A Glass Rose

This post card is a photo of the South Rose Window of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. To the french, the cathedral is known as "Our Lady of Paris." It's south window, with its Mandela-like appearance, is a beauty yet the panels have undergone artistic changes over the centuries due to poor construction, damage from fire, vandals and war.

The original window was constructed in the thirteenth century, a gift from king Saint Louis. It is 12.90 metres in diameter and was dedicated to the New Testament, yet many of its scenes depict post-Testament saints and virgins. According to the cathedral's web site, the window symbolizes the Christ triumphant, reigning over Heaven, surrounded by a his earthly witnesses.

"A rose by any other name..."

The reverse side of this post card is dated July, 7, 1977, and post marked Paris, France. There is no attached stamp but rather a printed ink stamp.

One of my grandmother's church friend's, Hilda Van Norden, of Dearborn, Michigan, received this card from Henrietta. She wrote, "This is one of the most beautiful windows in the world." She goes on to say the trip was fine but plagued by hidden expenses "...(even for people who seem to have more)."

A One-Up-Your's Classic

"CURTEICHROM REPRODUCTION BY CURTEICK FK-3 FLORIDA STATE SERIES"

Though I am posting flower postcards this month, I thought this card might fit the season -- at least for those of us who still have snow on the ground this time of year.

This is a classic American post card theme. It is not simply a "wish you were here" card but rather a rub it in you face card. It is more like a good natured -- "I'm better off than you are" taunt.

Post marked March 12, 1968, the card was sent to my aunt and her husband in Detroit. The message reads, "Hi, Hot as all "hades" but a good breeze today. ______ still perched with the Sutton's & we gals get no better playing Canasta -- guess we will send for Winnie -- we eat better than playing cards -- ha! Mae and I thought Art and Verne looked exactly like Dean Rusk on T.V. -- ha! That was a shame to have (the) program ruined -- Best Gale & Matquetile (sic)."

I do not know what the ruined program was the writer referred to but at the time this card was written, Washington was abuzz about a rift in the Johnson administration over the Viet Nam bombing campaign. Rusk, one of the longest serving Secretary of States, was a stanch defender of the war amid growing opposition from members of the government and the public both at home and around the world.

An Old Flower House

This early 20th-century post card is without a message or address yet at one time had a stamp removed. I suspect my grandmother removed it for her stamp collection. She kept several stamp books for a number of years before giving her collection to one of her great grand children. It is possible she was given this post card as a gift from a friend after their return from a trip to Milwaukee. Perhaps they placed a stamp on it intending to mail but never wrote the message. I doubt my grandmother bought the card on a trip. She was not a buyer of post cards unless she was going to send a message to someone. I doubt she would have bought the card, licked and placed the stamp on it if she wanted the stamp for her collection, either. Besides, she was a confirmed miser. Her frugal ways became an ingrained habit after living through the depression of the 1930's as a teenager.

The reverse side of this post card indicates it was published for Jno. T. Faber 9 (sic), Milwaukee, Wisconsin by A.C. Bosselman & Co. New York. It was printed in Germany. (To see another Bosselman post card image go here.) Many post cards during the first few decades of the twentieth-century were made in Germany for American companies because they were the leaders in quality image reproduction. The red print on the image says, "Interior of Conservatory, Mitchell Park, Milwaukee, Wis."

The image shown is of the original Mitchell Park Conservatory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conservatory was designed by the local firm of H.C. Koch. Built in 1898, the original conservatory building, modeled after London’s world-renowned Crystal Palace, complete with a sunken garden, gave solace to the citizens of the Milwaukee, as the city began to flex its industrial muscle as a brewing and manufacturing center. The original conservatory was demolished in 1955 and eventually replaced by a grander and less conventional structure, consisting of three 85-foot high, beehive-shaped, glass domes. Designed by Donald Grieb, and built in stages from 1959 to 1967, each dome has plants from three distinct climates: arid, tropical and floral show.