A Surprise Inside

Leather and Stitched

2012-02-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

I never use actual bookmarks any more. I used to get them as gifts and think how cute they are and then I use them and they disappear. Some other soul has likely found them in a library book I returned, or a book I lent out, or a book I have given away. So now I keep my cute bookmarks and use a random piece of paper or something as a bookmark. Thank goodness other people have done that too or I wouldn't have much to post on this blog.

These are pretty big. The leather one is about 7 inches long. Not losing this bookmark, it leaves a big bulge in your book. The other one has been hand stitched and is fraying a bit.

Book and Card 1937

2012-01-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

I sometimes, rarely, find books in English while I am unpacking my new shipment. I found this one yesterday. It's Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott. I can't find a print date on the inside, but the inscription from Harry says 1937. There was this little card with the boy and girl on it, which I assume came with flowers or something, and this Christmas and Happy New Year card. It seems to be vellum which is pretty rare these days. As I flip through the book, there is also a little pressed leaf. I can only guess what kind of memories Harry and Karen made together to prompt this gift. My imagination goes to a love story, but Harry's "with best wishes" on the card kind of squashes that theory. Unless they were seeing each other on the sly. Oh, I like that. Why else keep all this stuff and the pressed leaf if it didn't mean something special?

Through the Park, Bitterman

2012-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Alright, this reminds me of Arthur, the movie. The 80's version with Dudley Moore. Bitterman was his chauffeur and there was a scene when Arthur tells him to drive through the park. I really loved Hobson, the butler/babysitter. And Dudley Moore was a wonderful drunk. I didn't hate the new Arthur with Russell Brand, he's fantastically strange. I can't take my eyes off of him. And Helen Mirren was a wonderful "Hobson"

This is a cut out that is embossed and very detailed. Not a clue where it came from. A child's game? From the 20's perhaps. Love these old cars. With or without the drunk guy in the back.

Note from 1930

2012-01-24T16:17:00.000-08:00

A cool little note from, I'm guessing, April 12, 1930. We, in the US, write the date differently. My first thought was December. Nice, embossed CW in the corner. It actually opens up to reveal blank pages. Like they wrote on the outside of a card. I'm assuming the CW goes with that signature at the end. I can make out a CW in it, although I have no idea what it says. I like finding notes. I send so many texts every day, I bet some of them would be worth keeping, but with a flick of the wrist they disappear forever. Unless someone gets a court order to see all of your texts. That could be scary. I think it's possible we all say things a little more animated knowing that it will be erased shortly. Be warned. Someone could read them someday.

H. C. Andersen's Emperor

2012-01-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have been busy unpacking my 6,000 0r so new books, and in one box was a pile of pictures all portraying a story of H.C. Andersen's. I have to assume they fell out of a book, but I found no such book in the box they were in. Curious. They are all lovely and will be posted at some point. I've always loved this story. It somehow appealed to me when I was younger that an adult, who should clearly know better, could be fooled into walking around in his skivvies. And, of course, anything to do with underwear is funny. I also thought the Emperor obviously had terrible friends. I would hope, if I were waltzing around in my unmentionables, my friends would be kind enough to see that I'm not in the right state of mind and throw me a bone. Or a shirt. And pants. Unless you look like a Calvin Klein underwear model, cover it up baby!

Darwin's Own Struggle for Existence

2012-01-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

This is a several page article about Darwin from 1958. The headline reads, "Darwin's own struggle for existence." Pretty intriguing title, too bad this article has been through the wringer. It's wrinkled and ripped right down the middle. I hope it's from being read so many times.

I scanned a few pictures, they were pretty fun and can be understood in any language. The next line under the title says, "100 anniversary of the doctrine of all beings originate and struggle, an envelope by Nature's table." I hate that Google translate isn't perfect. Maybe I need to learn Danish.

There's a picture of Charles in his younger years, and one with the Mrs. when he is quite a bit older. This is the picture of Darwin I always picture. Old bald guy with a long, white beard. My favorite picture is of what they are calling his workroom. Love, love, love all the books. Bookcases full and spread out in a mess on his desk. Comfy looking leather chairs and a fireplace, reading heaven!

Stamps!

2012-01-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

Stamps are one of my favorite things to find. These aren't very old, but they are beautiful. It says on the top, "Evangelists' symbols are inspired by Johannes' Abenbaring."
"Third Sunday of Advent: Gospel preached to the poor and blessed it, somebody is not offended at me." That's got to be a bad translation, but I get the idea. A nice small, but full sheet of stamps, placed in a book and long forgotten. I hope. I hate to think someone in Denmark is frantically searching through all of their books for the stamps they purchased!

Danish Postal Museum

2012-01-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

A souvenir from the Postal Museum from 1928. I wonder if they got it "postmarked" there because there's no address or anything on it? I don't automatically look at the year 1928 and think it was that long ago until I start thinking about all that has happened since then. Putting all the history between 1928 until now really ages this postcard for me. I always wonder about the stamps on all the things I find, maybe one of them is actually worth something? Money, I mean. They are already worth something to me.

Sunday Greetings

2012-01-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

It's the Easter service Sunday, March 20, 1921. Pastor H. P. Mollerup is conducting the service on this date and he was quite an interesting fellow. His full name was Hans Peter Martin Mollerup, born in 1866 and passed away in August of 1929. He co-founded the Blue Cross in 1895, and along with Kirsten Prip, founded the Church Army in 1912. A kind of home for homeless, drug addicts, etc.

Mollerup graduated from Odense Latin School in 1885 and became master of theology from the University of Copenhagen in 1892. He served as a chaplain in England for four years. It was here he became acquainted with the English version of the Church Army. Back in Denmark he became the pastor at Freeport Church in Copenhagen, where this pamphlet is from. He spent his life helping the homeless, helping to fight poverty, and those with alcoholism.

The church I go to also hands out a program every Sunday. Ours is missing the advertising portion, however. You are seeing the first and last page of the pamphlet. First we have our spiritual thought, followed by the folks who made printing this spiritual thought possible.

Hotel Marienlyst

2011-12-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

Oceans views and a casino! Woo hoo! You can watch the waves as you lose your shirt. It actually looks lovely. Has anyone been here? It has an indoor pool. Love indoor pools, the humidity, the warmth. Just like good 'ol San Diego. Our recipient is Inga. I'm sorry, but that is a classic European name, gotta say it. The only Inga I have ever met was a masseuse. She gave me a deep muscle massage while carrying on a conversation with a very European Inga-ish accent. Also classic. I noticed that our sender writes in all capital letters. I wonder if it's a penmanship thing? No one can read your cursive, therefore, you print? But why all capitals? They say that people who write in all capital letters are trying to hide who they truly are. And, most handwritten ransom notes are written in all capitals. Just throwing that out there. You're totally going to start watching people who write in all capitals now, aren't you? My only complaint about this card is that it's a tad boring. Shouldn't postcards show you a view? The wonderful, wish you were here, but not really, beautiful view?

Itty Bitty Santa Stamp

2011-11-30T16:37:00.000-08:00

This is a little unique, because it's a USA stamp, and a recent one at that. I am having a momentary lapse into the holiday spirit, so I thought I should jump on it and post this little guy. Oh, shoot! That reminds me, Christmas cards! Well, there goes another year they aren't getting sent. Remember when you were younger and people would always tell you that time goes by so much faster when you get older? They weren't kidding. It feels like just yesterday I was forgetting to mail out last years Christmas cards.

Chocolate!

2011-11-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

I have no idea why someone would keep this. It's cardboard, and I would think someone cut it out of a box, but the lines are absolutely perfect. No one can cut that straight, can they? Chocolate. I love chocolate. And these look so interesting. Don't you love going to new places, different countries, and finding all sorts of new ways to eat chocolate?! Or any food for that matter. What I hate is coming home. You find all these amazing candies or foods on your vacation and become a complete addict, yes it can happen that quickly, only to come home and find that your new addiction is nowhere to be found. Oh, the frustration. I was in London this summer, loved London by the way, and I found fresh shelled peas. I ate myself sick. More than once. They actually said they were from Africa, so why aren't they being shipped to the US? We live in a world of amazing shipping capabilities! This shouldn't be an issue. Really. When I become fabulously wealthy, I will travel the world, find the best of the best, and make sure they are available for the masses. Sure, why not.

Walking in the Garden

2011-11-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

You can tell this picture was not posed. Love that. No date, which is a stinker. Could be anywhere from late 30's to mid 50's? This is just so classic, everyone is dressed exactly as you would picture them in, say around 1940, right down to grandma's pearls. The child is the center of attention, obviously, as children should be. Cute kid, too. Look at all of that dark, curly hair. Mom is pure Hollywood. Alright, I'm sure it's the sunglasses, but still, she's got a great outfit going on. The dress could age her, but she's thrown that black scarf in her hair, and boom, she just got ten years younger. Ok, it's the shades, too. Nobody looks old when they are wearing cool shades. Great picture. Has the number 49 written on the back. The year? Things like that always make me curious.

A Letter

2011-11-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

This letter fell out of a book with no envelope or anything else with it. It's beautifully written, and I can't make sense of it as usual. It did remind me of something. Look at that margin on the left side of the letter. That is leaving some serious space. I can remember being in elementary school and learning about leaving that left side margin. Yes, it's a stretch, and sometimes painful, but I do remember moments from that long ago. I say moments because that's the truth. I have a terrible memory. That being said, I do have a the faintest memory of putting my ruler up on my paper on the left side and lining it up just right to make the perfect line for my left sided margin. Concentrating hard, using a pencil, and actually drawing a very faint line so I didn't go beyond the ever sacred margin. At least I think I remember doing that. Or maybe I saw it in a movie. Dumb memory.

