Lot #750: Two Vintage Postcards - Christmas "Glaedige Jul!" ("Rudolf Olsen Kunstforlag, Kobenhavn, Denmark") - Half-Tone 1907 "American Fall from Goat Island"

This lot features two Vintage Postcards: (1) First, one undated Vintage Christmas Topical Postcard, unused, showing a Christmas scene with horseshoe, bells, and holly the Danish message "Glaedige Jul!". This coloured postcard indicates the publisher as "Rudolf Olsen Kunstforlag, Kobenhavn. Made in Denmark" and is not stamped, postmarked, or used. Rudolf Olsen was one of Denmark's most prominent "Kunstforlag" (Art Publishers). The firm was renowned for commissioning established Danish artists to create seasonal illustrations, which were then printed using high-quality European chromolithography. While many North American and British publishers outsourced their printing to Germany or Great Britain, the Danish houses took great pride in their domestic printing capabilities and the "Made in Denmark" Mark, which often resulted in a distinctively "Nordic" color palette—cool blues contrasted with very vibrant, warm "Christmas Reds." The message "Glædelig Jul!" (Merry Christmas) is surrounded by a carefully curated set of symbols that would have been deeply familiar to a 1910s–1920s audience: the horseshoe was a universal symbol of good fortune. In Denmark, it was common to include these "good luck" charms on holiday greetings to wish the recipient a prosperous New Year. The Bells and Holly represent the "ringing in" of the season and are standard European Yuletide motifs. Danish cards from this era often have a "crisper" and slightly more organized layout than the often-crowded Victorian or Edwardian cards from the UK or US. (2) Second, one undated USA Topographic Card Postcard, showing "American Fall from Goat Island". This black and white postcard does not indicate a publisher, but is printed in a lattice dot manner, like a newspaper photograph. This card is a fascinating piece of early American printing history, likely dating between 1901 and 1907. While it lacks the vibrant colors of your German lithographs, its "newspaper" style reveals a lot about the transition to mass-market souvenir production. Goat Island is the prime vantage point in Niagara Falls, separating the American Falls from the Horseshoe Falls. In the early 1900s, Niagara Falls was the undisputed "Honeymoon Capital." For travelers from across the Northeast, including those from Maryland or Pennsylvania like your other recipients, this was the ultimate landmark to document. The "lattice dot" texture on this card is a technical hallmark known as a Halftone Print. This was the most cost-effective way to reproduce a photograph in the early 20th century. By breaking the image down into a grid of tiny dots, printers could use a standard letterpress rather than the expensive, multi-layered chromolithography used by firms like Valentine & Sons. The presence of an Undivided Back without a postmark places this card squarely in the 1901–1907 window."No Publisher" cards with an undivided back and halftone printing were often sold in "Five-and-Dime" stores or at the tourist kiosks right on the Niagara Parkway. They were the affordable, "everyman" alternative to the premium embossed or colored cards of the era. Because these halftone cards were often printed on thinner, less refined cardstock, they are more prone to "foxing" (small brown age spots). The black-and-white (or sometimes a slightly sepia) tone gives the falls a dramatic, archival feel. It highlights the movement of the water more effectively than some of the heavily "hand-tinted" colored cards where the paint could blur the fine spray of the falls. Dimensions: 9 mm x 14 mm Pickup category timeslot {A}