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Fruit From Washington - E. Morgan Williams' Special Collection |
| Welcome
to the E. Morgan Williams Collection of exaggerated postcards and other
rare graphic collectibles!
Thanks to collector, E. Morgan Williams, we are able to expand our display of historic fruit postcards from the Pacific Northwest. The cards shown here were collected by Mr. Williams over the course of many years. He has granted us use of these fine images for your enjoyment. Thank you, Mr. Williams! The exaggeration images shown here are the rare, harder to find images from the State of Washington. Please be patient, there are many great pictures included here and they may take some time to load. We promise it will be worth the wait!
Click on each image for a larger view! |
Morgan Williams grew up in Ottawa, Kansas. Ottawa was the home of W. H. “Dad” Martin, a local photographer who established the Martin Post Card Co. From 1908-1911 “Dad” Martin created many of the most outstanding exaggeration images ever made and he is widely known for his postcards. With the exception of two or three of the E-Nak-Ops Jubilee postcards which appear on this page, all other postcards shown here are held in the private collection of E. Morgan Williams. Information and images are for personal and academic use only...not for reproduction or distribution without written permission from Mr. Williams. |
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SOUVENIR POSTCARD OF TAFT DAY AT SPOKANE,
This is a very rare printed browntone, black and red postcard issued by the National Apple Show in Spokane, Washington for the visit of U.S. President William Howard Taft to the Apple Show on September 28, 1909. President Taft visited the National Apple Show six months after becoming President. The postcard is quite rare as it was issued just for a one time event in a very limited quantity. It is highly collectible by National Apple Show collectors and by presidential postcard collectors. William Howard Taft, a Republican, defeated William Jennings Bryan, running on the Democratic ticket for the third time, in November of 1908. He was inaugurated president on March 4, 1909 and served one term as president. President Taft was nominated by the Republicans for a second term in 1912 but former president, Theodore "Teddy' Roosevelt, bolted from the Republican party to lead the Progressives, thus guaranteeing the election of the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson. Taft, now out of the job he did not like, the Presidency, served as Professor of Law at Yale until President Harding make him Chief Justice of the United States in 1921, a position he held until just before his death in 1930. He was the only man in American history to hold both offices. Taft said the appointment to the Supreme Court was his greatest honor; he wrote: "I don't remember that I was ever President." Taft, as an adult, weighted 300 pounds or more, the heaviest of any president. President Taft most likely enjoyed all the tasty food at the special APPLE LUNCHEON in Spokane on September 28, 1909, where every item on the menu featured the "Apple as the King of Fruits." One would also think for sure he enjoyed the special "Game Dinner" held the evening he visited the National Apple Show at the Bozanta Tavern in Hayden Lake, Idaho. According to a copy of the menu the "Game Dinner to The President of the United States" on September 28, 1909, had ten courses and featured Olympia oysters; celery branches; ripe olives; hunter's broth; Hayden Lake bass, Meuniere, lemon cucumber; breast of partridge, burgundy; heart of artichoke, Oregon grape sherbet; haunch venison; cub bear; elderberrry jelly; sweet potatoes; lettuce and tomato salad; bozanta cooler; cottage cheese; Idaho fruits; coffee; cigars; Moet & Chandon White Seal and Apollinaris. Now that is a real dinner. One can see a copy of the "Game Dinner" menu by clicking on this link. The communities of Hayden and Hayden Lake are located in the beautiful panhandle of North Idaho in Kootenai County. The Bozanta Tavern was opened in July, 1907, and became known nationwide as a posh resort and home to socialites from the country. "Bozanta" is an Indian word that means Meeting Place by the Lake. In 1927 the tavern was taken over by a group of Spokane and Coeur d'Alene area businessmen and became what is now known as the Hayden Lake Country Club. Today the Club is regarded as one of the premier clubs in the Western United States and retains the early reputation of "The Switzerland of America." - E.M.W., 1/18/04 SOUVENIR OF TAFT DAY AT SPOKANE Sept.
28, 1909
7:00 a.m.--Arrival of President's train at N.P. depot. Compliments of NATIONAL APPLE SHOW We Will Welcome You Again Nov. 15-20 A LOAD OF APPLES IN GILMER VALLEY
This is a real photographic postcard which shows an exaggerated image created by H. M. Brown, a photographer from Gilmer, Washington. The image was published on a real photographic postcard in 1909. Mr. Brown's name is in the image of the postcard on the front and is also stamped in purple ink in the upper left hand corner on the backside. The stamp does not contain the name of the town and Gilmer is hand written in. This may indicate Mr. Brown also had a studio in another town.
