Arts & Culture

Fall is in the air, and one's mind turns to cool forest walks, wool sweaters and spooning.

It is always advisable to put a time limit on spooning. 1911 vintage postcard.

Did you know there is a huge vintage postcard collection at the Toronto Reference Library Arts and Special Collections Departments? Many of these are scanned, digitized and available  through the Toronto Public Library Digital Archive. 

Here's a sample of vintage spooning postcards from circa 1910, the Edwardian era. 

A table spoon. 1908 vintage postcard.

I feel sometimes we think earlier generations were a bit dour and prudish, especially in the Victorian era, but these cards show a whimsical and mildly risque quality that belies that. 

A table spoon. 1910 vintage postcard.

It took me awhile to find the spoon connection in this last one, so see if you can spot it faster than me!

In the Good Old Summertime. 1907 vintage postcard.

The man in the moon or couples on the half moon or (man in the moon) was a very common theme in vintage postcards in the 1910s-1930s period. Many fairs, etc., would have a photography studio with this as a standard type prop. See this Ebay search to get a sense of the wide range of possible images like this. 

Spooning in the moon. Circa 1910 vintage postcard.

You may know this very early 1902 French silent film with the iconic shot of the man in the moon with a rocket in it's eye (it's at 6:16).

A Trip to the Moon (French: Le Voyage dans la Lune) is a 1902 French silent film directed by Georges Méliès. It's considered one of the first science fiction films.

Vintage postcards often came in series – and here are three from the "Spooners Delight" copyrighted 1908 by J. Thomas.

It's so hard from our vantage point to understand were they actually considered risque at the time. Certainly of the three pictured here, two went to single women – "Miss" in the address – and reading the handwritten letters on the back of each one, there is nothing especially sexual in nature. Maybe these were just seen as funny?

"You may kiss me once, but kiss me nice, Then perhaps, I'll let you do it twice". Spooners Delight 1908 vintage postcard

"Don't you dare to kiss me – IF you do, Remember I'll get even with you". Spooners Delight vintage postcard 1908

To realms below I'd gladly go, Could I but be your Romeo". Spooners Delight vintage postcard circa 1908.

In addition to the comic and romantic above there's also the cruelly comedic one below. I originally thought she was selling newspapers but it seems more likely she was selling sheet music on the street corner! 

All the Latest Songs. 1906 vintage postcard.

You may ask yourself, how did spooning become associated with affection? It may be connected with a Welsh tradition of carving love spoons.  Or it may be as simple as how two spoons side by side look like two people laying on their sides together and connected. Are you the big spoon or the little spoon in your life or, that rarest of spoons, the versatile one?