Christmas Present Tag

2011-11-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

I debated whether or not I should even put this on here. It appears to be a very small present tag. It's only about 2 inches tall, and an inch wide. I just thought it was so cute, and with the holidays just around the corner, I decided why not. Although, I will say, I was in a store today and they were playing Christmas music. And for reasons unknown even to myself, I absolutely hated it! I found myself pulling a face at the Christmas decorations, and at the Christmas candy the store had out. Maybe I am becoming a Grinch! Everyone keeps asking me what I'm getting my kids for Christmas, and asking how my shopping is going, etc. Truth is, haven't even started. Not even thinking about it yet. I'm sure some of you are in shock! I should have something done by now, right? I'd like to put an orange in each of their stockings, have a nice turkey dinner, and call it good. Oh my, I am the Grinch!

T. S. Eliot Turns 70

2011-11-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

It's September 26, 1958 and T. S. Eliot is turning 70 years old. This article is actually pretty long, but I didn't feel like I had enough room to put the whole thing on here. I did include a couple of the cartoons, they were too great not to. The picture of Mr. Eliot looking all dapper with his hat and cane says, "there was always something timeless about him" under it. You can't look at that picture and think otherwise. The cartoon where he is standing next to the desk says, "he progresses on a rising track," and the last cartoon says, "the leading word of his criticism is precision and tradition." I could ramble on about T. S. Eliot's life, but I choose instead to share a few of my favorite quotes from him. Enjoy.

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.
You are the music while the music lasts.

Biriatou, France

2011-11-15T15:12:00.001-08:00

I am finding surprisingly little about this town in France. It is near the border of Spain and..... See what I mean. I can find a few hotels and inn's available, but no real information, which I just don't understand. I looked up some images and didn't come up with a whole lot. BUT, what I did come up with looked amazing! This little town is right near the water and is as picturesque as any place I have seen. Anyone been there? I need more input!
Our postcard is from 1959 and is in French! I'm so used to seeing Danish this totally threw me. French, a beautiful language I will never know, or attempt to butcher. I have been to France a couple of times, but I have learned that I don't have what it takes to learn the language. I am more than content to eat their pastries while I make like the penguins on the movie 'Madagascar' and just smile and wave.

Before All Hands on Deck

2011-11-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Oops, I think this picture should have gone with my All Hands on Deck post from August 29th. I think this looks like the family that was on that ship. Probably getting a last picture with everyone before they set sail for their new home. It would be even better if this were a "hey, we made it" picture and this was in front of their new home. Well, either way, there you have it. Gosh, they look cold. Probably because I am cold sitting here. Yes, it gets cold in San Diego. Not all sunshine and boogie boards. Collective sigh. Sad, I know. But still, it's no Alaska. So I'll put on a jacket, gaze at my palm trees and be happy. Yup, I'm rubbing it in.

Karen Blixen Dining Out

2011-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Danish love Karen Blixen, or did. This is like page 6, Danish style. Here is a picture of a bunch of famous people eating at a fancy restaurant in who knows what year. She is seated on the far left. She died in 1962, and she's not looking crazy young here, so make your guesses. This is back in the day before plastic surgery was common place, so she probably looks beautiful for her age. I used to work for a plastic surgeon in my RN days. We did a LOT of wrinkle removal. Sunblock became my friend after that job. I'm not against plastic surgery at all, but there are limits. I think it's addicting, like getting a tattoo, hard to have just one. Also did a lot of hair plugs. Men of the world, hear this. Bald is beautiful. Seriously. Yul Brynner, hot! So there's my lesson of the day. Use sunblock and embrace the bald!

Japan in Spring

2011-11-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is a whole fold out pamphlet about Japan. There's no year on it, but I am guessing somewhere in the 50's or 60's. The inside is a very bright pink color, it just doesn't feel recent. Hard to say since in every picture in the brochure the people are dressed up in traditional clothing. Or, as in the picture of the "wrestlers in a "sumo" match," not wearing much at all. It still does it's job, I want to go to Japan. My only problem with it is where they say that it's about 55 degrees in April and that is "ideal for travel, sports, and for the enjoyment of city gaieties and the stage arts." I beg to differ. That is COLD. I may miss the Cherry Blossoms and go when it's warmer.

Newlywed Pictures

2011-10-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Aw, the wedding pictures. Embarking on a new life with your spouse. What could be more exciting? Little do they know what awaits them. A mortgage, crying babies, playing chauffeur, laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills. What? I don't make it sound like fun? Marriage is great, but Disney has made it look like there are never any challenges or things that make you want to pull your hair out. They never go on to say how Cinderella never sees her mice friends, she's too busy changing diapers and doing what she does best, cleaning! I shouldn't pick in Disney, I'm actually a huge Disney fan. Other movies and books are guilty of this too. Of course, these are the movies and books I want to read. Who wants to read about the hum drum of actual every day life? No thanks, I'm living it. Bring on the prince and the ride off into the sunset. And, if Cinderella plays her cards right she can get groceries delivered and hire a house cleaner! Now that would be a happily ever after.

Johannes Jorgensen

2011-10-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

I wish this had a date on it. It is speaking of Mr. Jorgensen in the present tense so it must be before 1956, when he passed away. There's not a huge amount of information about this author. He was Danish and was born into a Lutheran faith family. He seemed to struggle with religion for some time before becoming a Catholic and writing biographies of Catholic Saints.
I think everyone struggles with or questions religion at some point in their lives. I should think many of us, throughout our entire life. Mr. Jorgensen seemed to come to peace with what he had learned and thought about. Hopefully, the rest of us will as well, if we haven't already.

Barcelona!

2011-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

A newer postcard from Barcelona. I feel a little weird posting the newer stuff. I wouldn't want to have the actual people who sent this to feel violated. But, on the other hand, postcards can be read by every person it comes into contact with, postman for one, unlike a letter, hidden by an envelope. Still feeling weird, but posting anyway. I am such a rebel.
I have not been to Spain but it is on the list. The ever growing, gotta do before I die, list. The postcard has a picture of Casa Batllo. The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones). It's architecture is really cool. You really need to google it if you haven't seen it in person. It's decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles that starts out in orange colors and moves into greenish blues. The roof is arched and has been likened to the back of a dragon or a dinosaur. At the top there is a turret and a cross which some say represents the lance of Saint George, which has been plunged into the back of the dragon. All houses and buildings should have cool stories to go with them.

Andre Maurois and Edward VII

2011-10-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

This clipping, dated December 17, 1934, is discussing a biography of Edward VII written by Andre Maurois. Edward was interesting enough. He was the son of Queen Victoria and Albert, the same couple the movie The Young Victoria is about. Edward does all the usual prince things and eventually becomes King in 1901. He apparently smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day. Why did they keep track of this stuff? Marci drank 4 Diet Cokes a day and regularly ate Swedish Fish, only the red ones, and M&M's. There must be a daily dose of chocolate. There, now my own terrible habits are printed for my own posterity. They leave this kind of thing out of the history books so I think it's kind of fun to learn. Edward developed bronchitis toward the end of his life and was supposed to have commented about his horse winning a race for his last words.
Andre Maurois, his given name was Emile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog, was the author of Edwards biography that this article is speaking of. His pen name sounds a bit more exotic. He served as an interpreter in WWI for the French. During WWII he worked as The French Official Observer, whatever that is, and later wrote a book about these experiences. He died in 1967 and in buried in Paris. He had a few interesting quotes and this one was my favorite. "In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others."

Postcard from Obernburg, Germany

2011-10-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

As far as I can tell this postcard is from 1989. Which is a little scary to me because when I first looked at it, I thought it would be from the 60's or 70's. It makes me feel old when things from 1989 look dated. The hotel gets great reviews on Tripadvisor. Does everyone check that site before booking a hotel? You should. I have booked hotels all over the US and in Europe based on pictures and reviews on Tripadvisor. Great site. I have to say, I have a soft spot for Germany. I have only been to Munich and then to see Neuschwanstein Castle near Fussen, but I am anxious to see more. Munich was a mix of old meets modern. Loved the Rathaus-Glockenspiel and hitting theHofbrauhaus. I was there in May, so I didn't get the full experience of Oktoberfest, but the atmosphere was fun all the same. And Fussen, fell completely in love with this small town. Beautiful! Germany is definitely on my list of places to revisit. I still need to cruise the Rhine and see northern Germany. It might be time to start checking Tripadvisor again.

John Traugott and Laurence Sterne

2011-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is an article that was published July 29, 1955. It appears to be a rather scathing review of a book written by John Traugott. Mr. Traugott was professor of English at UC Berkeley in California. I can't see who wrote the article, but they were pretty brutal. He says that most of the remarks by Mr. Traugott were "blurred and obscured by his besetting sin, bad writing." Yikes. Saying that to anyone is pretty bad, but to a professor of English! The author of this article had serious balls. What a terrible phrase, but it's the one that I keep thinking of, so there you go. I am not a writer, obviously, but I would love someone to find some mistakes in this article! I had to look up Laurence Sterne. For someone who has had multiple people dissecting his work, he was completely foreign to me. I googled, I Wikipedia'd, and still no sign of recognition. More proof I am in dire need of a better education.

