Pull up a chair to the table and help yourself to some of that beautifully-roasted bird up there. This postcard is a Raphael Tuck card postmarked 1909. Yup, almost a century ago, and the setting is as appropriate for so many Americans today as it was then!..
Well, okay, so maybe not appropriate for MY family; I spend the holiday in the Florida Keys with my dad, who is retired, and my Thanksgiving feast involves beloved traditions like fresh steamed shrimp and crab legs dripping with butter and lemon ...
...I’m aware most folks don’t share happy memories of the annual Thanksgiving Crustacean.
That said, I thought I’d share with YOU some favorite Victorian Thanksgiving postcards from my collection-- which are 100% shellfish-free. And at the end of today’s post, there will be a little downloadable surprise for you as my way of saying thanks for visiting The Thrift Shop Romantic blog this year.
Turkey. The late Victorians were virtually unable to talk Thanksgiving without talking Turkey. And if you look carefully, you begin to suspect the scenarios they depict would not have been QUITE so idyllic as they portray.
For instance, one of my cherished cards here:
Awwww.... the baby has just learned to walk! Only now there’s simply no stopping him. So far he’s gone after the cat, the dog, the rooster, and now the turkey is being chased as part of a special holiday aerobics program.
Except anyone who knows the general disposition of turkeys knows that turkeys all have some attitude. So what self-respecting turkey is going to put up with a lengthy slow-speed barnyard chase scene instigated by a cherub-cheeked child in a ruff?
No good can come of this.
Now THIS poor girl is under the impression that she can make friends with the turkey through bribery...
You have to wonder who sent the child outside, not with loose grain, but with a corn cob to hand-feed the turkey? It’s probably that one goofy relative everyone has.
You know the one: that crazy Cousin Lou or weird Uncle Jimmy who, when you were five, thought it was HILARIOUS to play keep-away with your favorite stuffed toy? Or let it slip accidentally-on-purpose that your old dog Blue wasn’t sent to a farm to live after all?
Yep, he’s probably watching at the window of the house right now, waiting to see just what happens. He and cousin Eustace might even be making bets on the action...
At least it passes the time until college football starts.
Now THIS little girl has more of the right idea...
Look at the trepidation on her face. She is saying to herself, “Those birds are monstrous big and they’re beginning to circle. I’d try to pet one but I may need all my fingers for kindergarten next year. Perhaps I should think of some better pastimes than standing outside in the November cold without a coat.”
In contrast, there’s THIS kid...
He’s been desensitized a LONG time ago by “Old Yeller” and “The Yearling” and “Call of the Wild” and “Charlotte’s Web” and all those tearful classics we had to read. He’s made good friends with our friend trusting Tom Turkey, sure, so his smiling contemplation as he holds that axe is just a little unnerving...
And look at the turkey. Now there’s a turkey who not only feels betrayal but knows his goose is cooked...
Especially if he’s seen the little culinary equivalent of the Jolly Roger symbol there to the side of the card as we zoom in here...
Ah, but the Victorian era was not only about the eternal struggle between Child and Turkey. Here are just a few other cards from the same era, these depicting the serenity and beauty of the Thanksgiving autumn season...
Oh, and somehow still sorta about turkeys, though. Notice the number of them employed in even their most subtle designs. The Victorians clearly had their priorities when it came to Thanksgiving! (Here’s a rather beautifully-colored one which is entirely void of turkeys, believe it or not...)
I hope that YOUR Thanksgiving offers you some pleasant times with family and friends-- no matter what your dinner entails.
As a special treat, I leave you with this; I’ve placed scans of three of the cards you’ve seen today into a PDF document which you can download, print out and use for your own crafting/decoupage projects! Just click the file name below to begin downloading:
Thanksgiving.pdf
And next week? We’ll have “What in the Macrame Is It?” a humorous look at some very 70s crafts. Hope to see you then!
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