Study In Knees

No, not those knees. "STUDY IN KNEES AT CYPRESS GARDENS Cypress knees come up from the roots of the trees in fantastic and gnarled shapes but never grow to be trees, only acting as breathers, the same as leaves do on other trees." Addressed to "Ralph Lerch, Granite City, Illinois. U.S.A." And the written message, "Here's a little still study in art that you might like. Beautiful scenery & stuff on the beach. Boy they sure give you some service in Miami. A fellow comes out every few minutes and gives you the run down on the horse races and takes your bets while you're lying in the sand. See you all latter. Kindest regards to Fran, Frankie and yourself. Al Lehman" The funny thing is that this postcard has Cuban stamps and no post mark, so it looks like Al took the boat to Havana and did some more drinking, gambling, and maybe hit a brothel or two, then never mailed the card.

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I've always thought of Las Vegas as the place that nice middle class Americans go to sin in safety. Miami and Havana, both mob cities in the forties and fifties, could have been a little more dicey for Al Lehman. He might have been one of the many low level gangsters who made some cash during prohibition who then went semi-legit with a night club, illegal gambling in the back room, and a couple of girls who sat at the bar and cut in the house for a percentage of their earnings. Miami and Havana would have represented the big time to him. Then again, he might have been a nice respectable guy who wanted a bit of fun that would impress Ralph Lerch. What a great name.

Royal Palm Hotel

Built on the north bank of the Miami River, the Royal Palm Hotel opened in 1897. It was built by Henry Flagler, partner of John D. Rockefeller, railroad owner, and real estate developer. Flagler is credited with starting the resort building boom along Florida's east coast. When he showed up in Miami, it was just a small town, but after only a few years, it had become a major resort destination for the wealthy of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. The Royal Palm was the first building in Miami to have electricity, elevators, and a swimming pool. It was built on a Tequesta Indian burial mound, and over sixty skulls were removed during construction, which were given away as souvenirs. Damaged by a hurricane in 1926, infested by termites, it was condemned and torn down in 1930. Each card has the usual stamp block with postage listed as "ONE CENT For United States and Island Possessions Cuba, Canada, and Mexico. TWO CENTS For Foreign. The color image of the hotel is from the 'FLORIDA ARTISTIC SERIES" and has a publishers mark, "PUB. BY THE H. & W.B. DREW CO. Jacksonville, Fla." Also, "IN GOD WE TRUST." The black & white image was printed by "The Rotograph Co., N. Y. City. (Germany)" The color shot of the dock, "Made in Germany. A. C. Bosselman & Co., New York." The only thing I could find about any of the card publishers was about the son of A. C. Bosselman. The son was killed on New Year's eve, 1921. It seems he got a bit rowdy, got into an argument with a policeman who hit him in the head and fractured his skull. In the articles I found from the January 3, 1921 edition of the New York Times, Bosselman senior was listed as a souvenir manufacturer, and his son was listed as the manager of his father's Washington office.

Flagler Garden, Miami

Yet another entry in my growing collection of nightclub, souvenir photo folders. (Click on night clubs in the labels section to bring the others up.) Sometimes I can find a lot of information about these old nightclubs, that once catered to an America that liked to go out, listen to big band music, jazz, and to dance the night away. On Flagler Garden, not so much. After entering every combination of words I could think of into the search engine, I came up with just two references. Flagler Garden Apartments, which may or may not have been built at the same location as the club, and a brief reference on a site devoted to defunct ball rooms. They were defining ball rooms as anything from a small club with a 10 x 10 dance floor to the massive halls with space for hundreds of dancers. As far as the photograph goes, it wasn't fixed or washed well. I spent years in photo labs, I notice these things. An interesting contrasts between the two ladies. The blond seems alert and ready for a much longer night. The brunette (Or redhead?) looks like she's ready for bed. The two soldiers and the hairdos put this image in the early to mid forties, probably World War 2. No dates or names were written anywhere on the cover, and there is no address for ordering more photos.