Sepia Saturday 174 - vintage postcards of steam ships

I really had no idea where to start to sty on theme for this week's Sepia Saturday, so I am not theming this week. Instead I am sharing some recently acquired, vintage postcards of steam ships, some sepia, some not. I have posted about steam ships before, most recently the R.M.S.Queen Mary, and before that the S.S.Worthing, so whilst not exactly an obsession, it seems I do have more than just a passing interest.

A long cruise on a steam ship does have a certain appeal, and I know several folks who make this their annual holiday, but I have recently been put off the idea by the simply dreadful adverts for cruises that are shown as the sponsors of the Endeavour TV series. However, if we can put that aside for a few moments, our voyage starts with three steam ships from the Union Castle line:

Vintage postcard of the Union Castle Line RMMV, "Capetown Castle"

Vintage postcard of the Union Castle Line, SS "Rhodesia Castle"

Vintage postcard of the Union Castle Line RMMV, "Stirling Castle"

Next up we have the Cunard ship, the RMS Queen Mary, followed by the RMS Victorian. Sepia or black and white works well for a lot of vintage postcard subject matter, but I can't help thinking the colour postcards below win the judges best postcard in category prize here today.

Vintage postcard of the Cunard RMS Queen Mary

Vintage postcard of the RMS Victorian, by the artrist Fred Pansing

    
As usual 100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site, and explorer who prefer to stay on dry land may be interested in my Urban Wanders over on my In Search of Space blog.

Theme Thursday - Storm

I posted a blog entry of Stormy Seas several months ago, but so as not to repeat myself I have selected a different one to share for this week's Theme Thursday Storm. This is a vintage postcard of the cliffs at Margate, Kent, by the artist G.E.Newton. Postcard was published by Raphael Tuck and dates back to 1904.

Cliffs at Margate by the artist G.E.Newton

    

Fisher Studies, Shrimpers, vintage postcard, c.1911

It's been a few weeks now since I posted on Postcard Friendship Friday. I certainly can't stay 'on theme' as I have no Thanksgiving postcards. In the UK it's not something we celebrate, but I was fortunate enough to be in New York for my 40th birthday back in 2005, where we celebrated with a traditional Thanksgiving meal in the The Tavern on the Green, just off Central Park.

My vintage postcard today is one I picked up a few months ago which until today had nestled at the bottom of a rather large pile on unprocessed postcards. It's published by Raphael Tuck in the Fisher Studies series, and features Shrimpers.

Vintage postcard of Shrimpers, published by Raphael Tuck, c.1911

As usual, 100's more vintage postcards can be seen on my web site, including some recent additions

    

Sunday Stamps 34 - Fishing

Here's my contribution to this week's Sunday Stamps. This is a First Day Cover from September 1981, commemorating the British fishing industry. The insert of the envelope refers to the abundance of cod, which is now sadly depleted in our waters. I did see a very good documentary featuring a number of chefs, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, etc., talking about eating sustainable fish, as opposed to those in danger. There's a whole wealth of information on The Big Fish Fight web site.

First Day Cover, Fishing, c.1981

    

Vintage postcard of Barra Head, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

When I first came across this postcard, I assumed it was just anouth 'rough seas' postcard of somewhere like Brighton, Blackpool or Hastings, of which I have several. It wasn't until today when I started to enter my latest batch into my database that I realised that this one was a bit different, and of somewhere that I'd never heard of before. A quick internet search surprised me even more, in that this postcard was of somewhere in the Outer Hebrides, an island chain off the west coast of Scotland.

The written greeting is also quite unusual and it reads, 'Dear Old Woman, What a pity that when you swept the sky you did not sweep the rain down, when are you going again?. I have absolutely no idea what that means.

Vintage postcard of Barra Head, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, by the artist G.E.Newton, published by Raphael Tuck in the 'Scottish Rough Seas' series, number 257

As usual, 100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 79: Stormy Seas

To keep on theme this week with Alan's Sepia Saturday posting, I am sharing a couple of vintage postcards of rough seas, although I hope Alan's Atlantic crossing is much smoother than that. The pictures are almost identical, but not quite - perhaps I should start a "spot the difference" competition. Some of the differences are obvious, for example the seagulls towards the top right-hand corner. I am however assuming they are the same picture, but with a degree of Victorian 'airbrushing' applied. There's probably a technical term for this which I'm sure someone out there will know.

