Bears

The sender offers well wishes to Anna Matilda Bair of Huntington, Indiana, and her family. He had a good time on Sunday at Lincoln Park where he got this postcard from his Cracker Jacks. He will write a letter and send money later in the week. The front of the card depicts the two Cracker Jack Bears dancing with a street vendor selling Cracker Jack in a park. Number six in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

In care of Noah Ely, love and best wishes are sent to Ellis Ely of Wakarusa, Indiana. The postcard includes a scene with the brightly-clad Cracker Jack Bears standing on the front steps of the White House. One shakes the hand of President Theodore Roosevelt. The other bear climbs one of the columns. Number seven in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1908-03-27

The brightly dressed Cracker Jack Bears stand on a Navy ship. The bears are surrounded by members of the Navy dressed in uniform. In handwriting on the back, the notation reads “Plainfield, Ill. Labor Day 1907.” Number eight in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

The Cracker Jack bears are featured in a corn field with children and a jack-o-lantern. A poem about corn and its use in Cracker Jack adorns the top right hand corner. Number ten in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

The Cracker Jack Bears are at the circus. One bear rides an elephant while juggling four boxes of Cracker Jack while the other bear feeds the elephant peanuts. A poem about Cracker Jack at the circus is located at the top right hand corner of the card. Number eleven in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

Dessie Gray Bair informs her mother, Anna Matilda Bair, that she will be home on Thursday. The front of the postcard features the Cracker Jack bears playing baseball. One bear holds a bat in preparation to hit a baseball and the other stands as catcher using a box of Cracker Jack as a mitt. Number twelve in a series of sixteen cards that were sent for free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1908-04-07

The Cracker Jack Bears stand with a peanut farmer in a field. A kite made from a Cracker Jack box flies overhead. A farmhouse stands in the background. Number nine in a series of sixteen cards that were sent free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

The postcard depicts the Cracker Jack Bears standing in an airship. The sky is blue with stars and Saturn in the background. One bear shines a spotlight onto a box of Cracker Jack hovering above a white planet. The poem on the postcard indicates the planet is Mars. Number sixteen in a series of sixteen cards that were sent free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.” The sender advises Melvin C. Bigelow when to ship a product to market to get the best price.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

The postcard features two Cracker Jack Bears making Cracker Jack. One bear stands on a case of Cracker Jack stirring something in a pot while the other bear carries a bowl of popcorn. The message on the back explains that the postcard was found by Mrs. Groff in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois, on August 4, 1967. Number fourteen in a series of sixteen cards that were free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

“H. E. V.” sends a postcard to Iva Harshbarger of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The front of the card features the Cracker Jack Bears flying in an airbus over the Cracker Jack building. Number thirteen in a series of sixteen cards that were sent free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

A postcard featuring an illustration of Theodore Roosevelt holding a gun and looking up at two bears in a tree. The bears have speech bubbles asking Roosevelt not to shoot them because they “met at the White House in Washington” and they are the “bears with Cracker Jack.” Number fifteen in a series of sixteen cards that were sent free to anyone who mailed in ten sides from Cracker Jack boxes or ten cents in “silver or stamps.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907

Color postcard with various inset illustrations of Theodore Roosevelt and associated scenes. The front of the card also contains a rhyme promoting the possibility of a third term as President.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907-1912

A “little man” holds a gun up in the air. He has a small bear tied to a rope behind him. A few lines of a poem are printed below the illustration, a modification of the old English nursery rhyme, “There Was a Little Man and He Had a Little Gun.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907-1914

Color postcard with a caricature of President Roosevelt and a teddy bear on a mechanical see-saw which can be moved up and down. Postcard appears to have been sent to Janet Woodburn for her birthday.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907-10-02

Leather etched postcard with an image of an upright bear on the front above the words “TEDDY BEAR.” It is unaddressed on the back, but bears ink postal stamps.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1901-1907

Brown postcard with a color illustration of a bear and a startled hunter. Written on the front of the postcard is “I’m looking for you in Yellowstone Park.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1901-1907

Postcard with color illustration of a teddy bear with pince-nez, U.S. belt, and ranger hat waving an American flag. To the left of the illustration is printed “Delighted to meet you.” The reverse of the card indicates that this is number five in Huld’s “Teddy Bear Series.” In a written message, Tallie hopes that Carl Kennedy will come down for a visit.

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1907-07-26

Theodore Roosevelt, with a bag emblazoned “Dr. T.R.” speaks to the large figure of Uncle Sam while Robert M. La Follette looks on through a window. Roosevelt says to Uncle Sam, “You’re a very sick man. I’m the only one that can help you,” while La Follette protests, “Quack! That’s all!”

comments and context

Comments and Context

This refers to the 1912 presidential race, where Robert M. La Follette and Theodore Roosevelt both sought the Republican nomination for president in opposition to William H. Taft on a more progressive platform. La Follette initially was the candidate of progressive Republicans because of Roosevelt’s initial refusal to run. Roosevelt’s later entry into the race, however, brought them into conflict, as many of La Follette’s supporters turned away from him to T.R.

Roosevelt, carrying his big stick, exits the White House and approaches a figure on the porch who is wearing a shirt emblazoned with “third term rumor.” Roosevelt rolls up his sleeve to fight, surprising the figure, who says “Eh, what? Your dearest friend too!” The commentary here is on whether or not Roosevelt will knock out rumors that he would seek a third term.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1907

Marc Hanna walks away from a chair labeled Vice-Presidency. Theodore Roosevelt and a small bear watch him.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1904