The Backyard

2011-10-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

These two pictures were found together in a book. The little boy, looking at the bird, is also seen sitting at the table on the far right. I have stared at that bird many times trying to figure out if it's real, and they managed an amazing shot, or more likely, it's a statue or a stuffed bird. I lean towards a stuffed bird, except the boy is looking rather awed by it which means he has never seen it before or it's actually a live bird. There's your topic. Discuss.
It's summer! Flowers are growing and little boys get to wear shorts. Although, there's a rule. You must wear long socks and only show your knees. Women must have lived in their aprons, so many pictures of aprons. The little boy on the left is adorable. He looks like he needs more sleep though, those bags under his eyes are intense. I am going to guess the 30's or 40's. Great pictures!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 1979

2011-10-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

A Christmas card! This looks like one of those cards you add your own picture to. I mean, this deer was probably in their backyard. I honestly had no idea that you could do this back in 1979, take one of your own pictures and turn it into a card. Maybe that is sad and pathetic to admit. I guess I just think of the 70's like they were a million years ago. And I was alive and kicking somewhere in the 70's! But I will never reveal how much of the 70's I was around for. Suffice it to say, I have pictures of my small self with some cool looking bell bottoms and a crocheted, multi-colored vest on, thanks mom! Ah, the 70's. They gave us killer music and clothes you wouldn't want to be caught dead in.

A Bank Note, 1949

2011-10-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I believe this is a bank note that someone received after depositing 2,000 kroner. The date is August 12, 1949. I have never been good at seeing a kroner, euro or any other foreign money and instantly do the exchange rate and know how much I'm actually spending on something. It's probably not going to kill me, and as long as I'm getting what I want, I'm sure it's worth it, right? $20 for gelato stracciatella in a cone? Completely worth it! But, I do have a better idea of what a kroner is. And not only because I do business with clients in Denmark, but because I have read 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' along with half the world. Great series. Fascinating, fast paced, and a little dark and twisted. You have been warned.

More Bookmarks!

2011-10-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

These bookmarks are so much fun. I don't know about other people so much, but I often find the first thing sitting around to save my place in a book, random pieces of paper, a pen or pencil. I've even used a candy wrapper! Candy wrappers always seem to be handy. That's probably not a good thing. Anyway, I don't know how well you can see the first bookmark, it has the impression of a deer on it and says Calgary Canada. I am hoping it was gift to someone and mailed to someone in Denmark. If you live in Denmark, where the average high in the summer is a balmy 64 degrees, why in the world would you choose to vacation in Calgary? Not to dis Calgary, I have been there and it's beautiful, but if I lived somewhere cold, I'm thinking the beaches of Spain would be perfect! The next bookmark is also made of leather and says Danmark on it. Our last bookmark is handmade. That just gets me every time. I haven't the talent, nor the desire, to sit down and do crafty things. I'm glad someone else did though, very fun bookmark.

Tennyson

2011-10-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

An article in English! Let me explain something first. When I receive books for Book Decor, I can get 6,000 to 9,000 books at a time. They do not come divided by language or age. I go through each book by hand to divide them by language and by group as I have designated them at Book Decor; Jewel Tone, Designer Mix, French, German, etc. Out of 6,000 books, I will find about 7 books that are actually in English. I am completely rotten and keep all the English language books for myself. For some reason last night, I was standing in front of my book shelf and pulled out a 1911 Poems of Tennyson. Lo and behold, out falls this article about Tennyson! I swear I have looked through this book before and found nothing. Loved that it had a picture, very Jane Austen looking. The article tells about some proof sheets for the 1856 edition of Tennyson's 'Maud' that includes pen-and-ink revisions by Tennyson. And a poem in Tennyson's writing on the title page of the book. This poem has not been found in any of his other writings. The article goes on the explain why this is likely an original by Tennyson. I thought is was lovely, so here it is.

Pleasure in false love
Blights while it charms,
Sorrow in true love
Heals where it harms.
False love maketh
Sane men sad.
True love helpeth
Even the mad.

I'm usually one that needs poetry explained to me, but this one I get. Lovely.

1946 Bergen, Germany

2011-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

The year is 1946 and this is Bergen, Germany. It's beautiful, and it's nice to know people were traveling to Germany so close to the end of WWII. And, for once, the scene is not snowy. I do wish it were in color, I don't think black and white does this place justice. The name of the person who took this shot was a Enerett Eberh. B.. Oppi. After scouring the Internet for more information on the guy, all I came up with were more post cards with his name on them. Post card maker, picture taker, or artist, I will never know. Maybe it's not a person at all but a company name. Logging another mystery here on the blog. Looks like a nice place to visit though, in the summer.

The Couple

2011-10-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is a great picture. It reminds me so much of my maternal grandparents. My grandfather was a total cue ball on top just like this fellow. And my grandmother was always wearing an apron, cooking or not. Unless she was dressed up to go out, then she would put on her best jewelry, and ditch the apron. She had a whole drawer full of costume jewelry that all of us granddaughters played dress-up with. She was always in a dress. I honestly can only remember my grandmother wearing a pair of pants a half a dozen times. She used to make chocolate chip cookies and keep them in the freezer in an old bread bag for when we would come over. What a great memory. And my grandfather, if he wasn't dressed up for church, he was usually wearing a pair of striped overalls and a smile. He had these huge hands and always insisted on shaking your hand and asking "How do, how do?"

If we could give this lady glasses and put the guy in striped overalls, well, I'd miss my grandparents even more. Great picture, great couple.

Calixto Bieito - Verdi Opera

2011-09-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is the opening scene of a Verdi opera by Calixto Bieito. He is a Spanish theatre director known for his “radical” interpretations of classic operas. I saw this picture and thought the article would be funny. So dead wrong. This opera is full of murder and people rubbing the blood all over their bodies, and someone drowning in a bathtub. As bad as that is, another opera he did had worse in it. I can't even type it. It's a wonder he even got anyone to act in them. He makes one actor drink urine! I don't think I would want fame that badly. And anyone who does should clearly be examined. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Robert Kennedy Funeral at Arlington

2011-09-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968 and passed away on June 6th. This newspaper only says June on it, no date. The first photo says, "President Johnson condolences, with all signs of compassion, pressed President Johnson Edward Kennedy's hand. The man in the middle is one of Johnson's security guards."

The second photo says, "Kennedy's stretcher carried to the grave at Arlington National Cemetery. In front is Robert Kennedy's son, little Robert, on the right side is McNamara, and back to left is Martin Luther King's successor, the Reverend Ralph Abernathy."

The young Edward Kennedy looks very much like President John F. Kennedy from this angle. Same head shape and hair, that whole family looked very similar. John, Robert, Edward and even John F. Kennedy Jr. as I recall. Tragic. Not the hair. Well, a little the hair too.

Axel Bang

2011-09-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Axel Bang. Here is a man I have tried multiple times to find information about. This paper is from 1937 and it's telling us that Axel Bang, a barrister who was apparently quite famous, is about to turn 80 years old. I have found more than one Axel Bang out there, but they are alive and kicking. But this Axel Bang, nada, zip, less than zero. He has an awesome name though. Sounds like a rock star. And I discovered, after my many searches, that someone thought it would be a really cool porn name. Don't ask. It wasn't pretty. Anyway, I have more than one article that mentions him, so I am hopeful that someday I will learn more about him. The barrister, not the porn star.

Let's Bake a Little Today

2011-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

A one sheet recipe page from May, 1937. No, I didn't include the entire page. If you decide you want the recipes on here, email me. I will happily email it to you. I can get saving a recipe from the paper or a magazine, but I don't get putting it inside a book. Hey, let's make brownies. The recipe is in Pride and Prejudice over on the book shelf. Um, I don't think so. It was really torn out carefully. It's hard to imagine that someone used it as a bookmark. I think I've got it. A book was lent to a friend who happened to have these scrumptious recipes they wanted to share. They return the book with the yummy recipes inside and our book lender never took it out. Ok, very weak theory, but I suppose it could happen.

Preaching to the Choir

2011-09-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Now this is an interesting shot. It looks like a preacher, or whoever is in charge of this choir, was sneaky and took a snapshot. I'm guessing we're in the 40's or possibly the 50's. There are a few people not singing and a few looking a little bored. Check out the young guy in the white on the right hand side of the picture. His mouth is forming a perfect O. Wouldn't his singing coach be proud! Who interests me is the girl directly behind him and to the right. Can't miss her with her big, white "pilgrim" looking dress. I think she is shocked that someone is taking her photo. Or maybe she just doesn't like this song. I thought this was a cool picture, different perspective. It also has the number 23 mysteriously written on the back.

Star Wars Stormtrooper!

2011-09-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, favorite bookmark I have found so far! Love, love, love Star Wars. Who doesn't? Alright, there may be Star Trek fans out there that will debate, but seriously, Star Wars wins hands down. Although, I do give J. J. Abrams' Star Trek my respect. It's pretty awesome. But, it's still no Star Wars. I grew up on these movies and somehow I can still sit down and watch them, knowing full well what's about to happen, and still be totally into them. Of course, it was my little brother who got the Star Wars toys, completely sexist, but I remember playing with them. Luke's landspeeder, one of my favorites. And I totally want the Millennium Falcon toy that's out right now. It's 2.5 feet long, comes with Han Solo and Chewbacca action figures, a pivoting gunner station and the engine lights up! It also says phrases and makes all the cool Star Wars sounds! Yes, I know how old I am, and I don't care. I want it. Woo hoo!!

Swing Nonsense!

2011-09-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is a snapshot of some kids doing some "swing nonsense," as the paper calls it, at the El Dorado Glass Hall in Tivoli, Copenhagen. It also says that they dance to the newest and strangest form of noisy music. Obviously, someone who didn't care for swing or the music wrote this article. I cannot find a date anywhere on this paper, but our guy here looks like he could give Elvis some serious competition in the hair and hip swinging department! Isn't she cute! Totally in the moment, having a great time, can't wait to tell her friends she is going to be in the paper. Swing dancing is still the thing to do in Copenhagen, apparently. There's a Facebook page you join about it and everything. This is a great picture. I can just see the older crowd tsk, tsking at it as they read the morning paper. These young kids are just awful. Love it!

