Thursday, June 18, 2009

Postcard Friendship Friday - Fast Mail

This is a romatic comic postcard with some clever word play. "Mail" refers both to postal mail and the male in the picture. Fast doesn't just refer to speed--the word has a special meaning when applied to a male (promiscuous or flouting conventional sexual standards).

To really understand this card, you need to know some things about railroad trains. "Fast mail" refers to a fast mail train which would have had Railway Post Office (RPO) cars for sorting mail in transit. Trains could be flagged down (signaled to stop) to give instructions to the engineer or to pick up passengers. Apparently sometimes the fast mail trains were used exsclusively for mail, but at other times there were trains named "fast mail" that also carried passenger cars.

The National Postal Museum has an online exhibit with information on railway mail service and models of the trains and equipment used.


Postcard Friendship Friday

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful card (love the way they're dressed)- and fascinating history behind it.

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  2. Great link! It's one of my favorite sites! Happy PFF!

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  3. Funny story. I really enjoyed your post this week. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. interesting history and postcard.
    happy PFF. see you next week.

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  5. I love that card! I was wondering if it could also be a reference to a young lady "accidentally" dropping her handkerchief in the hope that the young man would pick it up and return it to her.

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  6. Such a great card, really enjoyed this one.
    debby

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  7. Cute card....
    Great info....thanks for sharing.

    Have a beautiful weekend.

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  8. fast male?? hahaha.
    and the site is great! thanks for sharing!

    Happy PFF!

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  9. Oh, that is just too funny! Thank you for the history lesson--I love words and their meanings. I enjoyed this blog immensely.

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  10. He looks anxious to get away. Great card.

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  11. Intriguing! Lovely card. Thanks for coming by Ocala DP! A lot of mail carriers, particularly in rural areas, drive their own vehicles. Our son-in-law in Colorado, a mail carrier, just bought a used Jeep with right-hand drive...he's in seventh heaven!

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  12. I am sorry that I have post the wrong link to my post card, nice to see yours, MB

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  13. Hi! You wondered if it was a Risque French Postcard--I haven't a clue. (grin)

    Along with her politically incorrect rug, I thought her draperies were, er, a little low, but somehow modest enough. Tch tch tch...

    By the way, again--lovely post today.

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  14. Funny card, funny story. Happy PFF

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  15. very romantic indeed :)
    have a nice weekend
    xx

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  16. Thanks for the interesting bit of postal history. I've never heard that before. Love the card.

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