First Day of School

Three generations of first day of school photos - expressions of excitement and maybe a tiny bit of apprehension.

My Dad 1940s - Bremerton, WA (I reeeeally wanted that to be a Pee-Chee that he was holding but I don't think it is)


My Mom's school uniform - St. Joseph's 1940s - Vancouver, WA


My husband and his twin sister - first day of school 1967 - Bellevue, WA (neat-o Monkees and Charlie Brown "Peanuts" lunch boxes!)


My daughter's first day of Kindergarten

Vintage Camping

Camping for leisure - Even in days we consider daily life with all the "then" modern conveniences a bit primitive, families ventured out to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

These photos are of my husband's father's family during the early 1920s.  They are labeled Yellowstone Park, Glacier Park,  and Fish Fry.  I'm pretty sure the family lived in Conrad, Montana at the time.

My favorite ones are my Grandmother-in-law, Mabel (Fey) Robertson with her sons, Walter (the youngest) my father-in-law,  Charles Robertson Jr. 

I love that she joined in the fun and got wet up to her hips!


These are labeled Yellowstone. Mabel smiling (I'm pretty sure that's her) and her mother-in-law Etta Faulconer Robertson Everingham is next to her.



(more Mabel and Etta in Yellowstone)
Chains on the rear tires - must have been for offroading.






Charles Robertson and his mother



Glacier Park family photo: Charles Robertson, Charles Robertson (Jr.), Walter (mostly hidden), Etta Faulconer Robertson Everingham, Mabel Fey Robertson.


Glacier Park Campsite




"Fish Fry" This might not be a camping trip but a town-wide picnic or something

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Joseph E. Standley established Ye Olde Curiosity shop in Seattle in 1899.  What began as a hobby as a child turned into a business that has lasted well over 100 years.  The Shop has moved several times but has always been on the central waterfront.  It is still run by J. E. Standley's family. And while I would highly recommend visiting the actual store to appreciate the experience, you can also make on-line purchases. See more about their history on the Shop's website.

I have a few postcards (of course!) and hope to continue to grow my collection.

"Interior of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Seattle, U. S. A. Located in the Colman dock. Most Unique Shop in the World. J. E. Standly, PROP'R. Established 1899"


"VISIT YE OLDE CURIOSITY SHOP EST'D 1899. 1-Whale Jaw Bones 1 ton each, 21 1/2 feet, largest in U. S. 2-Skull of Alaska Buffalo, largest in the world. 3-Giant Clam Shell. weighs 161 pounds. From Equator. 4-Ivory Tusk of Alaska Elephant (mammoth). 5-Head of Arctic Walrus with ivory tusks 6-Shell, 855 pounds, fired from U. S. Fort Worden. 7-Navajo Rugs, from Navajo Indians. 8-Indian Totem Poles. 9-Saw of Saw Fish. 10-Indian Cooking Basket. 11-Old Ship Lanterns, brass. 12-Hat worn by Chief Seattle. 13 - Alaska Snail, petrified, 67 pounds. 14-Chilcat Blanket from Alaska. GROUND FLOOR AT COLMAN DOCK ENTRANCE, SEATTLE"

I posted this one on the Facebook pages of Vintage King County and  Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.  The Shop posted this about the items on this 1920s postcard:

This picture is likely from the 1920's. Yes, we do still have most of the things shown in the photograph. I will list them in order. We have about 3/4 of one of the whale jaw bones. One was lost from being out in the weather too long and about a fourth of the other was cut off by someone in the middle of the night (!) when it was chained to the outside of the building that housed the shop when we were on pier 51. The ivory tusk of an Alaskan elephant (mastodon) is on display near the front of the shop (inside). We actually have two. We have several giant clam shells on display. There are many Native American totem poles in our collection (some older and some newer) and we have many for sale also. We have always bought directly from the local artists and some from Alaska and British Columbia as well. We have more than one saw fish saws. We have many Native American baskets in our collection but not sure if this exact one is on display. We purchased many weavings from Chief Sealth's daughter, Princess Angeline, which were for sale at the time and we have kept some examples. We do have a hat that Chief Sealth (Seattle) wore. In case you didn't know Seattle was named after Chief Sealth. The Alaska 67 pound fossil snail is on display in the outside window on the north side of the shop along with many other things from our museum collection. Lastly we do still have a Chilkat blanket on display.

