by Peter Wimsey
Member since:
October 31, 2006

Vintage Views of Cape Cod

January 25, 2009 09:32 AM EST (Updated: January 25, 2009 09:33 AM EST)
views: 135 | rating: 8.6/10 (13 votes) | comments: 34

I found a lovely set of linen postcards containing views of Cape Cod.

The cards were never used, so there are no stories to be told about them.

Nevertheless,  the scenes were so charming, that I decided to share them. 

I find the linen postcards"painterly" in their distinctive palette of colors and in the preternatural stillness of the composition.

These cards, which are colored photographs, resemble water-color sketches.

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1.    Lewis Bay

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2.     Crosby Boat Yard - Osterville

 

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3.     Pretty River View

 

 

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4.     Wicket Island - Onset

 

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Comments: 34

donna f. Jan 25, 2009, 9:56am EST
Peter,
Just lovely. I have a friend who is a dealer in paper collectibles, and has many similar postcards. If you like, I could ask him to look at these and perhaps give you a history?
Peter Wimsey Jan 25, 2009, 10:01am EST
"I have a friend who is a dealer in paper collectibles, and has many similar postcards. "

Glad you enjoyed them, Donna.

I have learned a lot from postcard collectors who always have been eager to talk about their collections.
These "linen" cards, I know, dominated postcard production from about 1930 until the early fifties - when the glossy "chrome" cards were introduced.

If your friend has more detail about these cards, I would love to hear it.
donna f. Jan 25, 2009, 10:08am EST
It might take me a few days, but I'll ask him. When I find out, I will send you a private message.
Ashley Prince Jan 25, 2009, 10:17am EST
Wow. Those are wonderful! :)
Wilma M. Jan 25, 2009, 10:45am EST
Those are works of art.
Peter Wimsey Jan 25, 2009, 10:55am EST
"When I find out, I will send you a private message. "
Thanks, Donna.
Peter Wimsey Jan 25, 2009, 10:56am EST
"Wow. Those are wonderful!"

Thanks, Ashley.
Peter Wimsey Jan 25, 2009, 10:56am EST
"Those are works of art. "

I thought so, too, Wilma.
Trish A. Jan 25, 2009, 12:07pm EST
These are lovely. I just learned that according to good Feng Shu you should have a boat leading into your house and the ideal is to add gold to it and this would lead toward positive money issues. Maybe you could hand these up on the wall and somehow add something gold to them!
Peter Wimsey Jan 25, 2009, 1:49pm EST
" Maybe you could hand these up on the wall and somehow add something gold to them! "

If it works, Trish, I will have a very popular article: "Recovering My 401K Through Feng Shui".
Beaker (just Beaker) Jan 25, 2009, 5:58pm EST
A nice bright dose of summer on a snowy January day. I'd love to be there. What is Wicket Island? I've only been to Cape Cod once, and I was more interested in the seafood than the ocean, for a change. I recall the day as blustery and dark, but then I was in my surly teen years.
Mariana T. Jan 25, 2009, 8:19pm EST
I love these cards - each one is really pretty - in reading the comments I noted one about Feng Shui which I look forward to reading! Salud
Madame Donna C. Jan 26, 2009, 12:36am EST
These are beautiful images, Peter.

"The cards were never used, so there are no stories to be told about them."
You just used them and I would bet they could be the source for many stories from a talented pen who took the image as a stimulating cue.
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 12:06pm EST
"The cards were never used, so there are no stories to be told about them."

You just used them and I would bet they could be the source for many stories from a talented pen who took the image as a stimulating cue.

Thank You, Madame Donna.

These pristine cards do have their "uses".
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 12:07pm EST
"... in reading the comments I noted one about Feng Shui which I look forward to reading! "

I will only write the article if great wealth comes to me through Fung Shui, Mariana!
Mariana T. Jun 13, 2009, 1:32pm EDT

Our greatest wealth is inside our hearts and those of us who respect te past will be respected in the future with golden moments.  Salud
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 12:09pm EST
"A nice bright dose of summer on a snowy January day. I'd love to be there. What is Wicket Island? "

I would have enjoyed reading your comments as a "surly" teen-ager", Beaker.

Wicket Island is in the Bay near the town of Onset, Mass.