On the beach, Blackpool, published by Raphael Tuck, by the artist G.E.Newton, c.1903

On the beach, Blackpool, published by Raphael Tuck

    

Lots more Raphael Tuck vintage postcards on my web site

Vintage postcard of a rough sea, by artist Elmer Keene

I know I've blogged about vintage postcards of stormy seas in the past, but this one just-in tops all the others I have. The postcard was published by S.Hildesheimer and the artist is Elmer Keene. Unusually the postcard doesn't say where it is, but it looks like there may be some abbey ruin on the cliff in the background - does anyone have any ideas? It reminds me a little of Whitby on the east coast of the UK where Dracula landed. The postcard was posted in 1906.

As usual, 100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Today's vintage postcard blog update contains some of my favourite vintage postcards from the UK's seaside resorts. This decision was partly inspired by all the lovely comments I received on previous, similar blog updates, and also as an attempt to change the British weather where after a gorgeous April, May has brought us some fairly cold and uninspiring weather.

Southwold Beach, Suffolk, published by Raphael Tuck

Worthing Sea Front and Pier Looking West, Sussex, published by Wardell

Pier and Grand Hotel, Llandudno, Wales, published by Valentine

The Sands, Pier and Promenade, Blackpool, Lancashire, published by B.B.

Esplanade and Beach, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, published by Valentine

As usual these and hundreds of other vintage postcards can be found on my vintage postcards web site

Sea and Sky - Vintage Postcards by Raphael Tuck

My vintage postcards blog entry today is centred around two artist drawn, oilette postcards by Raphael Tuck. The first is in the "Sea and Sky" series II, number 3318, by the artist R.Montague. This is a really beautiful card with a textured finish. Mine is creased unfortunately, but in a strange way it seems to add to the beauty of the card. The postcard is not postally used but I would guess it dates somewhere between 1903 and 1910. What I like best about this card is the vivid colors, particular the reflection of the ship's sail in the water.

The second postcard is of Conway From the River, by the artist Hadfield H Cubley. It's not in the "Sea and Sky" series but would fit well. This postcard is used and dates back to 1905. The greeting on the card reads "Dear C, Am coming by the 3:45 from Sidey. Hope you will be in Tonbridge and then we can go home tigether. Hoping you are all well, with fond love to all, from Annie" . This postcard has a much more sombre feel to it. It's beautifully detailed but the colours are much less vivid that the Montague card. The people in the foreground of the postcard, helping to drag the boat out on to the estuary, almost seem to be out of proportion to the rest of the detail on the card. Maybe they're meant to be children?

If you're interested in seeing more, why not take a look at my web site for more Raphael Tuck vintage postcards.

Harvest of the Sea, vintage postcard, c.1907

Just a single vintage postcard this evening, but definitely one of my favourites. It's called "Harvest of the Sea" and features fishermen returning with their catch. The postcard is artist drawn/artist signed and by an artist that I'd previously not encountered, A.Besnou. The colours on this card are particularly stunning, from the shimmering turquoise of the sea, to the pale reds and greys of the clouds. This postcard was posted from Buxton on December 24th 1907 and contains a hand-written Christmas greeting on the back of the card along with a red, embossed "Compliments of the Season" greeting on the face.

Vintage Postcards - Stormy Seas

Evidence of an Englishman's fascination about the weather can clearly be seen in this vintage postcard subcategory ... that of rough, or stormy seas. Of course it's more than that really as when the economy and livelihood of coastal communities relied on the fishing industry, not being able to go out and catch fish was a major event, and not unsurprisingly I guess has been captured on postcards.

This one of the Cliifs at Rottingdean, c,1904, is a particularly nice example. It was published by Raphael Tuck in the Rough Sea series, number 1100, and drawn by the artist G.E.Netwon. I've found a few other Raphael Tuck postcards with similar scenes, from places like Llandudno in North Wales right down to Hastings on the South Coast.

Additionally I've uncovered a few stormy sea vintage postcards published by C.W.Faulkner. This one, dating back to c.1904, is simply called "The Haunt of the Gulls" by the artist Elmer Keene.

What's interesting about both these postcards is that the message written in the space on the front of the card is minimal, letting the picture on the card itself to do the talking and convey the real message.

The postcard artist Ewart Baker also seems to have been active in this area, but I'll save his postcards, and those in a similar style, for another day.