'F. S.' Publishers

"A. Q. Southwick"

New York, USA

A Q Southwick, of New York was a short lived publisher of quality cards operating for about a year in 1907-8, which are of particular interest because they published several sets of F S cards - almost certainly shortly after the London View Company closed down in August 1907.

Most of their cards have a dated copyright statement on, and some had series numbers. A google search revels two different groups of cards with 1907 copyright numbers. One group were greetings cards of large cities.

The other was a set of a dozen cards showing the gemstone and flower associated with each month of the year. No information is available on the artist and there appears to be no UK connection.

   

N10 - see Advice to ...

 

There then follows a number of sets numbered N10 to N23. These were presumably issued in number order and as the subject on N16 (which is copyright 1908) relates to the leap year it was presumably published in early 1908 - and the earlier undated cards were presumably published in late 1907.

The sets N10 to N13 are of particular interest because they are all card by F S, published without the signature, and with some words changed for the American market.

N10: Five cards of the Advice to ... Set are known and in the example shown the words "Caretaker" changed to "Janitor" and "Charing" to "Scrubbing." The set was probably published in the UK before the USA.

N11: Two cards of the Who Said Liar Set are known and the set may have been first published in the USA.

N12: Three cards of the Mistakes will occur sett are known. In each case the title is changed to "Mistakes will happen" and in the example shown the words "paraffin" is changed to "gasoline" and "pub" to "bar room."  The earliest UK card in the set was posted in January 1908.

N13: Two cards of the Take a Friend's Advice are known. In the example shown here the price tag has been changed from shillings to cents. and while the set may have been prepared for publication in the UK it may have been first published in the USA.

 

N13

see Take a Friend's Advice

N11 - see Who Said Liar

 

N12 - See Mistakes will occur

 
 

Sets N14 and N15 are both copyrighted by A G Southwick but appear with the "Bee logo" back associated with the Souvenir Post Card Co. The nature of the link between the two companies is not clear.

1908 copyright A G Southwick

No Signatures

"Bee Logo" Back

(but no reason to suggest "F S" was involved)

 ß N14

   
 

ß N15 â à

 

 

         

 

 

N16 - See LeapYear

 

Could sets N16 to N18 be by "F S" prepared especially for the American market? All are unsigned (as are all A Q Southwick cards) and they are somewhat similar to his style, although the faces are more sharply drawn. None appear to have been published in the UK.

 

N16 was clearly prepared for publication in 1908 (a leap year). "No Wedding Bells for Me" was the title of a song published in the USA in 1906. and mentioned on cards by several other artists. All six cards in the set are known.  However there are similarities with the work of the American Artist, Rose Hyman.

 

N17 is based on the song "Said the Saucy Little Bird on Nellie's Hat" published in 1907. I have identified six cards in what is presumably a set of six.

 

I have so far identified five cards (out of six) in the set N18. One has a stamp indicating it was a sample being sold by the Souvenir Post Card Co.

 

While the artist remains unknown it seems more likely that Rose Hyman was the artist, rather than "F S"

 

 

N18 - see Affinity

(The US equivalent of a Valentine card)

N17 - see Saucy Little Bird

 

 

N19 - See Dear Hubby

 

N19 and N20 are a complementary pair of sets with the husband writing home to his wife (or vice versa) saying how he misses being at home - when the picture on the card tells a very different story. None of the cards are signed by the artist but a comparison with N11, N12 and N13 makes it almost certain they are by "F S". See "Pictures overflowing the frame."

 

N20 - Dear Wifey

So far I have identified five  "Dear Hubby" cards and four "Dear Wifey" cards - but presumably there are two series of six. There is no evidence that they were ever published in the UK..

 

Series by artists other than "F S"

No reference to Southwick

No Signature

 

Series N21

 

ß Posted 26 September 1908

Copyright M W Taggart 1908

with "Bee Logo" Back

 

Series N22 not identified

I'm very busy by the way

 

Series N23

No Signatures

 

ß "Southwick" Back

Posted 1911

 

"Southwick" Back à

Posted 14 November 1910

 

A very pressing engagement keeps me here.

I am seizing the first opportunity

 

ß "Southwick" Back

N23.5

Copyright M W Taggart 1908

Posted August 1909

 

"Bee Logo" Back à

Posted 13 April 1909

 

I didn't come here to fish

It would seem that the above sets represent nearly all the output of A Q Southwick as a detailed search of ebay and google found only one other class of card - a series of the Hudson Tunnels, copyright 1908, with the Bee logo back - which fits in with the normal wide range of views published by the Souvenir Post Card Co.

 

 

 

Advice to Young Men About to be Married

Borrow Some Kids from the Neighbours and take them out.

See how you like it

 

Other versions see Advice to ... Series

Southwick Back

Ref N10

 

Advice to Girls About to be Married

To Get used to House-work

Try a few weeks scrubbing

No Signature

 

Words "Caretaker" changed to "Janitor" and "Charing" to "Scrubbing"

Southwick Back

Ref N10

Posted in Canada

23 September 1911

Advice to Young Girls about to get married

Try sitting up for the Milk a few Nights. It is good practice

No Signature

Southwick Back

N10 (truncated)

22 January 1914

EB0048

Advice to Girls about to get married

To Get used to a Husband

Try sleeping with a beer barrel and some stale tobacco

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N10

Posted in Iowa

7 May 1909

Advice to Young Men About to be Married

Try feeding the cat on cold nights for practice

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N10

Posted in Portland, M.E.

3 March 1911

 

Who Said Liar

And that's how I saved our Regiment, Gentlemen

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N11

 

Who Said Liar

Miss Bullion, Darling, I love you for your self only

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N11

 

Mistakes will happen!

Great Scott! I've kissed my own wife

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N12

26 April 1912

Posted in Massachusetts

Mistakes will happen!

Then why did you marry me Sir?

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N12

12 December 1912

Posted in Ontario

EB0147

Mistakes will happen!

Jimminy! I've brought the gasoline instead of the beer

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref N12

22 February 19??

posted Canada

Take a Friend's Advice

And take two

No Signature

Southwick Back

Ref: N13

23 July 1908

Posted in Ohio

[19 September 1908, posted in N.Y.]

Take a Friend's Advice

And buy one

No Signature

 

Muzzles priced in cents

Southwick Back

Ref N13