Sepia Saturday 280: 23 May 2015

Alan says: 

The themes for Sepia Saturday 280 include boys, girls and dances. The caption on the old vintage postcard (which is here wrongly attributed to Flickr Commons but in fact comes from my own collection) reads "In Leap Year - The Ladies after a little wine and tobacco join the gentlemen in the drawing room". So another potential theme you could have is that of "reverses" - occasions when the usual arrangements are reversed.

I have been a very slack Sepia Saturday contributor of late, for which I apologise.  I can't resist posting this photo which I took earlier this year on my mobile phone - a Samsung GT19507 model.  I realise it's not Sepia - but it is a reverse shot yes?  It was taken at night (9:35 to be precise) at the Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort on the Gold Coast Queensland or 27 51\'6" S and 153 21\'35"E to be more precise.  I was helping my friend inspect the venue for a conference.  It's all a bit swish and lovely at the Intercontinental and this image of a tree reflected in the pool in the gardens out the back was too tempting if a bit eeerie.  

But for the true sepia stalwarts, here are a couple of postcards that I picked up at the recent UQ Alumni Book Fair (10 postcards for $4.00) ...where the men are wearing skirts and the girls are wearing, well, skirts too.

To be honest, I'm not really taken with this first postcard...it's a bit naff I think. But the "mystery" of postcards and trying to work out who wrote what to whom and why is part of the attraction for me.....

So I guess the first thing to work out is when this postcard might have been purchased or sent.  I know nothing about postcards or stamps so all you postcard collectors feel free to chime in and put me straight on any factoid you see fit.  (PS Word of the Day - Did you know that Deltiology is the word for collecting postcards?  I didn't.  The things you discover on eBay!) This site tells me that if my postcard has a divided back then it is post 1907 but because it was printed in Germany then it is probably pre WWI - how about that?

The date mark on the stamp could be December 9 at 11am or December 9 1911 and I think the postmark is Kogarah but am happy for others to provide suggestions.  This site posts a similar postcard and dates it at 1910.  

Ancestry tells me that an Elizabeth Jane Ashenden lived at 20 Taylor Street Armidale in 1930.  But, even better, Find My Past, gives me the index to Wills in NSW, particularly William Henry Ashenden a labourer from Armidale who died in 1929 and bequeathed his estate to his wife Elizabeth Jane Ashenden and, after her death, to his daughter Fanny Amelia Court wife of Henry John Court.  So I think I have found the addressee.  I have no idea who Ida is though.  Perhaps just a friend.  Ida asks Fan to remember her to Harry - perhaps that was Henry John's nickname - Harry.  What do you think?  

It seems to be confirmed in this sad family notice, courtesy of Trove.

Notices. (1912, May 25). The Armidale Chronicle (NSW : 1894 - 1929), p. 4. Retrieved May 23, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188121163

Further research on Ancestry reveals that Fanny was born at Uralla in 1887.  and that she married Henry J Court in 1911 at the age of about 24.  They didn't move far from Fanny's mother, living at 16 Taylor Street Armidale in 1930.  Harry was a coachbuilder but went on to be Managing Director of Armidale Motors Limited.  Fanny and Harry went on to have at least two children that I can discover through articles on Trove.  Their daughter Venice defied the usual gender stereotypes in this fabulous article...

Family LONG CAR CHASE. (1935, January 21). Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954) , p. 1. Retrieved May 23, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article81703562

So I think that is enough about that postcard.  I think we can date it at about 1910.  I have absolutely no idea where that phrase "Mid the poppies and the corn" comes from by the way so would be glad if anyone can enlighten me.

The next postcard also has a Scottish theme....

Guess what?  I'm not even going to pretend I could even begin to figure out who this card is from or to....but I am going to say Sandy boy ???  Sandy??? I thought it was Danny boy!  Over to you Deanna....


For more boys, girls, dances and reverses...head on over to Sepia Saturday.

Addendum:
Just a couple of things since I've had some feedback from lovely Postcardy and Brett - this postcard could be as early as 1902.  My husband has also pointed out that the franking stamp on the stamp does not go on to the postcard which seems to indicate that perhaps the sender re-used a stamp.  What do you think?  It's also a NSW stamp which were in issue up until 1913 when we changed to Australian stamps.  And Brett found the lyrics for the song which you can listen to here....This was recorded 1905-10-12 which I think means the 12th October 1905 but it could mean 10th December 1905.  At any rate I think that now puts the postcard between 1906 and 1912.  You can read the lyrics for the son on this site here - it seems the words were originally written by Clement Scott set in the cemetery at Sidestrand.  National Library of Australia has the score here and I note that copyright is 1891 by Chappell and Co. Maybe Ida and Fan learned the music on the piano.  Most of the editions on WorldCat date from 1900 or 1907.