The back of this postcard did not have space for writing, just space for an address and a stamp on the right, on the left side reads:
"VISITORS IN SEATTLE SHOULD SEE: The Pike Place Market; Zoological Gardens; The Smith Tower, 42 stories, Day and Night View; Anderson's Bout Tour of Harbor through U. S. Ship Canal to Lake Union into Lake Washington; Mt. Rainier; Snoqualmie Falls, 100 feet higher than Niagara; Big Trees in Schmitz Park; Sea Bathing at Alki Beach; View of Harbor from Colman Dock Rotunds; Battleships and great docks; U. S. Navy Yard at Bremerton, 1 hour boat ride; Municipal Frozen Fish Aquarium in Spokane St. Wharf; Tropical Conservatories and Art Museum in Volunteer Park; State Museum and Art Gallery on University Campus. The Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Alaska Bureau will give you free literature, maps and information about sight seeing.
VISIT THE WORLD FAMOUS YE OLDE CURIOSITY SHOP and see the Russia Brass Ikons, Samovars; Carvings on 4 grains of rice; Shrunken Human Head size of a lemon from Ecuador; the Lord's Prayer on a pin head; Fleas in dresses; a duckbill Plattypus; a devil fish, wolf fish, musk ox skull, camel bells, old ship lanterns; Narwhal tusk, Aztec pottery; ships in bottles, old guns; India mask and real hand-carved Indian Totem Poles, one to forty feet tall. Big variety of antique brass and bronze, Fossil Ivory jewelry from Alaska Eskimos. Odd rings and beads; rare novelties, Indian Baskets, Bracelets and rings, daggers and thousands of other curiosities from every land and see.
Everybody welcome to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
Est'd 1899 by J. E. Standley
BEATS THE DICKENS
At Foot of Marion Stret
The Ground Floor Entrance to Colman Dock
Look for the Whale Jaw Bones 21 1/2 Ft. Tall"


"Interior of the world famous Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Ferry Dock Pier 52, Seattle 4, Washington U. S. A., on Seattle's historic Waterfront. In the foreground is 'Sylvester' the mummy and Cigar Store Indian. Most unique shop in the world, 'Beats the Dickens'. Established 1899" Ektachrome by J. Boyd Ellis. 
According to HistoryLink essay about Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Sylvester was acquired in 1955 - I think this postcard photo might have been taken about this time


"World Famous Ye Olde Curiosity Shop - 601 Alaskan Way - Pier 51, Seattle 4, Washington (Established 1899 on the waterfront.) Interior view showing Thunderbird House Front, Easter Island Carving, Korean Grave Figure, Cobalt Blue Foo Dog, Sylvester the Mummy (background), and Cigar Store Indian foreground."
This store is on Pier 51 (the above was on Pier 52) and I don't know which location was earlier but since Sylvester is further back in the store, I'm supposing it's a little later.  The Zone number between the City and State indicates it pre-dates the zip code which came in to effect in 1963.

"Seattle Ferry Terminal and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the Seattle Waterfront" "Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, Washington, U. S. A. Modern touch to colorful Seattle waterfront is provided by the new $3,000,000 SEATTLE FERRY TERMINAL. The world-famous YE OLDE CURIOSITY SHOP is at left. Waterfront visitors are afforded unlimited sightseeing opportunities from piers which extend far out into Elliot Bay. Fireboats and ferries provide interesting maritime activity in Seattle harbor."

Guessing the date mid to late 1960s (it's after the Seattle World's Fair ended - the barrel poles in front were originally at the Ford Pavilion at the Fair).

Fun place to see; fun place to shop!

