Alan Mays' photos

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of X marks the spot (an X to indicate something or someone on the photo) . "C.M.T.C. Camp" is the label that appears below the main tent area in this photo, which is credited in the lower right-hand corner to the "Chicago Aerial Survey Co." This is a real photo postcard, and the type of Azo stamp box (with squares in all four corners) printed on the other side suggests that the card dates between 1924 and 1949. Over 400 tents are visible in the photo, and the message that's part of the image says: "Had a fine trip here, all O.K. Here is my home for a month. X marks my tent. Everything looks fine so I'm sure I will like it here. Will write a letter soon." The postcard is unused, however, and no one has added an X to indicate a tent. This C.M.T.C. Camp was located in Illinois at Fort Sheridan (now closed except for the Sheridan Reserve Center ) and was one of about fifty Citizens' Military Training Camps , which were month-long training programs held each summer from 1921 to 1940 at U.S. Army posts.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of rocking horse . On the other side of this real photo postcard is an Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) that indicates that the photo may date to sometime between 1904 and 1918. The back of the card also gives its origin: "Strunk's Studio, 750 Penn St., Reading, Pa." At first glance the boy in the photo appears to be posing with a rocking horse, but a closer examination reveals that the horse's legs are attached to a wooden platform. It may be the same toy horse mounted on wheels that appears in other Strunk photos. See, for instance, a cabinet card with Roy Peiffer on Strunk's Studio Horse, Reading, Pennsylvania .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of people on a bridge . A group of twenty-six people -- ten men, nine women, and seven children -- stood on a narrow bridge over a swiftly flowing stream to pose for this photo. For better views of the group, see cropped versions of the left side and right side of the photo. The type of Azo stamp box (with four corner triangles pointing up) printed on the other side of this photo postcard suggests a possible date that may be as early as 1904 to 1918. The postcard is unused, and there's no indication where the stream is located.

A close-up of the left side of a real photo postcard showing men, women, and children standing on a narrow bridge over a stream. See also a cropped version of the right side . For more information, see the full version .

A close-up of the right side of a real photo postcard showing men, women, and children standing on a narrow bridge over a stream. See also a cropped version of the left side . For more information, see the full version .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of tree (in a studio photo) . Caption: "I'll Eat Oranges for You — You Throw Snow Balls for Me." This is a real photo postcard sent sometime after Thanksgiving in 1922 from "Aunt Orpha" in California to "Master George Myers" in Burbank, Ohio. Printed on the other side: "Orange Grove Souvenir. Novelty Studios, 520 S. Broadway & 414 W. 7th, Los Angeles, Cal." Handwritten message: "My dear George. This man is a male nurse. He was in training when I was. We had a turkey dinner [on] Thanksgiving. What did you have? Aunt Ella was with us and your Uncle Tom's niece. By-by. Your Aunt Orpha." The "eat oranges" / "throw snowballs" caption appeared on souvenir photo postcards like this one that tourists in sunny California could send to relatives enduring winter weather back home. For another example, see I'll Eat Oranges for You—You Throw Snowballs for Me .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of something interesting or surprising in the background . . At first glance, this is a typical photo of a woman sitting on a chair. In the background, however, is a girl watching from the window, which seems a little spooky. This is a real photo postcard with a divided back. "R. B. Hunter, LisbellAw" is stamped in ink on the other side, but the card is otherwise unused. Could "LisbellAw" refer to the village of Lisbellaw in Northern Ireland?

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of turrets . Caption: "Bay of Naples Hotel, Naples, Maine." Sign partially visible on the right: "Break[fast] Serv[ed] 8 To 11 [AM]." This real photo postcard shows a picturesque view of the Bay of Naples Hotel in Naples, Maine . The hotel opened in 1899, closed during the 1950s, and was torn down in 1964. Before the building was demolished, the cupola on top of the large turret on the left-hand side of the hotel was removed and ended up at an area campground. Fifty-seven years later, the cupola was moved, restored, and installed at the Naples Barn, a local business (see Dawn De Busk, " Cupola Moved to New Spot for Restoration ," Bridgton News , August 6, 2021, and a Google Street View showing the cupola in its current location). This is an unused photo postcard with a type of stamp box (EKC with "place stamp here") on the other side that suggests a possible date range from 1930 to 1950.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of unique or outrageous hats . This is a real photo postcard sent from Jacksonville, Florida, to Newton, New Hampshire, on March 31, 1906. Printed on the other side: "Post Card, Souvenir, Jacksonville. J. A. Hollingsworth, Tourist Photographer, Hogan St., Opp. Park Hotel, Jacksonville, Fla." Message written on the front: "Jacksonville, Fla., March 31. Whatever you do, don't come to Florida. Look at this picture and see how we have 'fallen from the crust.' Am so weak that I can hardly manage my auto . Hope to be better by tomorrow. Will." If Will could afford an automobile like the one he's pretending to drive, then he must not have "fallen from the [upper] crust ," as he jokingly suggests. See a cropped version for a better view of Will and his wife, their hats, and the automobile.