Arne Garborg, Norwegian writer

2011-09-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

This article is celebrating 100 years since Arne Garborg's birth, and is dated January 25, 1951. I had to look this fellow up. He died in 1924, and lived half way around the world, so I don't feel too bad about that fact, but it does make me realize how uneducated I truly am. Arne started as a newspaper man and editor and went on to publish essays and novels. I found one especially cool quote from him that I thought bore repeating.

"It is said that for money you can have everything, but you cannot. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; knowledge, but not wisdom; glitter, but not beauty; fun, but not joy; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; leisure, but not peace. You can have the husk of everything, but not the kernel."

Very well said, Arne.

To The Danish People, April 1940

2011-09-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

This is a very large paper announcing the occupation of Denmark by the Germans in 1940. I don't know if this is an original or a copy, but the feeling you get reading it is the same either way. You will notice that the translation is not perfect. If any of the Danish readers out there would like to provide a better one, it would be appreciated. I can only imagine what the Danish people felt when they read this. I have always been interested in WWII, so I think this is pretty cool, but this particular piece is affecting me differently today. The last two lines could be meant for everyone, and every country. Peace.

To the Danish People

German troops have crossed in the night the Danish border and have made landing different places. The Danish Government has decided to organize protest Country Conditions during Considerations of the occupation that has taken place, and according thereto promulgated following.

The German troops, who now find themselves in this country, enter in liaison with the Danish Wehrmacht, and it's population duty to refrain from any resistance to these troops. The Danish Government will try to ensure the Danish People and our country against the war ratio following accidents and therefore encourages people to calm and restrained attitude toward the relationship, which has now arisen. Peace and order must dominate the land, and with fairness must be paid to all who has an authority to exercise.

Under these for our homeland as serious, I urge all in town and country to show a fully correct and dignified appearance, as any unpremeditated action or utterance may have the gravest consequences.

Copenhagen, April 9, 1940 Christian R.

God bless you all. God preserve Denmark.

A Page From Life

2011-09-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I don't think this page of photos correspond in date. They seem to have been slapped on this page without much thought. I can tell you that the upper left hand picture of the couple was taken in Svendborg, a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark. I can make that much out on the bottom of their photo. Mustaches must have been all the rage. All of the men in these pictures have one! Mustaches are a funny thing. Only a few men can actually make them look really attractive. Tom Selleck, maybe? I'm not sorry they have gone out of vogue, for the most part. I sometimes see these women in their fancy dresses and think how fun it would be to wear something like that. How differently we would act day to day if we were constantly in a dress and men were always in a suit of sorts. We would have to constantly be on our best behavior, always act like a lady. It makes me tired just thinking about it. The next picture is really hard to make out, but the man looks like he should be a captain on a ship. Must be the hat and the beard. The two lower pictures, they look so serious. I guess this is why I love the pictures where the people are behaving naturally so much. Or, maybe she really does just sit there looking a bit cross in real life. No, let's just say the sun was in her eyes. I'm sure that was it.

Sieppijarvi Lake, Finland

2011-09-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

I will admit I had to look up where this place was. I checked out multiple tourist sites and photos of the area. Really beautiful. That being said, this place is way out in the middle of, well, I'm not exactly sure. Snow? The information I found about the area said that the people who live there make their livelihood mainly by agriculture and forestry but also working in the logging sites and REINDEER HUSBANDRY! That is cool! And a little strange, but amazing. I also found out that Sieppijarvi is actually a village of Muonio. And Muonio is known as the municipality with the longest snow season in Finland. For that reason its vocational college has a top ski class that attracts aspiring cross-country ski champions from all over Finland! Sweet! If you like that cold stuff. I think I'd visit during the summer season, thanks. Check out out our post card and the G's all over, awesome. Not sure what they are saying, but pretty certain there's a, "we're cold" in there somewhere.

Ah, Modern Art

2011-09-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

The translation I get online is "let us rather run away, it's just us who get blamed for it." This just makes me giggle. It's not a big secret for those who know me, modern art is not really my thing. So to see this cartoon come falling out of one of my books gave me a moment of pure bliss. It's nice to know I am not alone in the world on this one. Not that I dislike all modern art, or can't appreciate some of it. It's just that, well, when I look at a painting, I want to be inspired and awed. I want to feel I could reach out and touch the person or object because they look so real. I want my imagination to go wild and my emotions to be moved. Squiggles and lines, splatters of paint? They just don't do anything for me. My Dutch artists, they move me. Ah, best not get me started on those. Suffice it to say, I found this funny.

Historical Procession in Elsinore, Denmark 1926

2011-09-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

This is a really cool booklet that was given out by the Helsingor Tourist Association in 1926. Elsinore is English for Helsingor, by the way. And if this really took place, this would have been the coolest procession ever! It says that there will be approximately 500 participants, including 50 on horseback and then goes on to give the order in which they will appear. That is what these cool pictures are, the order of appearance. I couldn't fit them all on here, so you are seeing the first and last panels. The first one says; Herald, Riders with Standards, and Music. The last panel says; Nobility, Citizens with Elsinore Brand, Rider-Captain. Ok, I'm sure my translations are not perfect and I hope all the Danish readers will forgive me. I have searched the internet for any clue about this procession and cannot find a thing. All I come up with is how Helsingor/Elsinore is the place Shakespeare's Hamlet is set, which is really cool, but bring on the parade!! I would be really tempted to brave the cooler temps of Denmark to watch this thing. Please, someone tell me it still happens. Love the look on the Rider-Captain's face in the last picture, ticked because he following all the other horses? Where's the pooper scooper? Hey, at least he's riding. The Nobility has to walk through that stuff.

Brussels, Royal Palace

2011-08-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

This first thing I noticed about this post card is that it looks like it was a black and white picture that they went back and colored. It's got a little "Pleasantville" look to it, the movie where everything goes from black and white to color. Which would be fitting since our post card came from 1959, about the same time the movie is set. I always try to find out who is on the stamp. I'm a curious girl. I found a stamp website that had this exact stamp on it and it said the person on the stamp was a "leader man." Seriously?! Come on stamp collectors, you can do better than that. Luckily, the next site I came to gave me some answers. This is King Baudouin. His full name is Albert Charles Leopold Axel Marie Gustave. Poor royalty, always stuck with these long crazy family names. Anyway, old Albert here was king from 1951 to 1993.

All Hands on Deck

2011-08-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

These two pictures came out of the same book and are in excellent condition. Aren't these great! Everyone is up on deck. Maybe they were all getting seasick below. It's not exactly a Caribbean cruise though, is it. Look at those warm clothes and blankets. But it can't be miserable cold, they all have smiles on their faces. Isn't it curious, it's all women, other than the little boy. Do you suppose they are going on a trip or are they moving from their home country to somewhere else? Perhaps the husbands have gone ahead and gotten a job and a home ready and then sent for them. I think that was a fairly common practice way back when. Whatever their story is, I love the pictures they left behind. The little boy is a crack up. What a cute face. And the woman in the other photo trying to sleep, or just soaking up some sun and having a zen moment, love it. If only someone had written on the back of these pictures.

Kaj Munk "Neils Ebbesen"

2011-08-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

Another Kaj Munk article. If you have not read the other Kaj Munk posts, I recommend doing so. This article ran in December 1945. Just for your reference, Kaj Munk was assassinated by the Gestapo in January 1944. This article is talking about a radio program that brought to life one of Kaj Munk's plays, Niels Ebbesen. It talks a little bit about it not being exactly the way Munk probably had meant for it to be put out there. The play is about a real Danish hero who lived in the 1300's who was known for his killing of Count Gerhard III. This act symbolized the beginning of the liberation of Denmark. Romantic Danish poetry and modern ballads praise Ebbesen as a freedom fighter. Munk used his play, Niels Ebbesen, as a direct attack on Nazism. And we know where that got him. I am more and more impressed by Kaj Munk. I can see why I find so many articles about this amazing man.

Valentine, The Movie

2011-08-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

I guess going to the movies was a much bigger deal than it is now. This is a 10 page booklet all about this movie, Tine or Valentine. It gives the names of the characters and the actors who play them, a synopsis of the story, and pages of photo's from the movie. You can also see that our movie lovers saved their tickets, reserved seating and all. This is like going to see a show on Broadway. This would be amazing information to have. I cannot tell you how many times I've been in a movie, staring at one of the actors and its driving me crazy because I can't place where I have seen them before. Boom! Open my little guide book, and there I would find a name and a bio of everything they have done in the past. Of course, now days this would just be an app on a phone...hmmm. Not a bad idea, which probably means it already exists, in several variations. I guess I need to download.

Genova, Italy

2011-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

Buongiorno principessa! Italy! Love Italy. And anything Italian makes me think of Roberto Benigni and his movie, "Life is Beautiful." Cobbled stoned streets, gelato on every corner. What's not to love? I will admit I have not been to Genova, but the pictures look amazing and I have promised myself that my next trip to Italy will include the coast. The post card is from 1980 and it has a lovely little stamp that looks like it has characters from Madeline, you know, lives in Paris in a house covered with vines, but it's probably not. Still, a cute stamp.