This postcard was mailed from Husum, Washington, on May 9, 1913. It was mailed to Mr. James Edwards, % Major Creek Lbr. Co., White Salmon, Wash. What is very interesting and unique about the message on the postcard is that it was written by a man with the same last name as the valley, Johnnie Gilmer. Johnnie points out that his family owns the field shown in the photograph and that the house belongs to his grandmother. It is very rare that one finds a postcard where the person who wrote the message on the back is directly related to the image on the front. The message says: Dear Friend: I am sending you a photo of our apples. This is my old team on the truck. You can see our field and Grandma's old house. I am driving mules now. Best Regards to all. Johnnie Gilmer % Mt. A. O. Co. Propertyies - E.M.W., 4/15/02
“A BURLINGTON RUTABAGA”
This is a real photograph postcard with an exaggeration image created by Wolfe Photo which features a Burlington rutabaga on a horse drawn wagon. The photograph is from Burlington, Washington. The image is on real photographic paper. It is not a printed postcard. The postcard was mailed from Burlington, Washington on April 2, 1908. It was mailed to Miss Myrtle Wanamaker, 201 10 Ave. N., Seattle, Wash. by Bill. I have not seen other exaggeration images by Wolfe. In many cases a local photographer who got interested in exaggerated images created more than one. I would like to find out more about the Wolfe Photo and if they created other such images.
The Burlington rutabaga exaggerated image by Wolfe Photo also appears in color as a printed postcard. The printed version was published by Sprouse & Son, Importers and Publishers, Tacoma, Wash. and was printed in Germany. One would assume Sprouse & Son had an arrangement with Wolfe Photo to use their image. Some of the printed postcards are titled "A Puget Sound, Washington, Rutabaga." Others are titled, "A Puget Sound Rutabaga, Everett, Washington." The practice of changing the title on the printed exaggeration postcards to fit a certain local area was quite common. The earliest postmark I have seen on the printed version is 1909. The printed color version of this postcard shows up quite often but the real photo version of this image is extremely rare. - E.M.W., 4/15/02 STATE OF WASHINGTON “Where Pears Grow as Big as Babies, and Babies Come In Pairs”
The “State of Washington, Where Pears Grow as Big as Babies, and Babies Come in Pairs,” postcard is an excellent one which shows a large exaggerated pear with baby twins inside the pear. The postcard image is printed in color on good quality paper. The postcard was published by the SPROUSE & SON company of Tacoma, Washington probably between 1907 and 1910. The postcard is number 3488. This postcard is very hard to find today. Sprouse and Son also published the printed color postcard entitled “A Puget Sound, Washington, Rutabaga.” The postcard in my collection was not mailed and does not have any message on the back. The name of the publisher is on the backside. - E.M.W., 4/16/02 BIG BEND PRODUCTS - Bridgeport, Washington 1911
The real photograph postcard shows some outstanding “BIG BEND PRODUCTS” such as turnips, beets, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and much more with two lovely babies sitting on top of the large pile of crops. The photograph is an interesting use of the exaggeration concept and was obviously set up to show off, to display, to enhance the size of the outstanding agricultural products from this area of Washington. I am assuming “Big Bend Products” stands for the area of the very big bend that is in the Columbia River at Bridgeport. If this is not correct please let us know. The following signs can be found on the “Big Bend Products:” Turnip 27 lbs.; Beet 28 lbs.; 23 lbs. is on a large head of cabbage; 5 lbs. is stuck in a potato and a sign on a carrot reads 5 lbs. The photograph is an Alfred E. Ritter photo, Bridgeport, Wash. which is now a town of around 2,500 people. This is the only photographic postcard I have seen by Alfred Ritter. Maybe someone out there can tell us about Mr. Ritter, the occasion for the interesting photograph and who the two babies are. Let’s hope so.
The postcard was mailed from Withrow, Wash. on January 30, 1911 by two children to their mother, Mrs. Nancy Tate at R. 1., in the small town of Burnt Prairie, Illinois with a personal message: 1-20-11 According to a website I found, Withrow is a very, very small town and was named after early settler Jack Withrow who was known for housing Great Northern’s engineers overnight when their trains were delayed. The last store in Withrow closed in 1981 and the post office left in 1988. There are now around 40 people in Withrow. Withrow is still alive and kicking, the website said. Some people would collect this postcard just because it has on it a postmark from a post office that is no longer in existence. In the collectors market these are called DPO’s, discontinued post offices. For me, I am interested in the wonderful photograph first and the rare postmark second. - E.M.W., 4/16/02 WASHINGTON CHERRIES By J. H. White 1910
This real photograph postcard shows a charming young boy, with a great hair style, carrying a stem of large cherries over his shoulder. The exaggerated image was created by J. H. White in 1910. This is an outstanding image and one of my all time favorite exaggeration postcards. I do not know anything about J. H. White or where he was from. The only clues are that the postcard was mailed from Prosser, Washington on October 3, 1910 and that the message on the postcard was written in Mabton, Wash. on Oct. 2, 1910. Mabton is a town of around 1,500 people not too far from Prosser where the postcard was mailed. Prosser is part of the Yakima Valley's fruit growing district, is a shipping point for sheep and cattle and has a population of almost 5,000.