For the message accompanying this picture, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of pensive or dreamy . With his legs crossed and a thumb hooked in his vest, a man seated on a paper moon strikes a pensive mood as he looks off into the distance. See a cropped version of the photo for a close-up of the man. This is an unused real photo postcard with a type of Cyko stamp box on the other side that suggests a possible date range of 1904 to the 1920s.

See also the full version of this real photo postcard.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of church, chapel, or any other religious building . Caption: "Get Right with God." Painted on the side of the building: "Anderson Campaign Ta[bernacle]." This is a real photo postcard with a photomontage consisting of five giant heads peering over the top of a large wooden building. "Get Right with God" is the admonition at the top, and the sign on the building identifies it as the "Anderson Campaign Tabernacle." I also have a second copy of this card that has the name of a photographer -- "D. W. Faulk, 7 Second Ave., Coatesville, Pa." -- embossed on it. A different version of this real photo postcard that I spotted online is captioned, "Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out," with the location given as "Coatesville, Pa." On the back of all three of the photo postcards is a Noko stamp box design (with "NOKO" on all four sides) that indicates a time frame ranging from 1907 to 1929. After some searching, I discovered that "Anderson" refers to George Wood Anderson, a minister who ran some of his first large-scale revival meetings in a tabernacle building in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, in 1914. As reported in the Christian Advocate , December 3, 1914, p. 36: "The Rev. George Wood Anderson, pastor of Elm Park Church, Scranton, Pa., has been conducting for six weeks an evangelistic campaign at Coatesville, Pa., an industrial town of 11,000 people. The service has been carried on in a tabernacle specially constructed. The local paper tabulates results, showing total attendance 140,700, with 2,208 conversions.... Beginning next spring, Dr Anderson will leave the regular pastorate, to devote his life to evangelism, in obedience to an impulse which he has long felt." A later photo of the "George Wood Anderson Evangelistic Party" appeared in the Christian Workers Magazine , May 1916, p. 712, and allowed me to identify some of the giant heads on this photo card. That's George Wood Anderson himself on the left, his wife Nellie Anderson next to him, and Miss Agnes Smith, director of women's work, in the middle. The man on the right is Carl Leonard, business manager, but I haven't been able to determine who the man next to him is. George Wood Anderson went on to build tabernacles in other states to continue his revival campaigns. A recent Facebook posting by the Logan County History Center , for instance, describes his evangelistic services and provides photos of tabernacles in Bellefontaine and Belle Center, Ohio.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of cold, freezing, or frozen . Handwritten caption: "Gladys & the Ice Burg, Moffat, Colo." This is a real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Grace Roger, Rich Mountain, Ark., and postmarked Moffat, Colo., March 1, 1911. Message: "Moffat, Colo., March 1, 1911. Hello Girlie,You bet I recd your letter and answered it & am anxious for an answer. Want to hear the rest of that news you have for me. Does this look like spring. This is some of my own work. This is a water tank where the railroad engines get a drink. Say but I would enjoy a sweet breath from those fruit tree blossoms. There isn't such a thing in this desert. We are fine & dandy. Write soon you naughty girl. As ever, M." For a similar photo, see Frozen Water Tower .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of big hair (large or unusual hairstyles) . This is an unposted real photo postcard with only the name "Ray Schrumm" written on the other side. The Azo stamp box design (with four corner triangles pointing up) printed on the back suggests a time frame that may be as early as 1904 to 1918. Ray Schrumm's unique hairstyle reminds me of Henry Spencer, the character played by actor Jack Nance in David Lynch's film Eraserhead . The Eraserhead Wiki's entry about Henry Spencer provides a photo and explains, "Henry's most distinctive trait is his trademark haircut and his constantly forlorn face. He is almost always seen wearing a plain suit and tie."

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of castle-like buildings (or any other type of unique architecture) . This may not be an actual castle, but it looks like the building has enough towers and battlements to qualify. The photo, with its tilted angle and washed-out quality, gives the scene a rough appearance, but the architecture still seems impressive. The other side of the snapshot is blank, and there's no indication of a date or location.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of waving (as a greeting or for any other purpose) . When I purchased this small photo at an antique mall in Hershey, Pennsylvania, I thought it showed some men smoking as they sat together on a bench. I liked how the man in the middle is crouching on the bench and waving at the photographer, and I noticed that some of the men have something -- probably cigarettes, as far as I could see -- dangling from their mouths. But once I took the photo home and had a chance to take a closer look (see a cropped version ), I discovered that the men are -- strangely enough -- balancing on a seesaw rather than sitting on a bench. And what I thought were cigarettes are apparently pieces of some sort of food, though I haven't figured out what it might be. Beyond the men and their seesaw is a road, and a house located on the other side of the road is visible on the right-hand side of the photo. Between the shirtless guy and the fellow next to him, we can barely see the waters of a river in the distance. Some boxcars, almost hidden from view behind the crouching man's knees, reveal the existence of railroad tracks that parallel the roadway. Although there's no way to identify the exact location of the photo, this combination of waterways, roads, and train tracks surrounded by hilly terrain is typical of the landscape alongside the Susquehanna River and Juniata River in south central Pennsylvania.

A snapshot of five men on a seesaw. For more information, see the full version of this photo.