A Bygone Era

I came across these postcards while I was looking for some photographs. They belonged to my Grandmother and she collected them in the early 1920s. They were made in the US by Reithal A Newman Pubs, NY.

The cards are called The Proposal, The Wedding, The Honeymoon and the First Evening in their own Home.

I guess in time they issued more cards to round out the series, The Family, The Financial Problems, The Divorce, The Custody Dispute and....

No, only joking. They are really beautifully done and perhaps represent a bygone, hopelessly malignant era, when things were much simpler in some ways and where women never raised their heads, their voices and clung to their partners for dear life. No comments please dear male readers, I know what you are thinking....

I loved my grandmother and I loved listening to what her life was like as the oldest of 14 children. I was lucky to have spent a lot of time with her. She was a true friend. Funny enough she was not like the shy, retiring ladies on these cards. She worked hard, alongside her husband on a farm. My memories of her were of a happy woman who spent her days picking grapes, milking cows, feeding chickens, cleaning eggs and preparing beautiful and bountiful spreads for family and friends. She was a pioneer in many ways.

Sometimes in understanding where we come from we can better understand where we are now. I feel a great need to go back to basics again in my life. I wish my grandmother was still here. Looking at these cards makes me miss her all the more.

Be open to learn the lessons about life and love from your parents and grandparents because one day it will mean something when you least expect it. You don't get a second chance.