FROM THE STONY
POINT OYSTER CO.
The State of Washington is not just known for its world class fruits and vegetables it is also known for its outstanding fish products. This real photograph exaggeration postcard shows huge oysters loaded on a Northern Pacific railroad flat car. The oysters take up the whole car. These extraordinary oysters are from the Stony Point Oyster Co. and the photographic image was created by Shropshirie. We would appreciate any information one can tell us about the Stony Point Oyster Co. and about the Shropshirie photographic studio. There is some indication the Stony Point Oyster Co. is still in business. I am sure these oysters could make their way into the Guinness Book of World Records. The Chamber of Commerce in South Bend says that it is located on the beautiful Willapa River and everyone should come there and enjoy some of Willapa Bay's world famous oysters. The Chamber says that South Bend is the "OYSTER CAPITAL OF THE WEST." I wonder if they have a copy of this photograph hung in their office? - E.M.W., 4/17/02 WASHINGTON ASPARAGUS GROWERS ASSOCIATION Sunnyside, Washington
This photographic exaggeration postcard shows the office of the Washington Asparagus Growers Association in Sunnyside, Washington. In front of the office is a Ranchero pickup loaded with a standard size bunch of asparagus. One would assume this postcard was made to advertise the Growers Association and asparagus. Aren't you glad you mother did not try to get you to eat asparagus this size? We would like to know the man's name who is driving. If you know drop us a line. This postcard is unusual as very few exaggeration real photo postcards were made in the 1960's. The postcard was mailed July 23, 1962 to: Mr. and Mrs. Galen Johnson, Sr. who lived at Route 6 Mt. Vale, Maryville, Tenn. The message says: "Hi Folks, How do you like the
size of this asparagus? I don't blame you if you doubt it, so do I.
It's hot here today. Weatherman promises more of same. Apricots are
ripe so we are enjoying those now. We are so happy the kids are comming
out so are all the Folks. Hope Sunnyside is known as the hub of the Yakima Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. Sunnyside is the home of over 12,000 people. Yakima County is first in the state of Washington for net cash returns from agricultural sales, close to $ 90 million. - E.M.W., 4/17/02
WASHINGTON APPLES, ONIONS, STRAWBERRIES AND CUCUMBERS Four Photographs by O. T. Frasch Seattle, Washington
These four real photo exaggeration image postcards all show great crops from the state of Washington. The images were all created by O. T. Frasch, a photographer from Seattle, Washington, in 1909. Mr. Frasch published many real photo postcards about Seattle but as far as I know these are the only four exaggeration postcards he created. The four real photo postcards are "Washington Apples" number 177, "A Car Load of Washington Onions" number 176, King County Strawberries Washington" number 175, and "A Washington Cucumber, number 174." The four exaggeration images are rather standard, are not complex or very creative when compared to many other exaggeration image postcards. As you can see if only takes three Washington apples to fill the Northern Pacific railroad car number 56242. It also only takes three onions, eleven strawberries and one cucumber to fill the same car. The Washington onion postcard was mailed from Seattle on June
28, 1909 to a Miss Johanna Marti of RFD, No. 2, Box 107, St. Joseph,
MO. The postcard has on it the common green Ben Franklin The message said, "Seattle, Wash., June 28/09. Come to Washington where onions grow. Hood-ly-a." Maybe Mr. Frasch made these postcards to sell at the World Fair in 1909. If you have information about Mr. Frasch or other very interesting real photo postcards by him please let us know. - E.M.W., 4/17/02
THIRD NATIONAL APPLE SHOW 1910 AT SPOKANE Nov. 14-19 AT CHICAGO 1st REGT. ARMORY Nov. 28-Dec. 4 “THE APPLE FAMILY IS ON THE WAY”
The Third National Apple Show in 1910 published a very clever postcard to advertise their show in Spokane and in Chicago. The cartoon type image shows a very large "Apple Family" on their way from the apple farm to the Third National Apple Show. The postcard is very attractive and was printed in color with strong red and greens. The artist who created the image signed his name in the lower left hand corner. The name is difficult to read but looks like Norrij or Morrij. If anyone has the exact name and information about the artist please let us know. Leading the Apple Family to the Apple Show are Mr. and Mrs. Wolf Rivers. Then comes old man Brother Jonathan followed by Mr. and Mrs. Wagener. Next comes Herr Spitzenburg walking beside 18K Grimes Golden who has $ signs sewn on all over her dress. Mr. and Mrs. Rome Beauty; Mr. Newtown Pippin; Miss Delicious who is