tall tale postcards. a tall tale is an untrue declaration, an improbable (unusual or incredible or...

TALL TALE POSTCARDS

A tall tale is an untrue declaration, an improbable (unusual or incredible or fanciful) story .

• Synonyms• cock-and-bull story : an absurd, improbable story presented

as the truth• exaggeration• fable• fish story : an exaggerated or incredible story• flight of fancy : An unrealistic idea or fantastic notion, a pipe

dream. For example, She engaged in flights of fancy, such as owning a million-dollar house. This idiom uses flight in the sense of "a soaring of the imagination," a usage dating from the mid-1600s.

• yarn : a tale, esp. a long story of adventure or incredible happenings: He spun a yarn that outdid any I had ever heard.(spin-spun-spun : tourner, ici, faire durer en longueur)

•

• Tall-tale postcards emerged around the turn of the 20th century, when postcards came to function as surrogates (substitut) for travel. People soon realized that postcards could be used to create or sustain a certain utopian myth about a town or region, and crafty photographers began to physically manipulate their photographs

• Nowhere did these modified images, or "tall-tale postcards" as they came to be called, become more prevalent than in rural communities that hoped to forge an identity as places of agricultural abundance to encourage settlement and growth. Food sources specific to the region — vegetables, fruits, or fish — were the most common subjects. They gave the idea that the place was like a cornu copia.

Alfred Stanley Johnson, active in Waupun, Wisconsin from 1909-1935, is known for his highly-realistic, action-packed, black and white scenes which contrasted wild images with understated captions for a humorous effect.

J. Herman's work appeared under his name or as "Series 85," and was mostly published by the Midland (New York) Publishing Company around 1912-1913. Herman produced only a few cards, mostly images of produce on railroad cars and fishing themes.

An artist known only as Leigh was recognized for his partially hand-tinted, black and white images of gigantic fruits on horse-drawn carts in Florida. All of the cards were copyrighted in 1909.

William H. Martin, active in Ottawa, Kansas, from 1908 to 1910, is the most well known of all tall tale postcard photographers. Executed in black and white, his gigantic corn, rabbits, cabbages and other subjects convey his exceptional attention to detail and perspective. Some Martin cards were so popular that they went through multiple printings and were even plagiarized

Bringing in the Sheaves, Kansas City, Missouri, 1908.

Nip & Tuck, Powell, Wisconsin, 1911. Photograph by William H. Martin.

Our Barn is Full, Waupun, Wisconsin, 1912. Photograph by William H. Martin.

Slicing Tomatoes, Waupun, Wisconsin, 1913. Photograph by Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr.

Onions, Waupun, Wisconsin, 1909. Photograph by Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr

William H. Martin (1865-1940) : (Untitled--County Fair)

William H. Martin (1865-1940) : "Potatoes Grow Big in Our State"

William H. Martin (1865-1940) : "Harvesting a Profitable Crop of Onions"

William H. Martin (1865-1940) : "'Salted.' So easy. Put salt on their tails."

William H. Martin (1865-1940) : "How We Take Our Geese to Market"