Christer Pettersson

2011-08-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I took one look at this guys picture and thought he looked like a serial killer. I was feeling kind of guilty for stereotyping, and then I started to translate the article. Go figure, the guy's trial for murder was just about the start. He was being accused of killing the Swedish Prime Minister. I still feel a little bad about the stereotyping though. Anyway, Christer Pettersson was a Swedish criminal who was a suspect in the 1986 assassination of Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden. In 1988 he was convicted of the murder in district court but acquitted on appeal the following year. They said they didn't have enough evidence, no murder weapon for one. The PM was murdered while walking down a street with his wife in Stockholm. His wife later picked Christer out from a line up. After his release, he was compensated with $50,000 which he promptly blew on alcohol and drugs. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 2004. Right before he died, he contacted PM's son and said he wanted to meet with him. The son said he wanted to confess to the murder. The meeting never happened. After his death, associates of Pettersson's claimed that he had confessed to killing the PM but it had been a mistake. He had meant to kill a drug dealer who often walked down the same street and dressed in a similar fashion as the PM had been dressed. This was never confirmed. Don't you just hate it when you kill the wrong guy?

The Bad Boy

2011-08-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

I usually have this thing about not posting two pictures in a row, but this picture slid out of a book today and I can't quit thinking about it. It could be the way it's so bent and used, but I really think it's the guy. He's got this cool, swanky kind of look to him that I just can't seem to shake. Like he knows someone is taking his picture, but he's not totally committed to it. He's too cool for that. You wanna look at me, here I am, in the flesh. It's the head tilt, the way his mouth is curled in almost a smirk. He's a bad boy. The kind you want, but your mother warns you about, which totally makes you want him more. And every girl out there wants a bad boy. I can see you shaking your heads, but it's true. Girls just have different lines drawn as to what dictates a bad boy. Girls, you know I'm right. You may not want a bad boy forever, but you still want one. We can't help it. Look at this guy. He's got cool written all over him, of course we want him! And I'm telling you, someone wanted this bad boy, wanted him badly. Carried this picture around with her, dreaming and wishing, likely for a long time. I don't blame her. There is something about him. Maybe it's his bad boy appeal, or maybe I just need to see that mouth smile. Wow, totally flabbergasted by an 80 year old picture.

Family Portrait

2011-08-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

This picture is the first in an entire album found at Book Decor. How fun to pick up a leather bound book and find that it is full of family pictures! What a great family. I guess there must be a rule about when boys graduate from wearing little sailor suits to wearing ties in pictures. And I need to address the obvious here, the hairdo on the left. I almost called it a beehive, but it's not quite beehive. I don't know what you would call that. Or how you would make it do that in the days before styling gel, mousse, and hair spray? I'm tempted to call this a "Brady Bunch" type of situation. The three blonde kids look similar, and then there's the dark haired group. Maybe this is a large family by marriage. His six kids and then marries her and has three? Or she was a widow with three of her own? Either way, love the clothes. And I think the little girl looks like Reese Witherspoon.

Hand Drawn Card

2011-08-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

What is with people who hand draw on their cards? I never see this. Even people I know who have talent and can really draw don't draw on their thank you notes. Maybe we just don't have the time, or more likely, we just don't take the time. Our time has the Internet, more tv channels than are necessary, movies, gaming systems, etc. sucking us dry of time. Around the time this card was made, they had movies, but not several out every weekend to choose from. No tv. Books for sure, but they weren't digital and easily taken and read everywhere. So, I guess if you're going to give someone a note, you may as well make it personal and draw on it. I like the use of shading in this picture and the way the artist drew the hair. Eh, noses are difficult. Overall, a nice little card.

Rudolf Broby-Johansen

2011-08-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

This article is letting us know that Rudolf has passed away. The year is 1987. Boy, this guy lived a crazy life. His father passed away when he was quite young and he helped his family survive by playing the violin for local farmers. When he did make it to school, at age 11, he decided he wanted to be a poet. He actually had a piece printed in 1920. That same year, he and couple of buddies, formed the Communist Student Fraction. It didn't last long and he formed the New Student Society. He went on to publish more poetry. One piece in particular got him into some trouble. The name of the piece was Blood. Five days after publishing the book, the Department of Justice brought charges against Broby - because the book had "obscene content" - and tried to confiscate the warehouse. 621 copies of the book were already in circulation, 700 had gone to print. In the District Court he was fined 300kr, or 14 days in jail. Must of been some "obscene content." It took 45 years, 1968, before the book appeared in a second printing. He went on to publish more works, start his own magazine, and was involved in arts education. Pretty interesting guy, not the happiest looking fellow, but interesting.

Lone Girl at the Beach

2011-08-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. Isn't she brave? Here I am at the beach, I'm the only girl in sight, and I'm going to stand up where everyone can see me, and have my picture taken. Maybe she is one of those girls who is totally comfortable with her body and it was no big deal. I am more of a board short and rash guard shirt girl myself, so when I see pictures of girls at the beach in their bikini's, I am often impressed by how brave they were to get their pictures taken. Captured on film FOREVER in their swimsuit! What if you were all bloated that day? It could haunt you forever. Alright, enough about my insecurities and back to our picture. She does seem to be the only girl in sight. I like to think that maybe her boyfriend wanted a picture of her to take off to college or war or something equally romantic and tragic. Or maybe she just lost 85 pounds and her friend took the picture to celebrate the skinny! Either way she looks fantastic, and I have totally seen that style of swim suit on people recently. Some styles just keep coming back. Sadly, some never go away. Just like the guy with the speedo in the background on the right. Seriously guys, unless you're an Olympic swimmer, please don't do the speedo thing. Please.

Happy New Year

2011-08-21T17:34:00.001-07:00

The front of this postcard actually translates as Welcome New Year. At first glance I thought this was a such a cute little card, nice little cherub out in the snow wishing us a happy new year. Then I noticed our little anatomically correct friend is seriously lacking in the clothes department and it's freezing outside! The artist wants to make sure we know exactly how cold it is by showing us the frozen water in the pipe, and for the slower thinkers, even gave us a thermometer showing the frigid temperatures. Nice. I'm seeing some little wings so I am convincing myself that angelic naked kids can't actually feel the cold. Still, I think the artist has some explaining to do. I'm sure there are thematic elements I am totally missing. I hope. As you can see, our post card is from 1936 and mailed right in the nick of time, December 30th. The handwriting is beautiful and the lines are almost too straight to believe. The writing is so thin, I have to believe it was done with something other than your average pen.

Two of Hearts

2011-08-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

A fairly decent sized book mark. 7 inches tall by almost 4 inches wide, this baby is not getting lost in a book. And with these bright colors, you will never lose your place. The funny thing about this book mark is that it looks like someone took a marker and painted in the red hearts and then stitched with brown thread around them. I was expecting the red heart to be a part of the fabric itself. I guess plain old orange was not going to do it. I must say, I do like hearts, they give our pumpkin color cloth a bit of character. I'm so glad people used book marks. I never find folded down corners in my Book Decor books. That must be a more recent trend. I am guilty of it myself. Only in books that are actually mine, not borrowed. And never hard cover, only paperback. Wow, I didn't realize I had rules about when I bend my pages.

Elderflower Drink

2011-08-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

An Elderflower drink recipe! I had no idea this drink even existed, and there are apparently several variations. You can have an Elderflower Cordial, Elderflower Soda, Elderflower Liqueur, and even an Elderflower Cocktail. Mixed, shaken, or stirred. This drink can please anyone and everyone. It sounds like a bit of work to make this drink, it has to simmer for days. I'm more of an instant gratification kind of a person myself. Luckily, you can purchase this drink already made. I'm officially on the look out. If anyone knows of a good place in San Diego for me to get a really good Elderflower drink, let me know!

The Salt Sea Baths

2011-08-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

This beautiful place is located in Sweden on the coast of the Baltic Sea. And this postcard seems to be quite old. If I am reading our stamps correctly, it looks like 1921. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked up some images of this city now and it looks amazing. Very beautiful. Back to the post card, can't make heads or tails of the writing, of course, but I do love the stamps. The man on the stamp is Gustaf V, the king of Sweden from 1907 to 1950. He holds the record of being the oldest monarch of Sweden and the second-longest reigning. Who knew! Well, I guess Swedish people knew. My grandfather was Swedish, wouldn't he be happy to know I'm learning something about the place he came from.

Feeling Lucky?

2011-08-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

A four leaf clover! As you can see, this is very fragile. Good luck often is, I think. I'm not sure I have ever actually seen a four leaf clover. I've looked for them, as a child, but every time I thought I had found one, it turned out to be a three leaf clover that had a torn leaf. Maybe they are actually fairly common and I am a poor seeker. Someone thought it was rare enough of a find to keep and place inside of a book, and I a grateful. Now I can say I have actually seen one. And perhaps, it will bring me a bit of luck.

Drinks in Hamburg

2011-08-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

What you are looking at is the front and back of a very old picture. It's interesting, it looks as though who ever owned this picture wanted to erase the name of who was in it or eliminate something to do with the photo. Or, perhaps it was mislabeled in the first place. I like the idea that they tried to erase it better. It makes it seem a bit more mysterious that way. A secret meeting, or a jilted lover! Oh, that would be exciting. If that is our date on the front corner, 1929, then this is a decently old photo. It almost looks staged except that our table has far too many glasses on it. I like the platters, they look silver, not your basic china. Some sort of swanky restaurant I would guess. The meal is finished, they have had their brandy and are now enjoying good conversation and cigars. Yes, right after they had a secret meeting with an old lover! Alright, I read too many books or watch too many movies. But it's still better my way.

Easter Fun

2011-07-15T16:38:00.001-07:00

The front of this postcard says Easter Fun. That big long "P" word ends up meaning 'fun'. I am not sure I have typed in a word that long and come up with a word so short. I checked it twice! Well, there you go. My first Finnish card! Such a beautiful language, even if it is full of vowels and long words I am sure I could never say correctly. I cannot quite make out the year on our stamp but I think it says 51 so that's what I'm sticking to, 1951. Herr Hansen had beautiful handwriting even if Herr Hansen didn't have a lot to say. It's always the thought that counts on postcards anyway.

