Sunday 17 January 2010

Doggy Day

I recently found a small number of interesting dog postcards and photographs at a bric-a-brac fair. A couple repulsed me, another made me sad while the last one cheered me up.

Hunting Dogs
Part of a collection of Hunting Dog postcards purchased and posted in Paris in 1902 (but not by me!). The recipient was Mme. H V J in Athens. I don't find them particularly nice, but I guess others will admire them?



The Pathetic Mourner
Caesar, the faithful companion of King Edward VII. The card describes him as a pathetic mourner at the King's funeral. I seem to remember seeing postcards of him walking with the funeral courtege at the State Funeral of the King.



Death and Dogs
This delightful Raphael Tuck art card depicts a puppy with very appealing eyse. The spidery scrawl on the front contains a sentence that stands out. "Did you see that RH Blake was accidentally killed in South Africa? Isn't it sad?" I wonder who he was?


An Inventor?
I love this photograph of a man and his bicycle. Note the Jack Russell terrier seems to be sitting in a specially designed dog carrier. Fascinating!







Dog Von Stroheim
Now, here is unusual postcard. It shows a cartoon dog operating an early movie camera. On the reverse, someone has written the enigmatic message - "Good times are coming - X" On the front is written - "Keep Smiling". I will, I will!


5 comments:

  1. Every card tells a completely different story. I'm wondering about Mr. Blake now too and I especially like the jack russel carrier!

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  2. Hey Laurie, hope all is well with you ! Best wishes for an excellent new year. This is quite a series of dog cards, trust you to dig up a Jack Russell. Yeah, I wonder who RH Blake was and how he met his end. Hopefully there is more of a trace of him than just a few enigmatic words on a postcard...
    Take care...

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  3. These are absolutely wonderful! WOW! I especially love the first two.

    Thank you for sharing these with us!

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  4. Thanks Rosie - Mr Blake? Perhaps a bit of detective work is required?

    Owen - The main man! Glad you liked them.
    Amazing Haiti photographs on your blog - terrible news isn't it?

    Beth, Nice to hear from you again. There's something comforting about dogs isn't there!

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  5. Hi Laurie,
    Happy New Year, long time, no see!
    Lovely set of images, really enjoyed looking at them. My favorite is the old man with his doggy on his bicycle!
    I actually got 'stuck' in Blackpool after the New Year, we were driving up the M6 and the weather was so terrible we decided to hole up in B'pool for 2 nights! It was great to see it all deserted and full of snow!
    Hope you're well xx

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