Russian Stamps New Year - Марки России Новый Год

This postcard has pictures of Russian New Year stamps from the 2000s. The postcard was published in 2011.

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

The Romance of a Christmas Card

This is an old postcard advertising The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggin, ©1915/16. The card was probably issued about the same time as the book.was published.

The book has been digitized by the Gutenberg Project, and there are links to read it in various formats here. The other book mentioned on the postcard, The Birds' Christmas Carol, can also be found on the Project Gutenberg website here.

book cover as shown by Project Gutenberg

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923) was an American educator and author, best known for the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. 

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Christmas Wishes on Bookmark Size Postcards

Hang up Bright Holly,
Let's All be Jolly,
Drive Dull Care Away.
Through West and East
Make Merrie Feast.
Good Folks 'tis
Christmas Day.

 This Christmas Wish
With Love I Send
May Your Joys be many
Your Peace Ne'er End.  

Christmas
Righte Merrie may You be to-day.
The New Year bring Prosperity
and may you never along Life's Highway
chance upon Adversity.

These are some unusual Christmas postcards in a bookmark size 2-1/4" X 6". I love the Arts and Crafts style graphic designs on these cards. Bookmark postcards seem like a good idea, but the idea never was popular. Now one can't even send cards this size in the mail. All cards and letters must be at least 3-1/2" high (at least in the United states).

Fatherless Children of France

Here are two postcards promoting Fatherless Children of France, which was a popular charity in the United States during and after World War I. I am including the messages on the backs, which I think are interesting. (My transcription of the second one is missing a couple of key words that were written over the printing on the card.)

 Dear Liela?
A very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years. My Christmas present to you will, I am afraid reach you very late. I had it marked, or rather left it to be marked early in November, and I have not received it yet. I am so disappointed, but you will get it some time. So much love, Annie

Dear Mother,
I wish you a happy Birthday. I have no Birthday card so this will pass this time. I will come home Friday morning if I do not get the Flu. If anything happens will ... to you. Meet me ... at the train ...

The New York Times of December 2, 1917 had an article about another fatherless Children of France postcard, with the suggestion that it could be bought instead of  a gift.

An article in the Rochester Sentinel (Indiana) of  December 2, 1918, described the fundraising efforts there (source):

SUPPORT FOR 16 FRENCH ORPHANS
The Fatherless Children of France, an American organization, has asked Rochester to support 16 or more French orphans, for a year, at the rate of 10 cents a day. Fort Wayne headquarters has placed A. L. Deniston in charge of the work here. The quota is one child to each 250 persons in the community.

It is the purpose of the society to have 200,000 war orphans adopted in the United States, by December 25th, as a Christmas present to France. Lodges, churches and church societies, factories and individuals will be asked to contribute the $36.50, the money to be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or for the year.

The work, however, is largely that of children for children, and it is urged that wherever possible, pledges or contributions be made thru a child, or in the name of a child. Where responsibility to meet the pledge can be placed with children, it should be done, certain grades or certain Sunday school classes forming teams to reach the desired amount. As soon as this is raised, the name of the French child or children will be forwarded, together with certificates for each orphan and badges for all who aid in raising the funds.

Steps will be taken at once to reach the city's quota, it being felt that more than 16 should be supported here. At least one Rochester organization of women has already acted.

Fatherless Children of France, Inc. had its headquarters in New York. The society was organized in 1916 to provide relief to needy French children whose fathers had been killed in the war. The children remained in their own homes to be brought up by their mothers.

According to a 1918 overview (source), there were 128 American committees on December 31st, 1917 and 180 on May 1st, 1918. The organization was described as follows:

There are at the present time fifty-four French Orphan Societies affiliated with our Society. These societies having applied to and been approved by our Paris Committee, have the privilege of submitting to our Paris Committee lists of needy children eligible for support under our rules. These names are then verified and catalogued by our Paris Committee and sent to the National Executive Committee in New York, which in turn distributes them among our various committees throughout America. 

The funds collected for the adoption of these French children by American adoptors are remitted direct by the local American committees to Messrs. J. P. Morgan and Co. in New York; by that firm the money is transmitted through its Paris office to our committee in Paris and by it is distributed to the orphans through the French post office.

When the funds were distributed in France, they were accompanied by letters from the Paris Bureau explaining the friendship of America and instructing the child or its mother to write a letter of acknowledgment to the American benefactor (source).

Some of the letters written by the fatherless children of France to their American godparents were published in a 1917 book that can be viewed online here. This is an example of one of the letters included in the book.

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Philatelic Christmas Series

This is a series of five philatelic Christmas postcards published by Mike Boyar, ©1980. Christmas stamps from various countries are featured on a background of Christmas themed artwork.

 

 

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

History of USSR Mail on Stamps

Above is the folder for a set of maximum cards with stamps and images relating to the history of USSR domestic mail "today" (today meaning 1977 when the stamps were issued). The set has five stamps and subjects, but I only have four of them.

The four subjects I have are:

• Index used to accelerate the delivery of the mail
• Collection of mail
• Automatic sorting of mail
• Transport of mail

The cancellation used on the cards translates as "Communications Workers Union Competition."

The fifth stamp in the set (which I don't have) is about mail delivery.

source: colnect.com

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

Write Soon -- Letter Writing Stamps

 

These are Colorano Silk Maximum Cards with the three pairs of 15-cent letter writing stamps. These stamps were issued on  February 25, 1980 in Washington, DC. Jimmy Carter was president at the time, and that looks like him on the silk cachet of the last card. This set of postage stamps were issued during National Letter Writing Week and focused on the importance of letter writing, The themes name three benefits of letter writing: preserving memories, lifting spirits, and shaping opinions.

 

The picture below gives a better idea of what they looked like when issued. (Source: Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps).

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