ELLEN H. CLAPSADDLE does it again! Little wonder that the International Art Publishing Company defied the customs of the day by employing a female artist. With deft use of symbol, color and word Miss Clapsaddle pays tribute to Irish Nationalism in this 1909 St. Patrick’s Day postcard. On her unfurled standard of green, Ellen Clapsaddle added a gaelic harp. The shamrock studded phrase, Let Erin Remember, is a line from a classic Irish poem by Thomas Moore:
Let Erin Remember The Days Of Old
Let Erin remember the days of old Ere her faithless sons betray’d her; When Malachi wore the collar of gold, Which he won from her proud invader; When her kings, with standard of green unfurl’d, Led the Red Brand Knights to danger; Ere the emerald gem of the western world, Was set in the crown of a stranger.
LOVE the postcard! My ancestors always said they were from the “Free Irish State” not just Ireland. I truly enjoy reading your blog and am pleased to award you the One Lovely Blog Award. Visit my blog at http:hangingfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com to pick up your award and find the rules. Congratulations!
Why, thank you! I am glad you like the card, and the blog! These postcards are from my grandfather’s collection of 1907-1910. I find it fascinating that St. Patrick’s Day was a big enough holiday to have justified the production and sending of such beautiful cards. And the family was not Irish! 😉
~~Kay