These stereographic cards are in poor shape even after some touch-up, but they're intriguing--and almost macabre--for their depiction of the perils of fireworks.
Captions: "The Glorious 4th of July. No. 1." "The Fifth of July. No. 2."
Printed on the front: "American and Foreign Views. Sold only by canvassers. New Educational Series. Stereoscopic views."
Tags: ephemera stereoscopic cards stereographs stereoviews stereocards stereophotography stereoscopic views photographs photos found photos Independence Day Fourth of July 4th of July July 4 July 4th 4th Fourth Fifth of July 5th of July July 5 July 5th 5th Fifth holidays patriotic glorious fireworks firecrackers children boys injuries danger dangerous before and after before after canvassers door-to-door salesmen salespersons antique old vintage add topho
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Caption: "By durn, Samenthy, this beats the old pump all holler. Push jest a leetle harder and she'll be here."
Sign on wall: "Hotel Astorf-Waldoria. Ring once for bell boy, twice [for] ice water, three [times for] hot water." Name on trunk: "Silas Green, Wayback, O."
Printed along the sides: "The 'Perfec' Stereograph. (Trade mark.) Patented April 14, 1903. Other patents pending. H. C. White Co., Publishers. General offices and works, North Bennington, Vt., U.S.A. Copyright 1903 by H. C. White Co. 5587 (2)."
This comic stereoscopic card (see the full card below) shows two country bumpkins who are visting the city and staying at the highfalutin Hotel Astorf-Waldoria (a thinly veiled reference, of course, to the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City).
Unfamiliar with big-city ways and new-fangled technology, Samantha (or "Samenthy," as her husband Silas pronounces it) is pushing the call button (normally used to summon hotel staff) while Silas holds a water pitcher below the mouthpiece of the wall-mounted telephone. In their naivety, Samantha and Silas have misunderstood the sign ("Ring twice for ice water") and have mistaken the phone for a pump that will provide water once the button is pushed.
In 1903, at a time when indoor plumbing and telephones were less common in rural areas, viewers of this stereographic photo could laugh at the silly antics of this foolish backwoods couple from Wayback, Ohio.
Looking at the image a hundred years later, we can catch a glimpse of the different styles of clothing, wallpaper, carpet, and furniture that were popular back then, and we can also consider how the modern technology that we take for granted today--faucets with running water and mobile phones--has made the humor here obsolete.
A hold it photo (people holding something) originally posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park group on Ipernity: Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903.
Tags: ephemera stereoscopic cards cards stereographs stereoviews stereocards stereophotography stereoscopic views photographs photos found photos Green Silas Green Silas Samantha Samenthy Samenthy Green men women husbands wives stereotypes country bumpkins bumpkins humor humorous funny comic technology modernity signs call buttons buttons telephones phones pumps water pumps pitchers water pitchers water plumbing trunks mirrors windows Astorf-Waldoria Waldorf-Astoria hotels rooms Wayback OH Ohio New York City NY New York 1903 1900s antique old vintage Perfec Stereograph Perfec White H. C. White H. C. White Co. companies manufacturers publishers North Bennington VT Vermont vptp wallpapers interiors wallpaper
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A comic stereoscopic card originally posted on Ipernity: Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903 (Stereographic Card)
For additional information, see Silas and Samantha at the Astorf-Waldoria, 1903.
Tags: ephemera stereoscopic cards cards stereographs stereoviews stereocards stereophotography stereoscopic views photographs photos found photos Green Silas Green Silas Samantha Samenthy Samenthy Green men women husbands wives stereotypes country bumpkins bumpkins humor humorous funny comic technology modernity signs call buttons buttons telephones phones pumps water pumps pitchers water pitchers water plumbing trunks mirrors windows Astorf-Waldoria Waldorf-Astoria hotels rooms Wayback OH Ohio New York City NY New York 1903 1900s antique old vintage Perfec Stereograph Perfec White H. C. White H. C. White Co. companies manufacturers publishers North Bennington VT Vermont vptp wallpapers interiors wallpaper
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Although my copy of this stereoscopic card doesn't include any publication information, other versions on Flickr are titled "The Haunted Lovers" and were published by Littleton View Company in 1893 (see Photo_History's The Haunted Lovers Stereo Card and depthandtime's The Haunted Lovers).
For the full stereoview card, see The Haunted Lovers (Stereoscopic Card) (below).
A trick or treat photo originally posted to the Vintage Photos Theme Park on Ipernity: The Haunted Lovers.
Tags: ephemera stereoscopic cards stereographs stereoviews stereocards stereophotography stereoscopic stereo cards views photographs photos found photos spirit photography spirit photos spirits ghosts Spiritualism Spiritualists Haunted Lovers haunted lovers men women couples ghostly strange spooky mysterious translucent clothes clothing interiors furniture plants humor humorous funny amusing comic tongue in cheek Victorian 19th century nineteenth century 1890s antique old vintage photographic amusements vptp eerie
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For information about this stereoscopic card, see The Haunted Lovers.
Originally posted on Ipernity: The Haunted Lovers (Stereoscopic Card).
Tags: ephemera stereoscopic cards stereographs stereoviews stereocards stereophotography stereoscopic stereo cards views photographs photos found photos spirit photography spirit photos spirits ghosts Spiritualism Spiritualists Haunted Lovers haunted lovers men women couples ghostly strange spooky mysterious translucent clothes clothing interiors furniture plants humor humorous funny amusing comic tongue in cheek Victorian 19th century nineteenth century 1890s antique old vintage photographic amusements vptp
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