Netherlands

NL-2618386

This card from Neterlands is not a traditional postcard but a greeting card.  It is, however, quite cute.  

Germany

DE-3401654

Bad Tolz 

This card apparently shows the health spa at Bad Tolz, Germany. It looks amazing! 

USA - Indiana

This card is of Purdue Pete, an unofficial (but widely used) mascot of Purdue University.  Pete, in this card, is carrying a sledgehammer (symbolic of being a boilermaker) and has a gold brick on his head as a hat.  

Pete was originally the mascot of The University Bookstore, a bookstore directly across from the university in 1940.

USA - Indiana

A lovely black-and-white card of two cats (one black, one white) walking side by side and leaning up against each other with their tails draped around the other.

I got this card probably when one of the local Boarders Bookstores was closing just because I thought it was an awesome photo card. 

Russia

RU-2080808

Trinity Cathedral in the city of Ostashkov

Ukraine

I Am Ukrainian and I Cannot Keep Calm

This card is a play on the now-famous World War II-era UK poster "Keep Calm and Carry On."  It came from Ukraine.  It is in reference to the EuroMaiden of 2014, or as the writer states it "in honor of the Revolution in Ukraine in February 2014).  

The card has an awesome stamp of a rooster.  She also drew this very cute purple/pink caat saying Greetings from Ukraine" while holding a flag in the colors of Ukraine's colors.  The blue rectangles on the scan below are omissions covering my and the sender's address.  .

USA - Texas

A direct swap from Texas of a postcard of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha's (1860-1939) The Times of the Day: Brightness of Day, 1899 and Documents decoatifs, 1902. 

Russia

RU-2097143

The Chuvash State Art Museum

USA - Indiana

A card reminding me that one of my cats needs to go the vet.  

Austria

Stephansdom, Wien

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, Austria

United Kingdom

Trafalgar Square, London

Thanks to my friend Karolina for sending me this card.

China

CN-1254759

A postcard of grey and white fluffy clouds from China.

Poland

Warrszawa, Pałac Kultury i Nauki

The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw in the tallest building in Poland and was completed in 1955 as a gift from the Soviet People, it was originally named after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.  The building offers wonderful views of the city and today holds various office buildings, a university, at least two museums, a swimming pool, and a variety of theaters.  Warsaw's Hard Rock Cafe is located just down the way from the building.

On a personal note, it is literally my father's least favorite building in Warsaw, if not all of Poland.

Russia

RU-2504716

This appears to be an advertisement card for the 500 year anniversary of the painting Sistine Madonna by the painter Raphael.  The painting had apparently been held in the Soviet Union/Russia for quite some time before being returned to the German city of Dresden.  

The sender also sent me the below bus ticket as well!

USA - Indiana

The Memorial Union Building, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

This card was mailed on February 16, 1948 at around 1 PM, so this card is now over 67 years old.  

The card is addressed to a Mr. and Mrs. Drake of 1039 Troy Pl. N.W. in Canton, Ohio.  Whowever sent the card (the signature is illegible) apparently was living in the Union and had a class of only 8 people.  Impressive!

Netherlands

NL-2610687

This card, featuring a lion, bald eagle, zebra, and elephant came from the Netherlands.  The card's odd look via the scan is probably because it was a 3D card.

USA - California

US-2900930

In the Booth

This is a card I figured I'd save for Valentine's Day.  The photo is apparently called "In the Booth" and is from the Seattle Post Intelligencer Collection and Museum of History * Industry in Seattle, Washington.  The card, however, was sent apparently from LA.

USA - Arizona

US-2902788

.

Saguaro National Park, Tuscon, Arizona

The card mentions that the etchings you see on the rocks were made by people who inhabited the area hundreds of years before abandoning it around 1200 AD.

This card was sent back on July 24, 2014 (and did arrive back in the summer). I think the fact that it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit is pretty far away from what we have here in winter.  

USA - Washington

US-2900934

This folded postcard shows a ton of cats.  It is totally awesome!  The card's folded over part has these other cats on the back side of the card. 