I think the GeoTag will show you the place.
Dannielle S. Jan 26, 2009, 12:20pm EST
Perhaps I will send a link for this collection to Galahad, so he can get his "sailing fix" over these bleak winter months. Also, as an added benefit, he might reconsider his vote against a trip to Massachusetts -- he says he'd rather visit Mystic seaport.

We spent our honeymoon on Cape Cod, starting in West Chatham and driving up the Cape to Provincetown. I believe that was my first time visiting the Atlantic coastline, and I remember the grey vastness of that September view. Trying to imagine how it felt to set forth in a tall ship across that expanse was daunting. We often forget how much courage that took.
Beaker (just Beaker) Jan 26, 2009, 12:32pm EST
Thanks, Peter. I realized it was a lazy question and looked it up right away. But is it privately owned, or part of a park, or is there a lighthouse? It seems like a fine setting for a gothic novel.
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 3:37pm EST
"We spent our honeymoon on Cape Cod, starting in West Chatham and driving up the Cape to Provincetown. I believe that was my first time visiting the Atlantic coastline, and I remember the grey vastness of that September view. "

It sounds lovely, Dannielle. I remember my first trip across Cape Cod, too.

By all means, try to lure Galahad to the Cape with these lovely scenes.
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 3:38pm EST
"...is it privately owned, or part of a park, or is there a lighthouse? It seems like a fine setting for a gothic novel. "

That, I do not know, Beaker.

I may hail our friend Bob, elizabeth e., to learn what she knows about these Cape Cod scenes.
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 3:44pm EST
Beaker, I found an excellent history of the island.

http://plymoutharch.tripod.com/id195.html

I am stuck in an airport again, so I have time for research.
Sheryl O. Jan 26, 2009, 3:51pm EST
These are lovely, Peter. Much of the Cape has remained intact and you can still find many such scenes today. I grew up going there. Our favorite spot was Corporation Beach in Dennis, on the Bay side. These take me back. Thanks.
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 10:49pm EST
"These are lovely, Peter. Much of the Cape has remained intact and you can still find many such scenes today. I grew up going there."

This is very good news, Sheryl.

I have never forgotten the first few times I drove miles across the Cape in early Autumn (Fall Conference in Hyannis).
It is stunningly beautiful.

There is an historic railroad that I rode through cranberry bogs near Hyannis or Barnstable.

It was delightful.
Peter Wimsey Jan 26, 2009, 10:59pm EST
I forgot to mention to Beaker - I don't know what structure is apparent in the picture of Wicket Island.

The archeological article said that the island was never consistently inhabited -there is no supply of fresh water on it.
Aniko     Jan 30, 2009, 8:56pm EST
They do look like watercolor paintings. Something about the light, I suppose.
Peter Wimsey Jan 31, 2009, 8:35am EST
"They do look like watercolor paintings. Something about the light, I suppose. "

And the color palette, I think, Aniko.
Mary Louise Marker Feb 13, 2009, 1:59am EST
These views are really very lovely, Peter. I have always wanted to visit Cape Cod, and these scenes make that wish even stronger.
I was glad to read Sheryl's comment that the Cape is unspoiled.
Peter Wimsey Feb 14, 2009, 12:15pm EST
"I have always wanted to visit Cape Cod, and these scenes make that wish even stronger."

I have visited the Cape several times, Mary Louise, and the pictures have the same effect on me.
Martin Mandeville Apr 5, 2009, 11:58am EDT
These are great, Mr. Wimsey. I've never been on the Cape, but it looks like a beautiful place to visit.
Peter Wimsey Apr 17, 2009, 10:57pm EDT
" I've never been on the Cape, but it looks like a beautiful place to visit. "

It is, Martin.
Kenn T. Jun 13, 2009, 6:29pm EDT

Ah, Peter - it is as though you found postcards of my home.  The first card you offered looks like my home, on Cape Ann in Massachusetts.  The Dutch Colonial house in dead center is in the same sea-side style as my own home on the rocks in Gloucester.  I have charming old pictures of my house dating back to this same time, but they are not loaded onto my PC or I would share them now for comparison.

Thank you for always sharing these treasures from the past.  And thanks to dear Mariana for directing my attention to this lovely post.
Peter Wimsey Aug 17, 2009, 7:15am EDT
How lovely the area around your home, Kenn.

I have visited the Cape a half-dozen times, and have always found it beautiful.

Sorry that I did not see your comment earlier.
N. L. D. Sep 10, 2009, 10:54am EDT
Your postcards are truely lovely.

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