The Penny Post

2011-07-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

A note in English. Yay, no translating for once. The Penny Post was organized in 1680 by a merchant named William Dockwra. It allowed you to deliver mail anywhere in London for a penny. He also introduced the practice of postmarking letters to indicate when and where they had been posted. However, the system became so successful that the government took control of the operation in 1682 and absorbed it into the Post Office. And as things do when given to the government, the price went up. So much so, that it eventually could cost you a days wage to send a letter from London to Edinburgh! There was a committee formed, because that's what governments are good at, forming a committee, and it was decided that more mail would be sent if it went back down to a penny. They also decided to make it "prepaid" in the form of an adhesive label, or stamp. The Uniform Penny Post went into effect on January 10, 1840 and 112,000 letters were posted on the first day. Three times more than the same day the previous year. In 1839 there were 76 million letters posted in the United Kingdom. In 1840 after the introduction of the Penny Post there were 168 million and ten years later this had doubled to an incredible 347 million letters.
Our dear paper talks about letter boxes in walls and street corners painted red and how you could put your letter inside and with a twopence or halfpenny stamp, your letter could go as far away as Edinburgh or India. Anywhere within the British Empire. Well, we are looking at sometime before 1947 if India is still a part of the British Empire. Very cute paper and, as always, I have learned something.

Witches and Books

2011-07-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Bookmarks! The first one says Witch Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. They are part of a series of books and get really good reviews on Amazon. I always check reviews on Amazon. I don't swear by them, but I figure hundreds of people can't be that off about whether a book is good or not. Anyway, I thought the picture was so dang cool. I love fantasy and scifi books and movies so this picture caught my attention right away. I've added the series to my 'to read' list. It's long, but I would go crazy without one. The second bookmark says, "In the company of good books you'll never be bored." So true!!!

More Karen Blixen

2011-07-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

I hope you will go and find my post about Karen Blixen before you read this post. She led a very interesting life. This is a short article about a bunch of items that were sold at auction in 1965. Two items were letters of Karen Blixen's. One sold for 300 kroner and the other for 275. It really bothers me that I didn't know who she was until I started this blog. I knew Out of Africa and some of her other works, but I didn't know of her, not really. The more I look into her life, her works, etc. the more shocked I am that I didn't know of her. I know there are some of you shaking your head in disgust at this confession. I am a little disgusted myself. Forgive me. Better late than never, yes?

The Doorway

2011-07-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

These four photo's were found together in one book. They are really small, about 3 inches by 2 inches. I called this post The Doorway based on the two photo's taken in the same doorway. I cannot tell you how much I love these old, candid pictures. You see so many older pictures where no one is smiling, but the girl in the first photo sitting on the step is absolutely cracking up at something. She looks like that person who is the life of the party, the gal everyone is friends with. I wish I knew what was said right before this shot was taken. Did men always wear some sort of a tie? Every stinking day? The next photo is a bit faded and the edges are very aged. Matron of the family? Photo three finds two young ladies on the ground. People never look warm in old photos. Thick stockings, warm shawls, and wool skirts. No thanks. Photo 4. Doesn't she look happy! Well, I wouldn't either if someone put a bow that size on the back of my head. I actually think she looks pretty darn cute. That style of dress is still in fashion, babydoll is it called. Either way, I like it. Any guesses on the year? 20's, 30's?

A Carl Bloch Painting

2011-07-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Another postcard. This one from 1980. The painting is by Carl Bloch and is entitled King Christian IV Visits The Dying Chancellor, Niels Kaas, painted in 1880. Carl Bloch was another one of those Danish artists that makes me melt. You cannot look at this picture, at the details, and not be impressed. Keep your Jackson Pollock and give me a Danish artist any day. Not that I can't appreciate some of the modern art, but seriously, I just can't get behind stacking a bunch of chairs on top of each other, painting them crazy colors, naming it 'descending sorrow' or some nonsense and calling it art! Apologies if this description is anywhere close to an actual piece of "art" out there. But you get my point, right?

Fanny Packs and The Taj Mahal

2011-06-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

This isn't a very old picture, but it came out of a very old book. I am going to place our time in the late 1980's due to our lovely fanny packs and short shorts that were all the rage in the 80's. Although I see that really short shorts are back in vogue, heaven help us if fanny packs make their way back into the main stream. My apologies to those who still have a loving relationship with their little zippered friend, but I for one would be quite happy if I never see a persons hips covered with those pouches ever again. The Taj Mahal is very cool, however, and our tourists look like they were having a great trip. Oh, I just noticed her fanny pack has little buttons or something on it. It almost makes it kind of cute. Almost.

A Sketch

2011-06-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is a teeny piece of paper that someone has started to sketch a picture on. Now a skeptic might say that this was a traced picture, but I am here to tell you that this is a thick piece of paper and there is no way you could trace through this thing. The figures look like statues and I get the flag, but what is that creature? It's looking like a lizard or frog or something. It killing the whole nude guys with a flag vibe for me, but I'm still impressed with our artist though and wish there were more to our scene.

Good Dog!

2011-06-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

You can just see it. They are sooo close to catching Daisy, or some other cute dog name, on film doing a trick. The ball is in place and Daisy is poised to snatch it right out of the air, likely after an amazing back flip or some other stupendous stunt that is totally worth a roll of film. Aren't we spoiled with digital cameras now. I'm rolling with the theory that our darling Daisy did her fantastically amazing flip and those pictures are framed and hanging in some doggie hall of fame. This picture was taken in August 1978. Yay for Kodak putting dates on the back of their pictures!

Henrick Haar

2011-06-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

You have probably never heard of Henrick Haar. He was a school teacher at Horsens school in Denmark and this is announcing his death at the age of 81. It sings his praises as a teacher. It says he was one of Horsens schools most highly esteemed and distinctive teachers and that no one would ever doubt that the school was Professor Haar's one and all. He loved teaching and had his own charming way to make the lessons come alive for the students. He taught German and history. It goes on to talk about when he first started at the school, etc. The paper looks really old, but there is a hand written date on it that says 1960 so I assume we will go with that date. It has also been cut and pasted a bit. You can see when you get a close up of it that it doesn't quite look right. It's interesting to find this article just now as my sixth grade teacher recently passed away. I can remember every book he introduced to our class, the books he read aloud, the authors he thought we should try out, the excitement he built up in me for reading. I can't name all my teachers or even the classes I took in jr. high or high school, but my sixth grade teacher, I can still hear his voice reading to us. I blame him for the stacks of books piled around every corner of my home. Thank you Mr. Pollard, for giving me the love of reading. Yes, you should thank the teacher you are thinking of too. Before they are no longer around to be thanked.

Denmark Corvette

2011-06-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

I am sure I have mentioned before that this blog has been very educational for me. For instance, I had no idea that a corvette was a type of warship. I kept trying to translate this little article and it kept giving me corvette and I'm thinking no, this is some sort of a ship, not a car. Ok, I feel humbled, slightly humiliated and completely silly. But on the bright side, I learned something new today! Under our picture of our CORVETTE it says, " Today was the third corvette of Belleona-class, Denmark has been built in Italy to Copenhagen." Ok, translation is not perfect but you get the meaning. It was sailed here under the command of Commander M. H. Bredsdorff. The name of the corvette is Flora and is following the previous corvettes, Diana and Triton. All the ships were built by U.S funds made available as part of the USA's great utility help program. The last of the corvettes were expected to arrive shortly after New Year holidays. This ran in the paper November 1, 1956. I tried to find some info on the US utility program and didn't come up with much. This wasn't too long after WWII so I imagine there were many programs in place at that time. It may be that my translation wasn't perfect. Who knows. Interesting though. If anyone out there has any information on this, please let me know. Very interested over here.

Battle of Kadesh

2011-06-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Now here is an interesting piece. As far as I can tell from translating some of this article, this is part of book that is about to be published that is all about the battle of Kadesh and it is pretty well word for word straight out of the book. I'm not sure the author of the article can take much credit here. It's like something out of a movie. A guy stays out late partying and realizes that he has an article due for printing, oh no, what to do! I'll just write about that history book about to be published and just throw in a chapter to read to get people excited about the book. My editor will think it's brilliant! I'm a genius! Well, maybe that's not how it happened and maybe it was the editor's idea from the beginning, but I still think it's kind of a cheater way to get out of writing an article. I did look up some info on the battle of Kadesh. Pretty cool stuff. Ramses II and the Egyptian Empire and the Hittite Empire battled it out in Kadesh in the year 1274 or 1296 (my sources vary on the year). It was likely the largest chariot battle ever fought, somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 chariots. In the end most agree it was a marginal victory for Ramses II, but mostly because he was able to hold it together, not because he kicked some butt. If you are into history at all I think you would find it interesting if you looked it up.

A Free Spirit

2011-06-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Where to start on this one. These two pictures are actually from a set of four photos. After serious debate, from which there was no winner, I finally decided to just post two of the four pictures. You see, the other two pictures show this sweet baby's mother in them and she is the free spirit that I named this post after. She is posing nude with her baby and the pictures are actually quite lovely and tasteful. I did all the back and forth about nudity versus art, blah, blah, blah. I see every point for each side and there is no winner, I promise. You can see her knees in one of these pictures. She has long, straight hair and is very pretty. I am guessing we are somewhere in the 60's, hence the free spirit theme. She seems to be in an apartment with hardwood floors and there is a window with some light coming in behind her and the baby. They really are lovely. One of the most amazing things about her, and I speak as someone who has done the whole pregnancy thing, is that she is totally thin. I mean this baby looks really young and she looks like she weighs 110 lbs. and her tummy is totally flat! What gives? Is it that we live in the age of the obese and I am just used to seeing people with the "baby weight"? Did everyone used to look this good right after having a baby? I mean, seriously. I even considered that maybe she wasn't the baby mama. But upon closer inspection I noticed that she still had her linea nigra ( a dark vertical line on the lower abdomen some women get during pregnancy) and that confirmed it. Darn it! Did I ever mention I have my RN?