Poland

PL-931666

Warsawa - Starego Miasta

I was so excited to get this card.  It is of the Old Town in Warsaw.  This was also this sender's first card that she ever sent, which is just awesome!  

The images of the card are views of Old town, including the Castle square, Piwan Street, the Old Town Makret Square, and the Barbican (the series of walls/forts around the Old Town).

Old town was heavily destroyed in World War II and had to be rebuilt.

Finland

FI-2169871

Ponds Creams

This reproduction advertisement card for Ponds Creams is from the "Fifties Allure Series (A)".  It is from an original in the Robert Opie Collection at the Museum of Advertisement & Packaging.  

I love vintage advertisements like this.  Oddly the containers of the cremes are very tiny compared to the bathing beauty which takes up the rest of the card's image.

Germany

DE-2537256

A card advertising a German lottery.

I believe it roughly translates to "May luck be with you."

Lost Postcard: To Ukraine

Lost Postcard: US-3115898

Card Mailed on or about: 2 December, 2014

Days Since Sent:  69 days

Sent to: Kiev, Ukraine

Postcrossing User Sent to: zhovkivchanka

This beautiful postcard is of one of my favorite paintings from an Art Institute of Chicago exhibit called Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity back in 2013.  The card is of a painting by French artist James Tissot (1836-1902) and is called July: specimen of a Portrait, c. 1878.  This dress was featured in not one but two of the artists works on display at the exhibit.  The original painting is located at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Postcrossing user, Anna,  is still active, so hopefully this card is just taking its time getting to Kiev.  Of course, over the past year since the upheaval of the Euromaidan protests and then the issues in Crimea and the rest of the eastern part of Ukraine, it seems that mail service getting to and from Ukraine has been a bit of an issue (quite understandably considering the situation!)  I have high hopes that this card will arrive eventually.

This postcard is missing.  Please check your mailbox.

United Kingdom

GB-566860

The Castle, Whitstable, Kent

Turkey

TR-192739

Izmir, Turkey

This card was sent by a 18 year old Turkish girl.  On the card she mentions studying international relations and political science and mentions how nice of a country Turkey is.  

According to Wikipedia, Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey (after Istanbul and the capital Ankara).  The city was known by the name Smyrna until 1930.  

Bulgaria

BG-42936

Sofia, Bulgaria

This card shows the Zhitni Bazar, or Wheat Market.  It is located at what is now the intersection of Iskar and Veslets streets.  The painting a 19th century water color by Josef Oberbauer and is housed in the Sofia History Museum in Bulgaria. 

Netherlands

NL-2605793

This card of a wet topless women with a sweatshirt covering her bottom torso is a card that I loved with I received it.  I have no idea what it is for or why someone thought to take a photo in this pose nor why to make a card of it.  It is just beautiful though.

USA - New York

US-2794019

A map of New York State

This card is the longest domestic card I've received thus far.   The card was postmarked on July 24, 2014, but had been mailed around May 16, 2014 and arrived 73 days later on July 28, 2014.  

The card traveled 700 miles to get to me from New York City.  If it had been mailed on May 16th, it would have taken 9.59 miles per day to get to me.   

Lost Postcards: to Russia

Lost Postcard: US-3094564

Card Mailed on or about: 19 November, 2014

Days Since Sent: 76  days

Sent to: Moscow, Russian Federation

Postcrossing User Sent to: SistersM

This card is of the painting Spirit of the Night by British artist John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-1893).  It was mailed in November and still has yet to arrive at its destination.  The card was sent to a pair of young sisters who mentioned a love of fairies in what kinds of cards they enjoyed receiving.  At last check they hadn't checked their account in a month, so it is possible that the card may still arrive.  Hopefully the card will still arrive.  

This postcard is missing.  Please check your mailbox.

Belgium

BE-300903

American Line: Southampton-Cherbourg-New York

This card, mailed from Belgium is of a picture at a museum in in Antwerp.  

I love older travel advertisement photos and cards like this!