly. No year on this piece of newspaper, but I would guess it's from the 80's based on a car ad on the flip side. Possibly the 70's. 

I'm guessing the guy felt bad for thinking of the woman on the bed as a sex object and then the other dude pointed out that, given the circumstances, probably not really his fault. In a kind of sarcastic way. Maybe? 

Eh, these types of cartoons making a statement don't really do it for me. It's not really the kind of cartoon I would have kept, my style runs much closer to Calvin and Hobbes types. Still makes a point, but also makes us smile.

Infant Care Magazine from 1943

This is a pretty cool find. Right smack dab in the middle of WWII, well towards the end I suppose. Here is this little magazine on how to take care of your aged 0-1 years old. What a nice piece of normalcy during a time I cannot even fathom living through.

The magazine is 16 pages, front and back, with tons of pictures. It starts right in at breast feeding and give you all of the appropriate milestones a baby should hit throughout it's first year of life.

It's been a while since I had my babies, but it doesn't seem like a lot has changed. We have more options as far as formula goes, and parenting style certainly goes through fads, but the basics remain the same. A few things have definitely changed. The cribs I see in this magazine would not meet code anymore. The bars are begging for little people body parts to go through them, and I'm sure they did.

I must point out the hats here. The nurses on the back cover page are wearing those typical nurses hats that only now seem to make an appearance around Halloween, heaven help us all. Sexy nurse costumes? Really? As a nurse myself, I can tell you with some authority that having multiple persons bodily fluids all over you is not sexy. 12 hour shifts? Nope, not even close to sexy. Hard, long, physically and emotionally draining days those were. I do miss some of the patient care, getting to know people. The world is full of amazing people, just have to listen to them for a few minutes. I learned so much during my time in the hospital.

These days I spend my time selling my books, playing with the  kids, and watching life flash before my eyes at a million miles an hour. Still getting a little patient care though. Laser tattoo removal, also not sexy. But meet the coolest people and hear some pretty amazing stories.

Bluethroat Bird

This little beauty is about 5 inches by 5 inches and has the word Bluethroat written on it in Danish. This is pretty remarkable. If you look closely you can see the scratches of a pencil or two on the top of the wings creating texture. I wish I knew how old our artist was, at what point do kids start thinking about adding texture to a drawing? I used to doodle quite a bit in my youth, that's when I discovered I have exactly zero artistic skill. Hence, why I excel at being an admiring audience member for others. Whether it be drawing, music, acting or writing, I am the one giving you all loads of applause, my money, and compliments. You're welcome.

Copenhagen Bookmark

Well, it's spelled differently on the bookmark itself, being made in Denmark and all. Love finding homemade....well, anything! How many things are homemade anymore? I remember being very little and my mother being at the sewing machine making clothes for the 5 of us. The four of us really, by the time the youngest came along, I think she had gone from making clothes to sewing blankets. I remember a particularly pretty dress, pink and white with black lace in various places. Oh, that thing itched like no other. Just seeing a picture of my small self wearing that dress makes me want to scratch myself. Rambling as per my usual. Cool bookmark.

Faded Memory

Literally the most faded photo I have yet too come across. Beach, boat, water, sign me up! I wish this had a date or beach name or anything. Someone probably spent a lovely holiday in a tropical oasis and turned to have one last look, pulled out the camera and created a lasting memory.

 I recently discovered that people used to take photos of loved ones after they had died. They prop them up and make them look as though they are still alive. It's morbid, on the one hand. I totally understand it on the other. But, if you know someone is ill and may not live, why didn't they take the picture at that point? Accidental deaths, sure, that I can kind of see. But, still morbid.

There was a movie I just adored as a child, it was Disney's The Parent Trap, not Lindsay Lohan, the original with Haley Mills and Maureen O'Hara. There's a scene where Haley's character "makes a memory" with her grandfather, recalling that he smells of tobacco and peppermint. I find myself doing this when a moment is just perfect. And, it's not at all morbid.

Denmark 1909 Christmas Seal Julen

One would think this stamp came attached to an envelope, but it was found a folded half sheet of paper. It is currently selling for a whopping 5 dollars online. It seems like it should be worth more, doesn't it?