carrying a yellow umbrella; Macintosh Red who is wearing an Irish costume and playing a bagpipe; and other members of the Apple Family are following in the large family delegation. Walking along side pushing a baby buggy with twins, looking very grumpy, are The Crabb Family. Everyone is dressed up in suits and fancy dresses. Bartlett Pear and Tommy Quince are standing on the side crying as they will not get to go to the Show. Miss Peach is standing on the fence and crying, "I'm a PEACH but they won't let me go." The back of the postcard is the standard divided back and does not have any special printing on it. The postcard shown here was mailed from Spokane, Wash. on October 25, 1910, a little over one month before the show in Spokane. It was mailed to a John L. Trimer, Es. in Springfield, So. Dak. The message says: Friend Trimer Have an apple They are very fine this year--come to our Apple Show Yours Robert Tieffry 04517 Madison St. Spokane This same image shows up for the Fourth National Apple Show in 1911 in Spokane as a printed postcard but this time is it not in color. It is black with green tones similar to the other postcards published for the 1911 show. There were at least seven postcards published for the 1911 Apple Show. This is the only one I have seen for the 1910 show. Are there other ones out there? If you have one please let us know. - E.M.W., 4/16/02 E-Nak-Ops Jubilee, Spokane, Washington
The Fourth National Apple Show and E-NAK-OPS JUBILEE held in Spokane, Washington from November 23-30, 1911, must have been some kind of a show, a real blowout. We are fortunate that at least six very creative, interesting black and green tone printed postcards were published for this great apple show by Shaw & Borden Co., Spokane, Washington. The images were engraved by the McDermid Engr. Co. of Spokane. The postcard images combine the concepts of reality, exaggeration and cartoon characters to make some outstanding images for the Fourth National Apple Show. The Top Apple, King Rex, shows up in three of the postcard images. I know of six such images printed on postcards by the Shaw & Borden Co. and maybe there are more out there I have not seen. The six postcards show:
1. King Rex is shown beaming with pride, with a large group of people who are going, with some clowns, to a masked costume ball. They are having "8 Days and Nights of Joy." I am sorry to have missed this party.
2. King Rex is shown with a group of eight of his subjects, Winesap, Brother Jonathan, Wagener, McIntosh Red, Newtown Pippin, Spitzenburg, Rome Beauty, and Grimes Golden, who are dancing in a circle around King Rex, are all ready for the big show and all the parties. The image is titled appropriately "IN THE GOOD OLD APPLE TIME."
3. King Rex is shown in the sky riding high over Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane. The buildings on Riverside Avenue are all decked out in American flags which welcome everyone to Spokane. A streetcar is coming down the middle of the street. "Riverside Avenue Spokane Where King Apple and the E-Nak-Ops Hold Jubilee Nov. 23- 30, 1911" is printed on the face of this postcard.
4. A young boy is shown with a huge exaggerated apple sitting on the limb of an apple tree and in the background is a very large display of apples.
5. "A Peach Among the Apples" shows a beautiful young lady showing off a huge display of apples.
6. "In the Shade of the Young Apple Tree" shows a young boy standing in front of a young apple tree and holding a huge apple. The young man is picking pippins for the Fourth National Apple Show. I have a copy of one postcard, number four above, that was mailed to a Mrs. M. L. Hardin, Ladoga, Indiana on November 6, 1919, from Spokane. The card has a personal message on the back of it, not related to the Apple Show, addressed to Dear Mother. The sender of the postcard is not identified unfortunately because there is a very unique, interesting message written on the face of the postcard. On the front of the card is hand written in ink, "This series of cards was my work. We printed 60,000 of them. Here is little y le's picture." Then I can't make out the rest of the message. - E.M.W., 4/15/02 These postcards are held in the private collection of E. Morgan Williams. Information and images are for personal and academic use only......not for reproduction or distribution without written permission from Mr. Williams. Other Postcard Collection Link E. Morgan Williams' collection of political and other postcards related to Ukraine, Russia and the former Soviet Union at http://www.ArtUkraine.com/postcards/index.htm. |
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Mr.
Williams is the co-author with Cynthia Elyce Rubin of a book about
exaggeration postcards, titled “Larger Than Life: The American
Tall-Tale Postcard, 1905-1915” (Abbeville Press, 1990).
