Untitled Document

Tuck Thanksgiving Series no.3 circa 1908
American Post Card Thanksgiving Series no.85
No information on card
Unknown, marked series 54
MW Taggart 1909
Unknown, marked series 54
Bonton Art, 1912
Unknown, 1908
Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcards Series no.123, undated
Edgar A Guest , undated
Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcard Series no.123, 1907
Unknown, undated
F.A. Moss, 1909
Unknown, dated 1913
F.C. Loungbury, 1907
ibid
Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcard Series no.161, 1913
ibid series no 123 1908
F.A. Owen Company 1912
Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcard Series no.123, 1907
American Post Card Thanksgiving Series no.85

*Vegetarians for animal liberation especially will enjoy the postcards that depict scenes of friendship between people and turkeys,

*Ambiguity is evident in the postcards that show kindness, even sympathy, for the turkey, and simultaneously make a joke of the turkey’s impending fate.

Anxiety, that is stress, caused by cognitive dissonance -- the semblance of conscience for the turkey who is to be slaughtered, and the dictate of the culture to deem the bird as dinner and objects of ridicule -- manifests in the nervous type of humor.

*The postcards are a demonstration of conflicting values of the American culture of that time.

One American value of the early twentieth century was kindness to animals, a Biblical idea of a Christian nation, and another value was to celebrate Thanksgiving with a hearty feast centered upon a turkey on the table as a quasi-patriotic duty.

*Some postcards offer a false honor to the turkey for his alleged ‘sacrifice’ of himself for the Thanksgiving celebration. This ‘honor’ may have been a method of assuaging the conscience of the meat-eater, who ate the honored being.

*Perhaps for humor, and not in malice, some postcards depict turkeys as fearful for their future.

Is the humor, based on the turkey’s anxiety, to assuage the conscience of the meat-eater? After all, killing the turkey must not be terrible if the birds themselves are making a joke of it.

*The beauty, dignity, and individuality of the turkey is lovingly depicted in some of the cards.

*In some of the postcards, traits of turkeys are depicted, such as that they enjoy their lives, and enjoy the companionship of other tukeys - their mates or family group.

Turkey for a Day
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a turkey at Thanksgiving?
Well, the third and fourth graders at Granville Village School have.
Here are their interpretations of Thanksgiving from a turkey's eye view.





















	Postcard Info (from top, left to right) Tuck Thanksgiving Series no.3 circa 1908 American Post Card Thanksgiving Series no.85 No information on card Unknown, marked series 54 MW Taggart 1909 Unknown, marked series 54 Bonton Art, 1912 Unknown, 1908 Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcards Series no.123, undated Edgar A Guest , undated Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcard Series no.123, 1907 Unknown, undated F.A. Moss, 1909 Unknown, dated 1913 F.C. Loungbury, 1907 ibid Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcard Series no.161, 1913 ibid series no 123 1908 F.A. Owen Company 1912 Raphael Tuck & Sons Thanksging Day Postcard Series no.123, 1907 American Post Card Thanksgiving Series no.85 Click for Part 2 of the PostCard Exhibit Click on Picture for Turkey Videos Vegetarians for animal liberation especially will enjoy the postcards that depict scenes of friendship between people and turkeys, Ambiguity is evident in the postcards that show kindness, even sympathy, for the turkey, and simultaneously make a joke of the turkey’s impending fate. Anxiety, that is stress, caused by cognitive dissonance -- the semblance of conscience for the turkey who is to be slaughtered, and the dictate of the culture to deem the bird as dinner and objects of ridicule -- manifests in the nervous type of humor. The postcards are a demonstration of conflicting values of the American culture of that time. One American value of the early twentieth century was kindness to animals, a Biblical idea of a Christian nation, and another value was to celebrate Thanksgiving with a hearty feast centered upon a turkey on the table as a quasi-patriotic duty. Some postcards offer a false honor to the turkey for his alleged ‘sacrifice’ of himself for the Thanksgiving celebration. This ‘honor’ may have been a method of assuaging the conscience of the meat-eater, who ate the honored being. Perhaps for humor, and not in malice, some postcards depict turkeys as fearful for their future. Is the humor, based on the turkey’s anxiety, to assuage the conscience of the meat-eater? After all, killing the turkey must not be terrible if the birds themselves are making a joke of it. The beauty, dignity, and individuality of the turkey is lovingly depicted in some of the cards. In some of the postcards, traits of turkeys are depicted, such as that they enjoy their lives, and enjoy the companionship of other tukeys - their mates or family group. Have attitudes towards turkeys changed since the early Twentieth Century? A sample from around the Web… Feast Most Foul - Thanksgiving dinners PETA would love. MEGHAN COX GURDON By (followed by reader comments)* http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527528/posts Revolt of the Turkeys by Allan Appel http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/serials/ Talking Turkey by Mary Lou Healy http://www.ruralvermont.com/vermontweathervane/issues/winter/97011/healy97011.shtml Turkey for a Day Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a turkey at Thanksgiving? Well, the third and fourth graders at Granville Village School have. Here are their interpretations of Thanksgiving from a turkey's eye view. http://www.granvilleschool.k12.vt.us/turkeyday.htm Diatribe: The transubstantiation of turkey by Dan Evans http://archives.thedaily.washington.edu/1998/112598/O1.diatribetu.html