Bert Palmer Atkinson (1881-1955), a New Hampshire photographer, was "The Post Card Man" who had the "winning cards." He created this postcard to advertise his business and to serve as an advance card to send in advance of his visits to let potential customers know when to expect him (see the other side of the card, where he could add his arrival date and a message).
To get his customers' attention, Atkinson used a trick photo. It shows him seated at a table with four other versions of himself, and the way that his five selves are holding postcards in their hands makes it seem like they're playing a card game. This strange scene is a "multigraph" – a type of photograph that uses mirrors to create the illusion that a set of quintuplets is seated around a table.
The "2A113" designation in the lower right-hand corner is a Curt Teich production number that indicates that the postcard dates to 1932 (see the Newberry Library's PDF document, Guide to Dating Curt Teich Postcards).
For more information about Atkinson, see the New Hampshire Historical Society's description of the B. P. Atkinson Photograph Collection, 1912-1942, undated.
The Post Card Man
I Have the Winning Cards
2A113
Side 2
The best that is made in Local View Cards, Souvenir Folders, and Advertising Matter -- Universally Used.
I will call on you on or about
____________
Yours very truly,
B. P. Atkinson
Made by Curt Teich & Company, Inc., Chicago, U.S.A.
Tags: ephemera postcards advance cards sales call cards will call cards advertising advertisements ads photographs photos portraits trick photography trick photos mirror photography mirror photos multiphotography multigraph photo-multigraphs mirrors tables Atkinson B. P. Atkinson Bert Palmer Atkinson five men clothes clothing suits ties neckties NH New Hampshire 1932 1930s antique old vintage photographic amusements Curt Teich Curt Teich & Co. Curt Teich & Company postcard publishers 2A113
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Bert Palmer Atkinson created this advance card to let potential customers know when he planned to visit. For more information, see the front of the card.
The best that is made in Local View Cards, Souvenir Folders, and Advertising Matter -- Universally Used.
I will call on you on or about
____________
Yours very truly,
B. P. Atkinson
Made by Curt Teich & Company, Inc., Chicago, U.S.A.
Tags: ephemera postcards advance cards sales call cards will call cards advertising advertisements ads photographs photos portraits trick photography trick photos mirror photography mirror photos multiphotography multigraph photo-multigraphs mirrors tables Atkinson B. P. Atkinson Bert Palmer Atkinson five men clothes clothing suits ties neckties NH New Hampshire 1932 1930s antique old vintage photographic amusements Curt Teich Curt Teich & Co. Curt Teich & Company postcard publishers 2A113
© All Rights Reserved
On this real photo postcard, which combines two separate photographs, three funny fellows pose twice, first with their backs to the camera and then a second time as they face the camera. The three are sitting on a board or plank that extends between two chairs. In the first photo, all of them have bowler hats on their heads, and the guy in the middle has what looks like a picture frame hanging over his shoulder and down over his back. A stool and a wooden box with a handle are visible on the floor in front of them. The wall behind the men is partially covered by a painted backdrop, so presumably they're having their picture taken in a photo studio, though no studio name appears on the front or back of the card.
In the second photo, the guys seem even goofier as they face forward with funny expressions. The man on the left has a mischievous look on his face, and he's holding a small kettle with the handle of a spoon or some other utensil sticking out of the top. The guy in the middle has opened his mouth as if he's laughing or yelling. The bowler on his head is jauntily tilted to the side, and his right hand is blurred -- was he pumping his fist or gesturing toward the basket that he's holding in his lap? And what's in the basket? The third man is grinning, probably because instead of a hat he's wearing something on his head that looks like a lampshade with ruffles. He has his arms wrapped around himself as if he's cold, and he's holding a pitcher under one arm.
The undivided back (for an address only) on the other side of this real photo postcard indicates that it dates before 1907 (when both an address and a message were allowed on the verso), and the Cyko stamp box design (in use as early as 1904) printed on the back also fits this time frame.
A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of Rückenfigur or "back to camera" - any photo in which one or more of the subjects have their backs fully or partially facing the camera.
Tags: ephemera postcards real photo postcards rppc photos photographs found photos portraits studio photos backdrops studio props men clothes clothing coats ties neckties eyeglasses glasses hats bowlers bowler hats kettles baskets pitchers lampshades picture frames chairs stools before and after front and back back to the camera back to camera backs fronts humor humorous funny amusing goofy strange unusual quirky 1900s antique old vintage vptp
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Three funny fellows pose with their backs to the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows facing the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard, which incudes both pictures.
Tags: ephemera postcards real photo postcards rppc photos photographs found photos portraits studio photos backdrops studio props men clothes clothing coats ties neckties eyeglasses glasses hats bowlers bowler hats kettles baskets pitchers lampshades picture frames chairs stools before and after front and back back to the camera back to camera backs fronts humor humorous funny amusing goofy strange unusual quirky 1900s antique old vintage vptp
© All Rights Reserved
Three funny fellows pose facing the camera in this photograph. See also another photo with the same fellows with their backs to the camera. For more information, see the original real photo postcard, which incudes both pictures.
Tags: ephemera postcards real photo postcards rppc photos photographs found photos portraits studio photos backdrops studio props men clothes clothing coats ties neckties eyeglasses glasses hats bowlers bowler hats kettles baskets pitchers lampshades picture frames chairs stools before and after front and back back to the camera back to camera backs fronts humor humorous funny amusing goofy strange unusual quirky 1900s antique old vintage vptp
© All Rights Reserved