Summer and Pepsi Cola

Summertime Pepsi-Cola ads in all their 50s glory. Weddings, poolside, beach-side, and patio fun. "Refreshes without filling", "The Light Refreshment", "The Sociables".

Much of the art isn't signed by the artist - if you have any information on who designed the unmarked ones, please comment.

Artist: Roy Besser

June 29, 1959 Life Magazine

Artist: Robert Levering

June 13, 1955 Life Magazine


July 11, 1955 Life Magazine

Artist: Lynn Buckham

August 8, 1955 Life Magazine

Artist: Lynn Buckham

July 2, 1956 Life Magazine


August 6, 1956 Life Magazine


June 24, 1957 Life Magazine


July 29, 1957 Life Magazine


September 2, 1957 Life Magazine


June 23, 1958 Life Magazine


July 21, 1958 Life Magazine

Artist: Roy Besser

June 8, 1959 Life Magazine

The Sociables

August 3, 1959 Life Magazine

Artist: B. Peak

August 31, 1959 Life Magazine


May 23, 1960 Life Magazine


June 27, 1960 Life Magazine

Happy Independence Day!

A few more from my vintage patriotic postcard collection:


"July 4th 1776" postmark reads Jul 4 7 am Millvale PA (no year!!). Printed in Germany.
I can read most of the message and I thought it was pretty interesting - I wish the postmark had a year rather than the time of day.  

"Hello Well how are you Sadie & I are pretty warm up here. We are getting lots of rides on the Street Cars. We was on a flying machine Sat. night & we were scared half to death. We went flying ?? the air ?? "

"Long May it Wave over Land & Sea" Copyright 1910 L. R. Conwell, N.Y. mailed June 1911


"Greetings from Laughlintown, Pa." mailed Oct 1910


"Birthplace of Old Glory - Open to the Public" Souvenir Post Card Co., New York. Printed in Germany


"Next Sunday will be Rally Day in the School ~ Will you help make it a Grand Success by being present early yourself? Bring someone not already a member. Urge your parents to come. Cordially yours," R. D. Form No. 2 Goodenough & Woglom Co. 122 Nassau St. N. Y.

***Happy 4th of July!!***

Greetings from the State of Washington

Summer time is vacation time! My Facebook feed is full of images from folks traveling the world.

During World War 2 there was a series of postcards for servicemen to use for free. The back includes this statement:
"Greetings from the State of Washington - This card is furnished for convenience of men in the armed services by the Washington State Progress Commission, P. O. Box 907, Olympia, Washington. Write the Commission for any information desired about the state or for Victory File for use in planning your first after-war vacation"
While these are promoting tourism in to Washington state after the war since this isn't the year for an international travel vacation for me, I can look for destinations in my own backyard.


"Mount Rainier - rising 14,408 feet into the sky, Mt. Rainier is spectacularly beautiful and the crowing triumph of the Evergreen State of Washington. Here it is only two hours from sea level to ski level."


"Rosario Beach - This beach is at one of the gateways to the San Juan Islands, in the scenic State of Washington. There are 172 islands in this large group in Puget Sound."


"The Peace Arch - This peace Arch at Blaine, Washington on the international boundary between Canada and the United States, commemorates 100 years of friendship along 3,000 miles of unfortified border, between peoples of a common origin."


"Mount Saint Helens - Majestically rising above Spirit Lake in Southwest Washington, is one of the state's four major peaks in the Cascade Rage. Other are Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and Mount Baker, all over 10,000 feet."


"Columbia River - The Beautiful - Second only to the Mississippi, flows for 750 miles through the state of Washington. On the Columbia are the Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams."


"Dry Falls - Situated in Dry Falls State Park, in Central Washington, near Grand Coulee Dam, is on of the geological wonders of the world. Over the brink once roared a prehistoric falls of the Columbia, forty times greater than Niagara."


"Grand Coulee Dam - This Dam on the Columbia River in the State of Washington, is man's biggest job. It is four times larger than the Great Pyramid, and as high as the Washington Monument"


If you have shared any Washington State postcards from this series, I would love a link in the comments to see your collection.