Somewhere in Nebraska THEY WORE RIBBONS

No information to give about this real photo postcard other than it's larger than a normal one. It measures 6.6250" x 3.5". I don't know when sizes were standardized or if they ever actually were. This is the widest card I have in my collection.

I believe it may have been taken in Nebraska only because many of the shots I purchased at this particular sale were from there. Now as to what the occasion was for this shot, your guess is as good as mine. School? Church? And what gives with the ribbons worn by the adult on the left and two of the boys? Certainly they must have signified something. Some sort of honor. Ribbons that were taken home and probably placed in drawers. Eventually their original color faded and they were tossed aside as nothing more than a connection to a long forgotten memory.

Click on image to see it larger.

What I find most interesting is the attitude of these kids compared to the ones from 1961. Yes, these kids are slightly older, but they're far more serious in this situation. They are more respectful of the moment. The idea of childhood that we're all familiar with wasn't part of their reality. They were expected to pull their weight in the family and not sit and watch Sky King and dream of what Santa was going to bring them from the Sear's catalogue. Different times, different expectations.

I have mentioned the following book before, but want to remind you again of its signifi-

cance. Prairie Fires and Paper Moons is no longer in print, but can often be found in good used condition. If you have any interest in real photo postcards or simply vernacular photography documenting America between 1900 and 1920 check out the book. It's worth having in your collection. I did a post about it on December 5th of last year where I go into more detail about the contents. There is a link in the Amazon column to the left (sorry, Amazon doesn't provide a photo in the link) where you can see the variety of prices being asked for it. You might also want to check to see if your local library has a copy. Of course, as I too often find, library books are often listed in the catalogue but if it's a book hard to find it's just as often not returned to the library. I'm finding that happening more and more and it sets my teeth on edge. So I'll leave you with that image. Grinding my teeth about library theft. Better to buy the books legitimately.