On this post —
We have a unique set of antique postcards for you.
These were from a
very popular series
of cards called:
“UNEEDN’T”…
Basically,
they were a type of
Penny Dreadful —
Otherwise known
as a:
Reverse or Vinegar
Valentines card,
that you could send
all year long,
to express a certain disdain
for a person or their behavior,
without being too
overt about it.
While they might seem
rather tame to us today,
they were considered to be
real zingers
in the early 1900’s–
They usually implied
certain things
about a person
that maybe weren’t
their BEST qualities
or even all that nice….
….. then or now.
But,
all that ‘virtue’ stuff
gets old, ya know.
Anyway,
you have to kinda
read between the lines
on these cards,
….. in order to get the 
sender’s full meaning.
It usually had to do
with some aspect of
the person’s character
or behavior that was
out of the social norm,
or went against the
grain of the sender —
Maybe it was a
commentary about:
your choice of friends,
your work ethic,
your housekeeping skills,
your personal appearance,
your sexual preferences,
or how busy your love life was.
Maybe they’re were
trying to say you were:
a cheapskate,
a bum,
a lothario,
a bad dresser,
a pain in the ass,
a loose woman,
a gambler,
a sponger,
a whiner,
a sissy,
an undesirable,
…… or perhaps
that you might
get/have
potentially gotten
someone pregnant.
Whether dropping
one of these cards
into the mail
was the sender’s way
of providing moral
redemption
or simply an act of revenge,
… well …
I guess
we’d have to take
that on a case by case basis.
Either way,
it was sure to hurt
somebody’s feelings.
Probably pretty
embarrassing, too.
You’d never know
who sent them —
or what they really knew,
or didn’t know about you.
There were several
excellent artists
involved in producing
these cards,
but one of the
most famous,
was our old prolific
friend Dwig —
Clare Victor Dwiggins.
There were a good
assortment
of these produced,
but I think I’ve included
the ones that are most
striking in the series.
And I’ve got more in
my archive if you like them.
They certainly are a unique
way of expressing ones
feelings about another —
But I imagine most of them
were sent anonymously.
Which just goes to
show you that
hypercritical,
judgmental snobs
are not only usually
cowards,
— but also that they
have always been with us.
Still,
the cards have a
strange, humorous quality
that really is compelling.
The artwork is also very interesting,
and period specific.
Yep…
I always enjoy a peek
into the mentality of
our predecessors…
Even it is the meaner side
of their temperaments.
Hoy !!!!!
Advertisements Share this:
