Chicago Libraries

These two linen postcards are on the subject of Chicago Public Libraries. The comic card was published in 1953 and is part of a series of comic interpretations of "Famous Chicago Attractions." The multiview card was published in 1937 and shows four Chicago libraries:

• Newberry Library - A privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences
  
• Chicago Public Library - Formerly the central library of the Chicago Public Library system, now the Chicago Cultural Center.
  
• Harper Memorial Library - Now the Harper Memorial Library Commons at the University of Chicago, does not currently house books.
  
• John Crerar Library -Currently housed in a newer four-story building and operated by the University of Chicago, is focused on the sciences, medicine, and technology.
  

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Washburn-Crosby Co. - Gold Medal Flour

The Washburn-Crosby Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota was a predecessor to General Mills. General Mills was created in 1928 when Washburn-Crosby President James Ford Bell directed the company to merge with 26 other mills.

Washburn-Crosby began using the brand name Gold Medal on the company's best grade of flour after their Superlative Flour was awarded a Gold Medal in 1880 at the first Miller's International Exhibition, held in Cincinnati, Ohio. At that exhibition Washburn-Crosby was awarded the three top prizes: the Bronze Medal for Parisian Flour, the Silver Medal for Extra Flour and the Gold Medal for Superlative Flour.

United Nations Stamps - Philately the International Hobby

This is a maximum card with United Nations stamps issued to commemorate Philately - The International Hobby. Along the bottom are stamps in three languages and denominations corresponding to the three countries where the United Nations offices are located: New York City, USA; Vienna, Austria; and Geneva, Switzerland. The stamps on the left and right have a design of a stamp being viewed through a magnifier. The stamp in the center has a design of stamps spread out on a table, ready to be put into an album. The stamps all have appropriate first day cancellations dated May 22, 1986. The stamp at the top left of the card has a Chicago, Illinois cancellation. Chicago was the site of the AMERIPEX 86 International Stamp Show, May 22-June 1, 1986.

These stamps were engraved by Slania. This U. N. series also included another design of Czeslaw Slania depicting himself engraving a stamp..

(image source: Slania Stamps)

The following information was copied from the Wikipedia article on the United Nations Postal Administration:

The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) is the postal agency of the United Nations. It issues postage stamps and postal stationery, denominated in United States dollars for the United Nations offices in New York, in Swiss francs for the offices in Geneva and in euros (formerly schillings) for the offices in Vienna. Postage rates charged are identical to those of the host nation.

Only United Nations stamps in the appropriate currency may be used at a given United Nations office. In practice, however, most UN agencies use meters, and the stamps are most often used by tourists and collectors. Since the stamps may not be used outside the UN offices, they may be purchased in bulk on the secondary market as discount postage at well below face value.

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

Unloading Bananas - New Orleans, Louisiana

These two postcards show workers unloading bananas in New Orleans, Louisiana. The following information is from the back of the cards:

New Orleans is the world's greatest banana port. More than 700 ships arrive each year loaded with 25,000 to 50,000 bunches of bananas. Each individual bunch is carried from the hold of the ship to the door of the refrigerator on mechanical conveyors.

In the mid-twentieth century, New Orleans was the largest banana port in the United States. Twenty to twenty-five per cent of all the bananas imported into the United States were unloaded at the New Orleans docks. The banana docks provided hundreds of jobs in New Orleans and were also a tourist attraction.

By the late 1960s New Orleans was no longer the largest banana port in the the United States. Wilmington, Delaware and Gulfport, Mississippi are now the leading banana ports in the U. S.

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Conestoga Wagon of the B & O Railroad

This postcard of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's "Conestoga" covered wagon has a long educational description printed on the back:

The "Conestoga Wagon":--1813. From the famous historical collection of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The "Conestoga Wagon" represents a link in the chain of horse-drawn vehicles leading up to the era of the railroad. It is a solid-looking wagon with large back wheels and smaller front ones. Arched picturesquely over the top is a big canvas canopy slanting far forward in front and backward in the rear, making a spacious roomy vehicle. The "Conestoga Wagon" first came into use in the United States for transportation of freight and passengers during the latter part of the eighteenth century in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, at a time when there were only 2,000 miles of miscellaneous post-roads in the whole country.

The average Conestoga wagon was 18 feet long, 11 feet high, and 4 feet in width and could carry up to 12,000 pounds of cargo. Conestoga wagons were freight wagons, not designed for carrying passengers. The Conestoga wagon is a specific type of covered wagon. Most of the wagons used in the westward expansion of the United States were not Conestoga wagons, but lighter farm wagons fitted with canvas covers.

Conestoga wagons had some other distinctive features in addition to the ones mentioned in the postcard description. The floors curved upward to prevent the contents from tipping and shifting. There was not a front seat for the driver or seats for passengers. The driver could ride one of the horses. Travelers walked beside the wagon. The side of the wagon had a brake handle and a small pullout plank seat designed to provide a brief rest from walking.

Barry's Telegraph Institure - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Barry's Telegraph Institute was located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The back of the postcard states that it was "The largest and best equipped school in the Northwest."

Danish Flower Stamps

This postcard shows two stamps issued by Denmark in 1973 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Jutland Horticultural Society. The flowers are Rhododendron impreditum and Rosa Dronningen af Danmark.

These stamps were engraved by Czeslaw Slania (1921 - 2005) who was an expert and prolific engraver of postage stamps and banknotes. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, he was the most prolific of all stamp engravers, having engraved more than 1000 stamps. Some collectors specialize in stamps engraved by Slania. There is a website showing Slania's stamps and other engravings here.

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