All Aboard! It’s the episode you’ve been waiting for: vintage railroad timetables. Despite the potentially dry subject matter, it’s a surprisingly scenic ride. Dating back to the early 1900’s, many of these schedules are illustrated with smaller-scale (and more affordable) versions of gorgeous travel posters—advertisements for the destinations themselves, but also for the relatively new concept of train tourism. We’ll look at routes to Lake George, Pikes Peak, the Adirondacks, and many other destinations on this timely #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #182 - Travel Souvenirs
Today in the studio we have some unusual pre-postcard souvenirs: panoramic photographs of various cities and tourist sites, each folded into a booklike decorative binding. Published in the late 1800s—and in exceptionally good condition—these albums offer detailed bird’s-eye views of Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Salt Lake City, among other destinations. They’d make a great starting point for a larger collection, or a thoughtful gift for someone interested in one of these places, or in early photography. We’ll also reveal the one type of collection that Ken absolutely will not buy for the shop, plus the somewhat kitschy souvenir that he can’t seem to stop collecting.