Queensboro Bridge Plaza, Long Island City, NY ca. 1913

I still enjoy finding postcards with streetcar scenes, and even more so when they are in New York City. Long Island City holds a special place in memory for me. I worked there once, and for a time lived in nearby Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

I've never seen this brand or logo before: L&V, Famous Throughout The World. Published by Bergman and Pinkus, Astoria, Long Island (actually, Queens, and Astoria is right next door to L.I.C.) Printed in United States. At first I thought the smudged date was 1919; but the last "9" began to look like a "3."

Dear Jo: Here I am at home, arrived yesterday. Feel fine but am still weak and must take care, of course. Love to all, Teddy.

 

A Streetcar Valentine, 1903

 

This Tuck postcard (not mailed, undivided back, copyright of 1903) reminded me of The Daily Postcard and Streetcar Sundays. I hadn't check on the blog in awhile; the owner stopped blogging 8 years ago but kept her wonderful archives online. After perusing her blog, I'm beginning to think what is pictured here is an Interurban, a blend between train and streetcar that traveled faster, and between cities and countryside. The car is marked Broadway, and I can't help but think about how the outer boroughs like the Bronx were still rural in the early1900s.

Thank you Christine H. for the excellent images and historical research.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Stay safe.

Lion Coffee Trolley, c. 1900

Another delightful paper toy tucked inside of Lion Coffee. For more streetcars and trolleys, check out the archive of The Daily Postcard, which has a treasure trove of "Streetcar Sundays."

Turin Streetcars

Streetcars I have seen. I always enjoyed The Daily Postcard's Streetcar Sunday feature. I was thrilled to see these in Turin last month.

Traffic, 1923

A view from the Williamsburg Bridge looking west (down Delancey St., I believe). From the NYC Municipal Archive.

Broad St., Newark, N.J., 1913

Dear Mother, --as the stores at N.Y. closes at noon we will not have anytime for shoping so Julia Lear & I are going over again next week. Was tickled to read your letter this morning. Have written the boys. Give them my best regards. Love to Harry & all. Lovingly your daughter.

I can't make out her name--Bertye? In any event, a sweet note to her mom, Mrs. L. Smith of German Valley in New Jersey.

Earlier pictures I posted near this intersection of Broad and Market (1906 here, and 1908 here) showed different angles on the street, but always bustling with activity. By 1913, the city looks more urbane, with more cars and more money. Autos still share the street with streetcars and horse carriages. The large buildings and signs speak of aspirations, and the growth to come.

To see some modern day streetcars, check out the article at The Atlantic Cities blog,  "The Streetcar as a City's Moving Symbol." The Milan model is quite appealing.

Market Street, Newark, N.J. c. 1908

Streetcars, horse-drawn wagons, pedestrians, cobblestone streets and all those signs. Who could ask for anything more? I work in Newark and pass through Broad and Market streets five days a week, hence my fascination with the city's past.

Check out the sign for Proctor's "Newark's Theatre Beautiful" and then "Refined Vaudeville-Low Prices." Pillsbury's Flour is nice and visible, twice, on this busy street. Some of the signs on the left seem to float, indicating they were pasted on the photo: Reilly's and Van Horn's can be detected if you squint. Red Star Stamps might have been an early version of S&H Green Stamps, but I'm not sure.

Newark has a number of old buildings still standing, in truncated form, along Market Street. Orange, the destination on the streetcar,  is the name of a nearby suburb. Unlike New York City, Newark never consolidated with neighboring suburbs such as Orange, Belleville and Bloomfield. It's a fairly small "big city," with a population of about 277,000, according to the 2010 Census.

Miss Fannie Maurer of Gansford, Pa., received this postcard in May 1908:

I guess you are done housecleaning. I am just going to start tomorrow. How is your mother? You had better come along down when I come up. Carrie.

Broad and Market, Newark, N.J. c. 1906

Postmark: March 22, 1906

Sister Maria
I suppose you are sleigh riding now. Your sister, E.C.H.

Streetcar rubber stamp c. 1930s

Found several rubber stamps from the 1930s at a shop long ago. This was one of them. I colored the top one in colors that I thought might have been used for a streetcar long ago. But I could be thinking of the color of vintage toys and cartoon illustrations...

Check out Streetcar Serenity at The Atlantic Cities blog to find out about the benefits of modern-day streetcars.

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, c. 1910

A wonderfully busy commercial street. P & P Campbell Dyers and Cleaners, a dentist, and "New etchings by Cameron." A wild guess on the date. No bustle on the skirts, so I'm guessing 1910 or thereabouts. The clarity of the photo is quite nice: distinct cobblestone street, and the circular stairway on the streetcar, window lintels, shadows defining the cut of long skirts...

The card was never mailed, no stamp affixed, but was addressed to Nurse B. Donaldson at 250 Beufrerres (?) St.

"Printed at the works in Germany."

Frankfurt, 1930

 I miss Streetcar Sundays! I'll post as many as I can find. Always great to have a mission when rifling through postcard boxes. A tip of the hat to The Daily Postcard.

Afterglow Ave.! Sweet. The message is in German,  all I can make out is "Mein" and a couple of exclamation points.