Deaths

2011-06-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that the death that is spoken of in this article isn't of anyone famous. At least I cannot find any information of Mrs Kristine Timmermann searching the internet. I should clarify. There are Kristine Timmermann's out there. There are a handful on Facebook right now. But, the one I am looking for passed away at the age of 79 according to her obituary. We don't have a year but the paper is looking pretty faded and delicate. So, as much as I'd like to see what her interests are, where she went to school, and how many random people she has gathered for 'friends', I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. What we do know is that she was a dentist and was quite involved in politics. She married editor Niels Timmermann, a whole gaggle of these on Facebook as well by the way, who sadly passed away early. No cause was given. She had her practice in the town of Soro, Denmark and had a reputation for being quite enthusiastic about her practice and and often took on seemingly hopeless cases. She remained active politically her entire life. A nice little article about someone who made her mark in her community. I don't know what the year was, but I like hearing about women who were really out there doing their thing when it wasn't as common as it is now. Well done Kristine.

Woven Wonder

2011-06-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

What you are looking at is the front and back side of one piece of, well, whatever it is. I can only imagine it was used as some sort of book mark. It's about 6.5 inches long and 5 inches wide and it seems to be made out of leather! Yes, I know, you're thinking it cannot possibly be leather. But I am telling you, if it looks like leather and feels like leather...... Ok, I will concede that it might be some sort of plastic but I like my leather theory much better. There is one edge that seems to be coming apart and I must say, still sticking to my leather theory. Anyway, that's a lot of little papers to go in and out and in and out. I honestly wouldn't have the patience for it. But I grew up in a different time than who ever made this thing did. I need everything now! If my internet is even the slightest bit slow I am going nuts. I know you are nodding along with me. Life came at a different pace 60, 70, 80 years ago. I'm not saying life was better back then or that it is worse now. I'm just saying you couldn't pay me enough to sit and weave this little sucker together, that's all.

Twirly Hair

2011-06-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's hair. Don't be alarmed. It's actually quite small. It's only about 2 inches in diameter. Still, it's a pretty fancy way to save a clip of hair. I'm used to parents saving a bit of their newborns hair, but this was no baby. Unless this baby was born with a Repunzel proportion mane, this came from someone leaning towards adulthood. This was not the first time I have found some hair in a book. I am sorry to say I was a little freaked out the first time and rushed to throw it away. In my defense, there was enough hair the first time that who ever it belonged to could have been scalped! In that quantity, I admit I panicked and tossed it in the trash. Looking back now, I am sorry I did. I wish I could have gone all CSI and figured out who was balded like that. But this little beauty was cute and easy for me to save. So maybe someday I will have the means to do some DNA testing and figure out who this hair belonged to. That would be cool.

A Pressed Flower

2011-06-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

One lone pressed flower. I found this flower in a book that was published in 1872. If only the flower could tell me when someone put it in there. It's not the first flower I have found, but it's the first one that hasn't completely fallen apart and turned to dust when I tried to get it out of the book. It's lovely. And someone else, a long time ago, thought so as well.

Matterhorn!

2011-06-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is the postcard you send you when you promised someone you would send them one. One line. No wish you were here, no we are having so much fun, no first we did this, and then we did that. Just one line. Maybe this is the 10th card they had filled out and they were just done. No more! Sorry, but you were at the end of the deck, just one line for you. Who knows, but I love it. It's enough to say, " we were thinking of you" but we are having such a good time we haven't the energy to write a novel about all of our escapades. And who doesn't love the Matterhorn! Alright, I'm not a huge fan of the snow, but this mountain is majestic. I don't need to be actually in the snow to enjoy it's beauty. That's the joy of Switzerland. You can be standing on lovely green grass and look up and see it's lovely snow capped Alps without becoming a soggy, cold mess. If you take a look at our stamp, we are from 1974. Not sure I loved 70's fashion but the music was the bomb.

H. C. Olrik

2011-06-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Henrik Gerner Snedorff Benedict Olrik was born on August 30, 1876 and died on Friday November 18, 1949. I'm giving you these details because there are so very few others available online in English. Henrik had a law degree and worked on the General Executive Board of the state railway, where he became head of second Tariff Bureau and was responsible for advertising and ended up attending the world exhibitions in Paris and Brussels in 1935 and 1937. He is quoted as saying, "There are tracks other than State Railways" when he resigned in 1943 to devote himself to personalize historical studies and writing full time. Which leads us to this article. He is apparently celebrating his 60th birthday which would put us in August of 1936. A little before he actually resigned to write full time it looks like. He went on to write several books. One most famously cited was Hans Christian Andersen's Family which is mentioned in this article. It talks a little bit about his understanding the character of H. C. Andersen and how well that comes across in his book. I wish there were more available about him in English online. It's funny, I would never have placed the year at 1936 based on the picture. It looks much more recent than that to me. Some of the books in the background look like they are leather bound. Not that I notice that. Ok, I always look at that now. Movies, tv, it's completely out of my control. Like a dentist noticing teeth. Can I check out your books?

Stone Age Sculpture

2011-06-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

This little article is fairly recent. I would date it somewhere in the 60's or 70's. There's no date so I am going entirely on the age of the book it was found in and how old the paper looks. I know, terribly unreliable but there you are. The translation of the article is below and starts out by stating that art has not changed much in the last 7,000 years. I mostly agree with that statement except that our gal here has got some, how shall we say, interesting curves? You decide, are we still portraying women like this? Wow, this could really start a debate. Onto the article.
If anyone believes that visual art has changed dramatically over the past seven thousand years, they should take a closer look at this 38 cm tall woman sculpture. It has just been excavated in Donja Branjevina, an archaeological place 150 km from Yugoslavia's head city Belgrade.
The place is the oldest known farming community in the history of European civilization. The similarity between the sensational discovery and more cubist figurative statuettes from the beginning of this century is quite striking.
The little lady with the large end may not have been above the earth's surface since the early Stone Age.
Under the photo of the sculpture it says:
Woman sculpture from the Early Stone Age have been found in Yugoslavia

Jagermeister!

2011-06-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have a Jagermeister fan out there. This little newspaper clip is announcing the new opening of another Jagermeister restaurant in Copenhagen. The picture shows from left, marketing manager Erik Andersen, Director of Sales Helge Leidicher and restaurateur Villy Lukow Persson. There's no year printed anywhere on the paper but it's looking very close to the '70's based on the managers side burns and suit. Looks like it was a chilly day with those fur hats and coats!

A little Jagermeister history, just for fun.

The term Jägermeister was introduced in Germany in 1934 in the new Reichsjagdgesetz (Reich hunting law). The term was applied to senior foresters and gamekeepers in the German civil service. Thus, when the liquor was introduced in 1935, the name was already familiar to Germans. Curt Mast, the original distiller of Jägermeister, was an enthusiastic hunter.

Translated literally, Jägermeister means "hunt-master", combining Jäger (hunter) and Meister (master, in the sense of an accomplished professional). A free translation would be gamekeeper.

In parts of Germany (Lower Saxony), it is often humorously called Leberkleister (“liver glue”). The humor plays upon the fact that Leberkleister is an exact rhyme with Jägermeister.

The Jägermeister logo which shows the head of a stag with a glowing Christian cross between its antlers, is a reference to the stories of Saint Hubertus and Saint Eustace, patron saints of hunters.

Contrary to an urban legend, Jägermeister does not contain deer or elk blood. Thank goodness!

Jägermeister’s ingredients include 56 herbs, fruits, roots, and spices including citrus peel, liquorice, anise, poppy seeds, saffron, ginger, juniper berries, and ginseng. These ingredients are ground, then steeped in water and alcohol for 2–3 days. Afterwards, this mixture is filtered and stored in oak barrels for about a year. When a year has passed, the liqueur is filtered again, then mixed with sugar, caramel, alcohol, and water. It is filtered one last time and then bottled.

You'll never look at a bottle of Jagermeister the same, will you!

Rijksmuseum Postcard

2011-06-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am cheating a little bit here. I did find this postcard in a book but it is completely empty. No writing, no stamp, nada. It's just that it happens to be from one of, if not my favorite, museum and has one of my favorite artists work on it. Rembrandt! I know, everyone loves Rembrandt. I can't help it. Dutch artists make me weak at the knees and Rembrandt is no exception. This particular work is The syndics of the Cloth-Hall. Go ahead, gaze lovingly. Take your time. Ah. Nice, right. Ok, I'm picking myself up off of the floor. Well, maybe just one more look. Ok, I'm totally good now.

World's Smallest...

2011-06-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

I liked this piece of paper I found in a book. It was all torn around the edges like someone just ripped it right out of the paper, no cutting required. I could have cleaned it up a little, but I decided I liked the rough edge look. This is from 1949 and is nice and faded. The little description above the picture says, "This airplane is said to be world's smallest but its safety is believed to be greatest. Wing Span (?) is 6 feet, it is 3 yards and 40 long, weighs 130 kg and can fly 145 km an hour. It is also from France and only uses 6 Liter Gasoline per 125 km." Sometimes the translations aren't perfect, but I think we get the idea here. What a cute little plane. I wonder if our page ripper was a pilot or a wanna be? A kid dreaming of the skies?