I've tried to find who they used as a model for this stamp, but no avail. Isn't she lovely. Her moppet blonde hair, the perfect choice. Although, I do think this stamp looks a little more like springtime than Christmas. The star at the top is its only saving grace.

Beautiful Baby Antique Photo

Beautiful baby, look at those cheeks and that bow shaped mouth. Throw a little blonde hair on top of her head and she looks just like my niece. I all at once love to find pictures in my books, but at the same time it saddens me that it lost its way from the family who loved them.

 As a resident of Southern California, I have more than once packed up all my most important things to run away from a fire. Twice, actually. Which I think is more than enough for one lifetime. That said, photographs are the first things I go for. The old ones from my childhood, but more important to me are the photos of my children. The things that really matter, not truly the tangible things, but our memories.

WWI Postcard 1918

 This little card is from 1918, at first glance I thought the little guy was Hitler, but I had the wrong war. The postcard asks if Herold needs help at the store anymore and asks what he did for Easter. The writer also mentions a camp, military I am assuming. Love when I can actually read the writing.

Isn't it funny, the card about going to war? I think throughout history there has often been a sense of adventure  associated with going to war so of course little boys would be annoyed at being left out of the fun. These days, with the Internet and it's bringing the true violence and horrors of war right into our homes, we are not as woo hoo about going off to fight the good fight. Certainly we do. Of course we do. But it's a different kind of creature. Shout out to military people everywhere who do indeed fight the good fight.

Oscar Wilde Fan?

 Possibly the coolest postcard I have found to date. Possibly.It's definitely old, late 1800's to early 1900's would be my guess. But that isn't what makes it cool. First of all, what is written is hilarious. Let's start there. The postcard reads, "My dear Miss Prism, Visiting my old stomping grounds at Oxford and wanted to send you a quick note. The weather remains charming. I got a chance to read you 3 volume novel - I found it grotesque and irreligious. I did, however, enjoy the illustrations of the Fall of the Rupee - too sensational!! I'll visit soon, we'll have tea and cucumber sandwiches. By the by, thought you should know that the stain on the lining*? was not from a temperance beverage, but from baby Jack's incontinence! warmest regards, Algy."

Alright, first of all, telling her friend her books were "grotesque and irreligious" was pretty bold. But mentioning that any stain on the card was definitely the product of baby Jack's incontinence was too good. You'd hate to have someone think you had consumed a "temperance beverage." Total scandal.

So I read this postcard a few times, and something started to seem familiar about the names. Oh, my goodness. I started putting the names into Google and low and behold guess what came up? Algy, Laetitia, and baby Jack all match characters from Oscar Wilde's last and most popular play, The Important of Being Earnest. The play debuted in London on February 14th in 1895.  Was this why the postcard was never sent? How badly do I want to meet whomever it was that wrote this! Too funny.

Cloetta Chocolate

Cloetta was established in 1862 in Copenhagen by the three Swiss brothers Bernhard, Christopher and Nutin Cloetta. The movement expanded and in 1873 a factory was built in Malmö. This factory was moved in 1901 to Ljungsbro. The Cloetta family sold the business in 1917 to the Swedish Chocolate Factory AB with Svenfelt family as majority owner. There's the nutshell history. So, the question is this, how old is this paper, ad, bookmark thing I found in one of my books? 
                                                                                                    

I am going to guess the 1920's to 40's. Mostly based on my absolute love for that time period, and this girls hair and clothing. The card says Gourmet Bitter chocolate for connoisseurs, new healthy and tasty, among other things. I believe this particular box of chocolates might be dark chocolate covered gooseberries. Sounds good, cannot say I have ever had a gooseberry. Bucket list add right there. 

This card is in Swedish, which is really cool because my grandfather was 100% Swedish. 100% anything is kind of rare anymore. Perhaps I should have a chocolate covered gooseberry actually IN Sweden?! Madness or brilliance, I can't decide. But either way, Sweden is definitely on the bucket list. The bucket list currently has things scratched out and completed, and there are always new things going onto it. Just as bucket lists should be. And no, I am not old nor do I have a fatal disease, but waiting to start knocking out a bucket list makes no sense to me at all. Insert sappy, cliche sayings about living life to the fullest, don't wait til tomorrow, etc. here. They do have a point though.

