Beautification of America Stamp & Washington Cherry Blossoms

Above is a maximum card with the 5-cent Beautification of America commemorative postage stamp that was issued on October 5, 1966. This stamp was issued to publicize President Lyndon Johnson's "Plant for a more beautiful America" campaign.

Both the stamp and the postcard have a view of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. framed by blooming cherry trees. The Jefferson Memorial was dedicated on April 13, 1943 on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson.

This year is the 100th anniversary of Washington's Japanese cherry trees. The trees were a 1912 gift from Japan given in an effort to enhance the friendship between the United States and Japan. The 2012 National Cherry Blossom Festival is being celebrated from March 20 – April 27. The average peak bloom date is April 4. Due to warmer than usual weather this year, the peak bloom date is estimated to be March 20-23.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog

Vintage Girl Scout Uniform Fashions

The postcard above is a Girl Scout Camp Post Card that was mailed in 1947. A new uniform style was introduced in 1948 and was used until the early 1960s. That was the one that was in style when I was a Girl Scout.

The official Girl Scout website has a featured exhibit of Girl Scout Uniforms from 1912 to today. The exhibit covers the main styles, but the pictures are rather small and don't include all the variations. The type of uniform I had is shown in the next two pictures that are from my Girl Scout Handbook (© 1953). My uniform was secondhand and had long sleeves. Short sleeved uniforms must have been more common by that time--most of the other girls in my troop had uniforms with short sleeves. The following description is from the exhibit on the Girl Scout website:

Designed by the renowned Mainbocher, the Intermediate Scout uniform was a button-down-the-front dress well suited to Girl Scout needs. The bright green covert dress had an action back, button-down lapel tabs, deep armholes, a dark green web belt, and a six-gored skirt with pockets. The green beret was the official hat.

The next picture shows me (in the center) with my sisters. We were dressed in our uniforms to go to the 1960 father-daughter banquet. I was a Senior Scout then and was wearing the same dark green skirt and white blouse that I wore in junior high, but with a different cap and tie. I think this was considered an alternate uniform. Later I had a newer two piece green Senior Scout uniform that was introduced in 1960.

The next picture is a newspaper clipping I saved. This picture was taken before the father-daughter banquet and shows some of the girls from my Senior Scout troop modeling some of the vintage uniforms that were later worn in a fashion show at the banquet.

I was in the fashion show, but not in the newspaper photo. I once had some photos of the banquet, but I didn't save them. I did find a negative of the fashion show that has me in the picture. I am the girl on the far right in the picture below.

The video below, A salute to Girl Scout style (©1994), shows a more recent Girl Scout fashion show with old vintage uniforms and then current uniforms.

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Queen Elizabeth Stamps - Machin & Wilding Portraits

The card shown above is a maximum card from the National Postal Museum in London. The stamp featured on this card is the 17p stamp with the Machin portrait of Queen Elizabeth. The first day of issue was March 30, 1983. The cancellation says "Philatelic Bureau Edinburgh."

The Machin series of postage stamps features a sculptured head by Arnold Machin. The series is the main definitive stamp series in the United Kingdom. The Machin portrait has been used since 1967 when it replaced the Wilding series which had been used since 1952. For more information about the Machin stamps, see Machins for beginners.

The stamps below all feature the Dorothy Wilding portrait of Queen Elizabeth. These stamps are from my old 1950s stamp collection. If you look closely, you can see four (possibly five) different designs.

An article on the website of the Collectors Club of Great Britain lists the denominations and colors of stamps by five designers, but I didn't see the first stamp of my second row listed. Below is another I have that wasn't listed there. I would probably have more luck identifying the stamps if I had a stamp catalog.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog

International Women's Day & Hen Night

Above is a Russian postcard for International Women's Day which is today, March 8. This postcard is dated 1970. I like the design of the Russian women and foliage arranged in a figure "8."

By coincidence I received the card below today from a Russian member of Postcrossing. Although different in style, I think this card is similar in spirit to the Women's Day card. This one is promoting the Holidays in Russia exhibit at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The picture is a detail from a painting by Aleksei Korzukhin called "Hen Night" or "Hen Party" (1889) Hen night is the female equivalent of stag night. Aleksei Korzukhin (1835–1894) was a Russian realist painter. The full painting is shown on the museum exhibit page.