Thorvald Bindesboll

2011-06-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Thorvald Bindesboll (1846-1908) was a key figure on the European scene, a man who created his own unique style on the basis of contemporary artistic trends and an extensive knowledge of the art of previous epochs and other cultures. Bindesbøll is Denmark's most original designer to date, the Danish artist who has done most to open up new avenues of possibility in the fields of ceramics and silver. Bindesbøll set new standards for work in crafts and design, and he was a leading figure in the developments that took place in the field of design at around the beginning of the twentieth century. In terms of decorative work, he is the most distinguished artist ever to have emerged from Denmark, producing designs for furniture, bookbinding, embroidery, and much more. His work still serves as a source of inspiration to this very day. The article is celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth and goes on to talk about his many contributions to the art world. It's an interesting article if you can read Danish. If not, you can google the guy. Pretty interesting.

1955 Postcard

2011-06-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

I have no shortage of postcards. The front of this one says "That my story would give herself so practical terms, I had never imagined the honor." Or, at least that's how it's translating for me on Google. Who thinks up these crazy drawings. Our cafe is Cafe Top and the Ball. Hmmm, not sure what to make of that. The wooden shoe looking thing has a green sign that says Fine Ting, now that translates as Great Stuff, that makes sense! I like the boy cranking the big yellow bird although I'm not crazy about regurgitated lunch myself. On the back of our postcard we have the usual Danish writing I can't make heads or tails of, but we do get two stamps to check out. The two stamps are of Spottrup Castle, a medieval castle that has been around since the 1500's and is now a museum. I always forget when I look at the date, 1/4 -55, that they mean April 1, 1955, not January 4, 1955. I think we do it backwards here in the US, no?

Kaj Munk Sermon December 1943

2011-05-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read the first post about Kaj Munk, I suggest you do that before you read this one. Kaj Munk was killed by the Gestapo in January of 1944, so this would be a copy of one of his last sermons. I found this typed copy of his sermon just after I found the photo and headline of him I posted previously. They did not come out of the same book. I wish I knew how old this copy was. Was it typed up shortly after he died? The paper certainly seems old enough, faded and worn. He was such an interesting person. I have really enjoyed learning about him. Sorry I haven't translated this, but as you can see, it's quite long. I am hoping that the Danish readers will enjoy reading it and that the rest of us will enjoy its historical significance.

New York City 1957 Post Card

2011-05-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

Love the Post Cards! Here's one from 1957 sent to someone in Copenhagen Denmark from a vacationer in NY! They ran out of room and wrote all around the edges. We all do that, right. We have a great view of the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River. You can kind of make out the older cars on the bridge. Get a good look at that stamp. Love it! I swear we don't have cool stamps like this anymore. I can almost hear the stamp collectors around the world gasping at that last sentence. Alright, I take it back. But it is pretty cool.

Pall Melsted- Historian 1812-1910

2011-05-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is the oldest obituary I have found to date. The newspaper says February 16, 1910. Pall Melsted actually passed away on February 9th. Mr. Melsted was an Icelandic historian, editor and member of the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland. He worked editing papers, served as a sort of sheriff, went on to get a degree in law, and worked with his second wife to open Kvennaskolinn, the first girls' school of Iceland. From 1862 to 1885 Páll worked as a lawyer in Reykjavík. In 1868 he started teaching part time at the Learned School and in 1885 he became a full-time history professor. In the 1860s Páll wrote and published a multi-volume work on world history, Fornaldarsagan (1864), Miðaldarsagan (1866), Nýja sagan (1868). In 1891 his Norðurlandasaga ["History of the Nordic Countries"] was published. He also wrote a number of historical articles in various periodicals. Páll's historical writings were praised for their lively and lucid writing style.
This article says that he died at his home in Reykjavik and was one of the islands most deserving men. For more than fifty years he had worked for enlightenment and education among his countrymen, usually without the second salary. The paper is really thin and soft. I was really surprised to find an article this old. I found this today.

Hans Christian Andersen

2011-05-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hans Christian Andersen. I see many of his books come through Book Decor. We all know who he is but a little refresher never hurt. (1805-1875) Danish writer famous for fairy tales. Most famous were The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Emperor's New Clothes, and Princess and the Pea just to name a few. This is kind of a fun article. The headline reads, storyteller practiced long signature. In a copy of one of his books, My Life Adventure, were two portraits of Mr Andersen. The lithographer who had been working on the book, summoned the poet so that he could imprint his signature below the portrait in the book. When H. C. Andersen arrived, he signed his name several times until he felt it looked just right confessing vanity in the process. The lithographer found this funny and kept the journal which is now exhibited at the Royal library. You can see the drafts and the final signature there. I thought this was a cool glimpse into the person that H. C. Andersen was, someone with some insecurities and a sense of humor. A much better sense of who someone was than anything you would find in a history book.

Ivy and a Tie

2011-05-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our man in a tie, by a house covered in ivy. No name, no dates, nothing. These pictures that give me nothing are just a killer. I'm pretty good at making up their story, I can make up several, actually. But I wish I had the truth. Even a piece of the truth would be nice. Let's see. Not too old, the clothes always throw me. Men dressed so well back in the day, it's easy to make them older than they actually are based on the clothes. He looks rather serious. I think I will put him in his early 20's. Home from college? Off to get a job? Meeting his gal's family? Oooh, I wish pictures could talk. What is that? A flag pole? The lawn needs to be cut.

Tree's Significance in Religion

2011-05-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a short, fun article about the significance of tree's in religion. I liked the drawings. I don't have a date, but it doesn't look especially old. The article talks a little about the Assyrians and Egyptians and used trees in their culture and worship. In the bottom right drawing from Egypt is shows how they thought that they banana plants fertility is due to divine beings who lived in the trees, and the picture on top shows a simple, beautiful drawing from medieval times, how God creates the first human in the Garden of Eden between tree of life and the tree of knowledge. Kind of interesting, at least someone thought so.

Life's Not All Pie

2011-05-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

A local political cartoon. Apparently the Dejbjerg
parish council decided, for cultural reasons, to refuse to authorize a spatially patisserie and this was the cartoon in the paper after the decision was made. The words underneath seem to be a sort of poem about whipped cream and such. The moral of the story translates: diligently with the cream always be, it gets upset when local councils are near. I'm sure it actually translates better than that if a Dutch person were doing the translation, but you get the idea. I just thought the cartoon was cute. Wish it had a year. I've always loved political cartoons, politics on a level I can relate to. Ha!

Kaj Munk

2011-05-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Kaj Munk (13 January 1898 – 4 January 1944) was a Danish playwright and Lutheran priest. The dramas of Munk were mostly performed and made public during the 1930s, although many were written in the 1920s. Much of his work is a contribution to the "philosophy-on-life debate." On one occasion, in the early 1930s, in a comment that came back to haunt him in later years, Munk expressed admiration for Hitler (for uniting Germans) and wished that the same kind of unifying figure could be found for Danes. However, Munk's attitude towards Hitler and Mussolini turned to disgust, as he witnessed Hitler's persecution of the German Jewish community, and Mussolini's conduct of the war in Ethiopia. In 1938 the Danish newspaper Jullands-Posten published on its front page an open letter to Mussolini, written by Munk, criticising the persecutions against Jews. Munk was a strong opponent of the German Occupation of Denmark (1940-1945). His plays Han sidder ved Smeltediglen ("He sits by the melting pot") and Niels Ebbesen were direct attacks on Nazism. The latter, centering on the figure of Niels Ebbesen, a medieval Danish squire considered a national hero for having assassinated an earlier German occupier of Denmark, Count Gerhard III was a contemporary analogue to World War II-era Denmark. He was arrested and subsequently assassinated by the Gestapo on January 4, 1944 at Hørbylunde, near Silkeborg.

This was a lot of information, but what could I have left out? If anything I should have said more. This picture was taken as he was exiting the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen after one of his shows. I have to assume it was somewhere in the 1930's. One of those amazing people I have loved learning so much about.

Merry Christmas 1958

2011-05-16T11:44:00.001-07:00

Yay! A postcard from 1958. The front of the postcard says Merry Christmas. It doesn't look like this was mailed even though there was a stamp placed on it. A stamp and a half actually. There's a half a stamp on the side of this card as well for some reason. Love the stamp. Santa looks contemporary and classic at the same time.

Girls on the Playground 1947

2011-05-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

This card fell out of one of the books at Book Decor and didn't have anything else with it to give me any idea of what it might come from. And I haven't had any luck translating the back. I can read the name that looks like Karen but then I am at a loss. Anyone out there who would like to translate this one for me, I would love to find out what it says. It's after WWII and it looks like we are at an all girls school, they are all wearing the same kind of style of dress, a uniform perhaps?

Murals in Kongsted Church

2011-05-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

This article ran in the paper December 23, 1961. Conservator Olaf Hellvik from the National Museum in Copenhagen was putting the final touches on a restoration of some murals found in Kongsted church. They had actually been found six months before but had been kept a secret from the public until now. They were found under a centimeter thick chalk layers which had effectively protected them. They murals were thought to be painted around 1500 and have imagery from both the Old and New Testaments. The murals were hidden under a protective lime coating which helps it retain the color and the results were, apparently, amazing. The murals were unsigned and conservator Hellvik said, " the unknown painter has expressed itself with unparalleled artistic force. Despite the almost 500 years of distance in time, he speaks highly to the present." I had the translate the entire article. It was just too fascinating not to.

1970 Christmas Stamps

2011-05-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

A full sheet of stamps! Someone is sad they left these in a book. Angels, angels everywhere. Angels singing, blowing trumpets, wielding swords, holding candles, beating drums, and altogether making merry and announcing the birth of the Lord. If you look closely you can the the babe in his mothers arms in a small window on the bottom right hand corner.