A Wandering Donkey and a Canadian Mystery: The Story Behind This Unusual Postcard

 

My uncle posing on a donkey for a postcard

This wonderful photograph/postcard from my collection has always puzzled me. Here is my uncle Leo as a young boy, bundled against the cold, sitting proudly atop a donkey wearing a blanket emblazoned with American cities and universities—Boston, Nebraska, Yale, Lehigh, Indiana, St. Louis. The kicker? Leo was from Sarnia, Ontario! So what on earth is this all about?

The Real Photo Postcard Era

This image is a textbook example of a Real Photo Postcard (RPPC), wildly popular in North America from roughly 1900 to 1915. Unlike mass-produced postcards, RPPCs were actual photographs printed on postcard-stock paper, making each one essentially unique. They captured everyday moments, special occasions, and—as in this case—commercial photo opportunities that traveled from town to town.

The Mystery of the Multi-City Blanket

At first glance, you might think this blanket was advertising these specific institutions. But the truth is far more clever. This wasn't about promoting Yale or Boston—it was about selling photographs.

Here's how the scheme worked:

The Traveling Photographer's Hustle: Itinerant photographers in the early 1900s were ingenious entrepreneurs. They'd travel from town to town with a docile donkey or pony and this very strategic prop: a blanket covered in famous American cities and prestigious universities.

Something for Everyone: The genius was in the variety. A family in Nebraska would see "Nebraska" on the blanket and feel an instant connection. Someone from Boston would spot their city and want the souvenir. The colleges added an air of sophistication and aspiration—collegiate culture was tremendously fashionable at the time, even for families with no connection to higher education.

The "World Traveler" Fantasy: The implication was delightful: this humble donkey had supposedly journeyed to all these far-flung places, and now your child could be photographed as a little adventurer who'd done the same. It transformed an ordinary backyard into an exotic travelogue.

Reading the Scene

Look closely at the details:

• The Setting: This is clearly someone's home—a modest clapboard house with shuttered windows. The tree trunk suggests this might be the front or side yard. The photographer brought his entire setup to the customer's door.
• The Season: That dusting of snow on the ground and the boy's heavy wool coat, high-button boots, and knit cap all point to a cold-weather visit, likely late fall or winter.
• The Era: Based on the clothing style and photographic techniques, this dates to approximately 1905–1912.

But Why Canada?

Here's where it gets interesting. These traveling photographers didn't respect international borders. The same photographer who worked towns in Michigan or Minnesota could easily cross into Ontario or Manitoba. The appeal of American colleges and cities actually increased the exotic factor for Canadian families. Your child wasn't just riding any donkey—they were riding one that had been to Yale!

It's also possible this photograph was taken during a Langan family visit to the United States, but I doubt it.

The Business Model

These itinerant photographers were running a brilliantly simple operation:

1. Travel to a town with donkey, blanket, and camera equipment
2. Go door-to-door offering photo sessions for a small fee
3. Take the photograph on location (usually the family's own yard)
4. Develop the RPPC and mail it to the family days or weeks later
5. Move on to the next town

The families got a charming, unique souvenir. The photographer got paid without needing a studio. The donkey got... well, hopefully some oats and a warm barn.

The Mystery Endures

I may never know exactly where this photograph was taken, though I suspect the traveling photographer came over from Port Huron, Michigan and knocked on the Langan family's door that cold day. But that's part of the charm of collecting these images. Each one is a small mystery, a frozen moment from a world that operated by very different rules than our own.

And somewhere, over a century ago, a clever photographer with a patient donkey and a well-traveled blanket created hundreds—maybe thousands—of these little moments of magic, one doorstep at a time.

Do you have unusual postcards or photographs in your collection? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below.

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References and Further Reading

On Real Photo Postcards:

Bogdan, Robert, and Todd Weseloh. Real Photo Postcard Guide: The People's Photography. Syracuse University Press, 2006.

Carver, Sally S. The American Postcard Guide to Tuck. Carves Cards, 1976.

Miller, George, and Dorothy Miller. Picture Postcards in the United States, 1893-1918. Clarkson N. Potter, 1976.

On Itinerant Photography:

Levinson, Robert E. "Itinerant Photography in America, 1850-1900." History of Photography 9, no. 2 (1985): 113-134.

Taft, Robert. Photography and the American Scene: A Social History, 1839-1889. Dover Publications, 1964.

On Collegiate Culture and Fashion in the Early 20th Century:

Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. Campus Life: Undergraduate Cultures from the End of the Eighteenth Century to the Present. University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Severa, Joan L. Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent State University Press, 1995.