Shaving & Barbering

The postcard shown above is about Prof. J. H. Buckley, Manager at Victor Barber College of Minneapolis, Minnesota, winning the worlds record for fast shaving. The official time shaving three men was 2 minutes and 51 seconds. The text on the card names five witnesses but does not give the date of this record or any official body that might have been keeping records.

Victor Barber College advertised in the Minneapolis Tribune from 1908 to 1916. The first address was at 36 Washington Avenue South. In June 1909 the ad listed new modern quarters at 251 1st Ave. South. Still later, the address was on Hennepin Ave. The Moler Barber College advertised in the same classified ad columns as Victor. Moler's history goes back to 1893, and the college is still in business in Minneapolis as Moler Barber School.

J. H. Buckley's name appeared in a 1904 newspaper article when he was accused (and acquitted) of operating on Sunday. At that time the Barber's union had undertaken a crusade against violators of the Sunday closing law.

When searching for information about fast shaving records, I found a copy of the 1901/02 The Barbers' Journal online in Google Books. This journal was published by the Journeymen Barbers' International Union of America. Of course, most of the content related to current issues and events concerning American barbers, but there were some interesting international and historical items too.

Here are some examples from The Barbers' Journal:

A Liverpool barber claims the record for fast shaving, claiming to have removed the hair, and I don't know how much cuticle from five faces in 57-1/2 seconds, the time for each one being 11, 11, 11, 9-1/2 and 11 seconds respectively.

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In ancient Greece when one citizen wanted to tell another that this or that friend shaved himself they said that he practiced pogonotomy. Today in making the same reference we simply say that he "scrapes" himself.

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It is said that the fierce mustache of Emperor William of Germany, about which so much has been said in the papers of this and other countries, is nothing more nor less than a disguise. When at home it bristles in all its fury, but occasionally it droops, as was the case a short time ago when he paid a visit, incognito, to Paris, where he apparently went to study the strength of Germany's arch enemy, France.

If you are curious about pogonotomy, there is actually a website about it pogonotomy.com that promotes "real shaving" (using a traditional double edged razor and a lather generated with a brush) .

If you wanted a fierce mustache for yourself, you could get a German Mustache Trainer that was advertised in the journal.

Some interesting images of shaving throughout history were contributed by Colgate & Co., makers of Colgate's Shaving Soap. Here are a few.

A Barber Shop in Ancient Greece


An Open Air Chinese Barber Shop


An Old English Barber Shop

One of the articles I noticed was "An Interesting Letter From England" (page 52). This pointed out differences between English and American barber shops, which created problems for unionization in England. It was said that in America there appeared to be a clear division of the barbering trade into two sections--"Bosses" and Journeymen. In England, however the barbering business was divided and subdivided along class lines into many sections.

This Is a Post for Sepia Saturday 116

Fiesta Flights - Western Airlines

This postcard shows the dessert cart on a Western Airlines "Fiesta Flight." The postcard has a 1959 postmark and the following description on the back:

Between Los Angeles and Mexico City on Western's exclusive nonstop flights, you enjoy reserved seats, a Fiesta Cocktail Hour with choicest of liquors and hors d'oeuvres, gourmet dining with champagne, climaxed by delicacies from the Fiesta dessert cart. Western's thrifty Air Coaches are another wonderful way to Mexico!

The Cropsey's "Wreck" Room - St. Paul, Minnesota

This postcard has three views of Cropsey's "Wreck" Room at 172 Sherrie Lane in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to maps, this address is in Woodbury. The postcard was professionally photographed and published. It was photographed by Don J. Harding, published by Hiawatha Valley Postcard Co., and printed by Dexter Press.

Since zone numbers are used in the addresses, the card was probably published before zip codes were introduced in 1963. There is a great assortment of furnishings that would now be called retro, and the decorative items seem to be chosen for their whimsy and/or tackiness.

I have no idea of the purpose of this room or the card. If you know, please leave a comment.

Below are enlargements of the three views on the card.