Selma Lagerlof Obituary 1940

 Selma Lagerlof was born November 20, 1858 and died on March 16, 1940. She was a Swedish Author, was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was well known for her children's book The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. She first worked as a school teacher and then eventually quite teaching to write full time. She traveled through Italy, Palestine, and Jerusalem which served as inspiration for some of her work. Selma was also a speaker for the Country Association for Women's Suffrage and spoke at the International Suffrage Congress in Stockholm in June of 1911 where she gave the opening address. She also spoke at the victory party of the Swedish suffrage movement after women suffrage had been granted in May of 1919.

One really cool thing Selma did just prior to her death in 1940 was to intervene with the Swedish royal family to secure the release of Nelly Sachs from Germany. Nelly Sachs was a German-Jewish writer and personal friend of Selma's. Sach and Sach's mother were able to catch the very last flight from Germany to Sweden for asylum from the Nazi's.

 This is an announcement of her death in a Danish newspaper published in 1940. She passed away at Marbacka, which is a mansion in Sunne Municipality in Varmland, Sweden where she was born and raised. Marbacka is now kept as a memorial estate for Selma and is preserved and shown as it was at the time of her death. You can get a guided tour of the main building and visitors can also visit the gardens, a cafe, and a bookstore. There is a memorial exhibition of Lagerlof's life and writings in the barn on the property.

Solid history lesson here, what else can you say about a writer, an activist, and the type of person who who came through for a friend during WWII. Awesome.
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A Cyclist Greeting Postcard

This is a postcard that was never mailed. Never written on, nothing. It's printed in Denmark and has a cute little drawing of a person riding a bike where the stamp should go. I must assume that whomever purchased this postcard meant to send it or buy it as a keepsake from a vacation. I have to admit, this wouldn't be my first choice.

Pretty trees, check. A bicycle, check. But then you throw in this Billie Jean King looking woman, I kind of lose my woo hoo for the picture. Don't get me wrong, Billie Jean rocked the tennis court, but shazam, short 70's style hair probably didn't even look good then, let alone now. Look at me all judging today, knowing full well when I was a little girl I desperately wanted the Farrah Fawcett long feathered bangs look. That's right, Charlie's Angels were the bomb.  Joan Jett, she knew how to wear short hair in the day. She kicked butt and took names, you know she did. The chick on this card is staring off into space, I am sure the photographer was guiding her. Look like you're contemplating something, finding your zen out in the woods. Oy, I can just see it.

It's funny to go back and read some of my posts on this blog. I can tell what kind of day I was having or my mood just by reading them. When I read this post someday in the future, I'm sure I'll be wondering why I was in such a snarky mood. Must be lack of chocolate, luckily I have some in the freezer and ready for me. Only frozen chocolate, M&M's to be exact. Heaven.

Mansion a la Pride and Prejudice?

One interesting thing about antique books is that instead of printing a picture directly on the pages, some books have pictures pasted into them. Who knew, right? I am guessing that is what this picture is. It's really small, only 2 inches by 3 inches or so, and the paper is very thin.

If you've seen any of the versions of Pride and Prejudice perhaps you can see what I see in this picture. Whether it's Colin Firth, Laurence Olivier, or
Matthew Macfadyen, it all works in my head in this house. Especially the end of the movie when Mr. Darcy is about to go in and express his feelings one last time. Sigh, love the book, love the movies.

A Letter, 1947

 A lovely little envelope with a letter in Danish that was dated August 20, 1947. The envelope is smaller than a regular envelope and feels incredibly soft, as though it is older than it is dated. The letter is folded as though it's a greeting card and our writer ran out of room and wrote upside down on one page of the letter and the ending comments roll back around to the front of the letter. The letter is written what looks like school lined paper.

