Business and other Cards
While looking for some other stuff, I ran across a couple of boxes of business cards collected over the past 45 years. I don't think I ever threw a card away, packing them into a small box whenever I changed jobs or positions within a company. For each of the 500 or so cards, a sharp memory came back with a vision of a person or company that I've dealt with. Some companies no longer exist, some people have died or moved on to other parts of the country, I can see promotions or changes in their lives. It surprises me a little when I see how many companies I've worked for. I made a policy of changing careers every seven years or so, so that means a lot of personal cards representing a variety of jobs for me.
I remember one time when a technician ordered 1000 cards for himself at a windmill company in California. Two months later he was gone. I don't think I've ever gone through more than 100, even attending many conventions and trade shows. My present card has a photo of Carolyn and me with our Army Corps of Engineers shirts on. I included other information such as phone numbers, e-mail, marketable skills and GPS coordinates. Being able to design and print our own cards now in color make for a more attractive and memorable reminder for those we give them to. Another part of my photo business is providing these cards for fellow RVs at the campsites we visit.
I've been scanning carte de visite cards from the local town farm. These and cabinet cards (larger) were often left by visitors during Sunday afternoon socials. Suitors would give them to the ladies and they would make sure that the men carried away their photos. An annoying issue for me is that so seldom are the names signed or printed on the cards. The studio where the photos were taken is printed in bold on the back or around the edge, but nothing about the people. They are fine art in their own way. Obviously long exposures, stiff and stern expressions as required by the dignity of the visit to the photo studio. Still, the character and strength of those long-gone people shines through. They made this part of the country what it is today.
I remember one time when a technician ordered 1000 cards for himself at a windmill company in California. Two months later he was gone. I don't think I've ever gone through more than 100, even attending many conventions and trade shows. My present card has a photo of Carolyn and me with our Army Corps of Engineers shirts on. I included other information such as phone numbers, e-mail, marketable skills and GPS coordinates. Being able to design and print our own cards now in color make for a more attractive and memorable reminder for those we give them to. Another part of my photo business is providing these cards for fellow RVs at the campsites we visit.
I've been scanning carte de visite cards from the local town farm. These and cabinet cards (larger) were often left by visitors during Sunday afternoon socials. Suitors would give them to the ladies and they would make sure that the men carried away their photos. An annoying issue for me is that so seldom are the names signed or printed on the cards. The studio where the photos were taken is printed in bold on the back or around the edge, but nothing about the people. They are fine art in their own way. Obviously long exposures, stiff and stern expressions as required by the dignity of the visit to the photo studio. Still, the character and strength of those long-gone people shines through. They made this part of the country what it is today.