So much for the all-over tan

TessyT in Queensland sends along this beach-going bronzed individual. The strange thing about it is that the model didn’t start out in a bikini; it was added to the photo later. Is is really that difficult in Australia to convince women to be photographed in a bikini instead of in the nude? If so, how much is plane fare to Australia? Or did the publisher of this card, Sidney Hughes of Brisbane, blow his royalty budget on the nude shot, then decided he needed a PG version?

High maintenance

Here’s a gal who likes her champagne dry and expensive. This reproduction of a 1930’s calendar poster from Gande, Price & Company of Hong Kong shows you just the type of high-class ladies you can attract with some high-class hooch. But, if you’re not a high roller, not to worry; they’ll hook you up with some Taylor’s Gin, Tuborg beer, or even some grape juice, if you happen to be dating someone who’s not as high maintenance as this lady appears to be.

This card is one of six poster reproductions which arrived yesterday from Qianqian, my new best friend in China. One of the cards she sent, a 1918 calendar poster from the Lobowl Medical Company, already exists in my collection. I’ll post the other four as the weeks go by.

Special delivery from Qianqian

Bronzed Assets

I hesitated just a little before posting these cards from Kris, as they seem at first glance to be a little more objectifying than my normal fare — but they do meet the criteria of girls who go postal and, despite first glances, Kris’s commentary finds the beauty within:

“It is interesting to note that often the face of ‘the beautiful woman’ in myth and fairy tales (was) left unseen…. Feminists tend to think it was a patriarchal conspiracy to depict women as objects but, like the prohibition against God’s graven image, I think it can be argued that no man or woman has ever captured the full picture of any truly beautiful woman. Nothing against trying…. In the attempt we perhaps get closer or at least come to know our weaknesses.”

Mighty Aphrodite

Kris continues: “This is definitely a modern Aphrodite fresh from the clamshell — though its possible she could be one of the Sirens seen in the Odyssey. Either way, I think she and Bronzy are two of the immortals.”

Out of uniform

This 1930 pin-up was known to her admirers as “A Little Salt,” but Postmuse writes that it’s something to pepper my New Year. And it did, arriving here on New Year’s Eve. It seems as though the pinups of yesteryear were all short and curvy; I’m glad that curves have made a well-deserved comeback.

...as good as a nod to a blind bat

Kris always manages to find the best cards. If this gal’s pose looks a little awkward, or if she looks a little pixellated, it’s because this is a lenticular “stereo” card: the view changes depending upon the angle at which you view it. Observed from an angle, this young lady has no wink and a Mona Lisa smile; looked at straight on, you get something close to the image above. Please make allowances for the not-quite-true-to-life view provided by the scanner.

This postcard is a little thicker than average, in order to create the effect, so naturally the Postal Service did their best to destroy it.

I just died in your arms tonight

Rosa in Mexicali, Baja California very kindly sent me a third postcard from the Mexican Calendar Girls Postcard Box by Chronicle Books. Being generally suspicious of Correos de México (the postal service there), she mailed this card from California, USA.

The image on this card is entitled Sacrificio (“Sacrifice”) and first appeared circa 1945. The doomed maiden rests in the arms of what appears to be an Aztec god, and is clearly overjoyed about it. Her honeymoon, perhaps? I must admit that looking at her makes me a little giddy myself.

Damn that florist, anyway

Rosa in Mexicali, Baja California was kind enough to send me a second postcard from the Mexican Calendar Girls Postcard Box by Chronicle Books. This one features an image entitled Flores (Flowers) by Armando Drechsler, which first appeared circa 1939. Of course, this postcard is a modern reproduction.

Rosa says that “this is my favorite postcard. She is beautiful and I love the colors.” Me gusta tambien. Red, white and green are, of course, the colors that appear on Mexico’s flag.

One can’t help but admire Drechsler’s work here. His depiction of this woman is everything a man could want: large eyes, full red lips, the curves and swells of a beautiful body — then he has to go and ruin it by putting a bouquet in the way.

This is how I stand all the time

This card is an oddity, with no description of any kind and the only pre-printed markings on the back being the dividing line between the address and message sides, and a few lines onto which to write the address. Kim in the Netherlands sends it along, hoping this girl is pretty enough for you — er, I guess she means me. I think this gal has got curves in all the right places, but could definitely use a few more pounds. And do you suppose she ever smiles?

The original Catwoman

GirlZoot, who continues to send me the most wonderful women via snail mail, notes that there is no such thing as too much Bettie Page. She is, of course, correct. She also notes that this photo was taken by Bunny Yeager, who was herself a ridiculously gorgeous pinup girl back in the day and who is still an active photographer today. Bunny’s photography career really kicked off when she sent an image of a nude Bettie decorating a Christmas tree to a brand new, little-known publication called Playboy.

GirlZoot closes her postcard with the message “will send more girls soon.” Presumably this means postcards featuring girls rather than actual girls, but you never know. Still, I won’t get my hopes up.

A boost for tourism

When Ana at My World of Postcards received a card identical to this one a few weeks ago, she mentioned that she thought it would appeal to me. She was right. Naturally, I had to have one, and it was a simple matter to arrange a postcard swap with Rosa, who had originally sent this card to Ana.

I did Ana one better, though: her postcard was mailed from California in the United States, while mine was mailed from Mexicali, Baja California in Mexico. Interestingly, however, this postcard isn’t native to Mexico; it’s part of the Mexican Calendar Girls Postcard Box from Chronicle Books. The image on this modern card was first published around 1930; the artist, regrettably, is unknown.

Both Ana and Rosa could be calendar girls in their own right. Are all female postcard collectors beautiful, or is it just that all male postcard collectors are dirty old men? I did some research and it turns out that both statements are true.