I miss getting letters. The ones that mean so much to you that you carry it around in your purse or wallet and you have read it so many times it's starting to fall apart along the fold lines. It's so strange to realize that new generations will never have that experience. And no, printing off an email and rereading it doesn't count. Typed words on a page are nearly as personal as a hand written letter.

Hans Holbein and the Portrait de Didler Erasme

Hans Holbein was a German artist who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and he made a significant contribution to the history of book design. But he is most famous for his portraits. He was the kings painter to Henry VIII for heaven sakes. If you Google him you will see and recognize many of his paintings. This particular postcard has the Portrait de Didler Erasme on it.

Erasme was a priest, philosopher, Latin writer, humanist, and theologian of the Burgundian Netherlands. He is recognized as one of the greatest humanists of the Renaissance. There are several famous paintings of him, you will, or should recognize them if you look them up. Yeah, I was being a little snarky with the should part of that last sentence. I think we as a society as a whole have traded in our time and energies from reading and learning about history and art to staring at our phones, computers,TV's, and iPads and so on. I am also guilty of this travesty, so I am equally chastising myself as I write this. Yes, I know we can see art and read and learn history on all of these devices, but seriously, aren't we all watching and doing other things 99% of the time?

All right, back to the postcard. It was printed in Paris and was sold at The Louvre. The only date on the postcard is June 17, 1947. Two years after the end of WWII. No stamp, but it is addressed to someone. Perhaps they handed the card over directly instead of mailing it. It's a short message, perhaps just a token to say I was thinking of you during my time in Paris. I do feel a tad guilty when I post things like this, I do the research into the artist and the piece of art and then I only write a little bit about them. I try to not sound like a textbook, and boy it's hard sometimes to not ramble on and on about some of these things. So, I will simply leave you with a promise that if you look up Hans Holbein or Erasme (both?) you will not be disappointed.

Greetings from the Paris French Restaurant

This has got to be the most unique restaurant wine list I have ever seen.  The writing is in Danish, but I cannot find the what restaurant this belonged to online. Either search engines aren't fabulous switching between languages yet, or this place doesn't exist any longer. Very fun accidental bookmark! The first picture is the paper all folded up, then below you see the inside with the flutes of wine with lists and prices, and the third picture is of the back of the card. Just the coolest thing ever. I don't know my wine prices well enough to date this card, but I would imagine the 50's or 60's based on condition and the drawings. That said, my mind says could be 40's or even the 70's. Ugh, date things people.

Sewing Doll Postcard

So cute, this little postcard. I'm not sure how to take the picture exactly. On the one hand, she's mending her toys. On the other hand, ripped off tail and arms? What does this chick do to her toys?  No date on the card, just the name Jack written twice, once quite legibly and once not so much. My first thought was that perhaps Jack had progressive thinking parents by his having this girly type of postcard, which I am all for, by the way. Little boys turn into fathers and should have the same kind of tenderness as girls are raised to have. Soapbox moment, forgive me. Anyway, and probably more correctly guessed, I am betting that Jack was the recipient of this lovely little card from a sibling, cousin, or a little girl with a crush. Either way, too cute.

Tuesday, September 1, 1942

 This is a full sheet of a newspaper from the September 1, 1942. It has a map showing what is going on in the war at this time. The key was at the bottom but was so small I decided to blow it up so we can make sense of the map. I love finding things about WWII. On the key, it is loosely, and I mean really loosely, translated as "That of the Axis ice and their allies ruled territory" or put in a way I understand a little better, "Axis Powers and their Allies controlled areas". So I am guessing the darkest red colored places are the German held territories.

The top of the paper says A Map Showing the Situation in Europe, after 3 Years of War. I can only imagine holding on to this paper during the war, the person probably kept many of these maps that were issued in the newspaper, how else would you keep track of the war during that time? The radio, for sure, but if you were in an occupied area, all you would hear would be second guessed as propaganda and you would only hear the real news of the war through underground sources. Maybe the BBC. Usually in occupied areas the personal radio's were taken away. Maybe some of the other newspapers were sent off to areas that were occupied. This paper could have been one of those. If only this paper could speak to us. Had to share this cool piece of history.