From the Donald C. Minor Post Card Collection, 1908

The eyes had me at first glance.

Just look at those eyes.  Both sets of soul’s windows invite joy and love into your day!

The sender of this card, Helen Ruse, declared that this photograph was of Teddy and herself, though the only Helen Ruse I can find in 1908 Greene County, Pennsylvania is a full grown woman, a neighbor who may have helped on the Minor farm.  At any rate the farm dog pictured must have strongly resembled a shaggy pal that my grandfather, Donald Minor, would have known and loved.

The message of Helen’s greeting is as playful as the photo front:

Dr. Faustus was a good man.

He whipped his scholars now and then.

When he whipped them, he made them dance.

Out of Scotland into France,

Out of France into Spain,

And then he whipped them back again . 

This is my speech.  We are all well.

Helen Ruse

Makes me chuckle.

I just dated myself to the era of “Spare the rod, spoil the child!”, when birthdays were occasions for playful spankings, school teachers carried rulers for the occasional knuckle rap and poems about whippin’ were meant to be funny yet instructive.  Ah, well.  There’s my bias.  What is your take on this card?

—————————————————————————————–

The Prudential Post Card and Novelty Company printed this postcard in Leipzig,Germany.  The company is listed in the 1908  Trow CoPartnership and Corporation Directory of the Boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.  Messrs. Lewis Levy, Isidor E. Schlecsinger and Richard Rudlinger had their New York City offices at 82 Dunne Street, Room 32.