Postcard Discussions: Kite Flying Postcards & Collectibles

Generally, there are two ways to enjoy kiting, making them and flying them. Well, maybe three, watching the silent beautiful flower colors in the air. To put this in prospective, I am a mental health therapist and spent 13 years working in an aggressive assaultive treatment program; kites do not talk back to me. I want to make my own kites but do not have the time or space to do it. But I have found other ways to enjoy them.

What started out as a passion for scrapbooking, has spun off into entries in the Minnesota State Fair and general collecting of history and memorabilia of kite items. My main interest for scrapbooking still exists. I seek out post cards, pictures, cards, product trade cards, magazines – all of which somehow have kites as a focus. These are then set into a scrapbook page to attractively display the object. One would be surprised at where kites can be found.

Post cards are a prime source of kites. To increase the eyes looking for kites, I joined the Twin Cites Post Card Club (www.twincitespostcardclub.com) which has regular meetings and shows that bring together many dealers at one time. This allows me to make connections with specific dealers, who in turn have other resources, that all can funnel kite cards for my approval.

Then from this collecting it is possible to see and select a group of post cards from turn of the 20th century which became an entry in the 2008 Minnesota State Fair and award winning at the Twin Cities Post Card Show that fall. The entry, Historical Kites of the World, post cards were framed around a day/night picture of Earth from the Space Station with cards from France 1904-06, Germany 1906, Netherlands 50s, China 1900, Japan 30s and USA 1900.



Several years ago the Minnesota Kite Society (www.mnkites.org) did a display at the Hennepin County Historical Society building featuring local kite makers and kite making. My historical/memorabilia display was a part of the day-long event. As the day progressed, the director of the facility suggested a kite history just of Hennepin County . And that lead to collecting kites and pictures all centering on the Twin Cites area.

By going to the Minnesota State Historical Society and looking through the archives, many pictures were found of Minnesotans proudly holding homemade paper kites. These pictures were used in an entry titled, Historical Kites of Hennepin County, which was framed with a WWII era paper kite made by the Northwestern Kite Company of Minneapolis . Also in the frame is a 60s era “Goofy Grape” promotional kite sent out by Pillsbury, a Minneapolis company.

Moving from the scrapbook size to memorabilia, you can not forget the kite itself. After all that is what we are here for. The current hot interest is the paper kite from the 50s and 60s. It might be of interest to note, when a person reads about a patent on a kite reading 1930 or so, that is not the date of the kite but rather the date when the little metal staple was invented to hold the two wooden cross spars together. It allowed the person to move them from parallel to intersecting and hold into position.

A collector could zero in on the company which made the kite such as Northwestern Kite Co. in Minneapolis or Decatur Kite Company in IL. Or the type of kite, such as “Barn Door,” “Diamond”, or “Box” could be a collection focus. The military significance of the kite, such as the Cody Kite lifting men for reconnaissance or transporting equipment in WWI, could also be a collecting focus. The target kites and radio aerial box kite ”Gibson Girl” for downed airmen during WWII could be in this category as well. Both of which I would love to get my hands on. Or at times various businesses, such as, Zenith, GE, Jiff peanut butter, Buster Brown Shoes, Jolly Green Giant, Chevrolet, Phillips’s 66 as well as countless others were all advertised on the paper kite. If you are collecting kites with a specific brand name, you are competing against people who are collecting all memorabilia from that same product. For example, a Mc Donald’s collector will also want a kite just because it is McDonalds, but you may not want any other McDonald’s collector item.

We all have loves in our life and we send them Valentines. If you are a kite enthusiast, you would of course send a kite focused Valentine. Again using your local antique dealer, or post card club you can locate turn-of-the-20th century ornate die cut cards or the ones we signed and sent in grade school. With the help of Charlie Sotich of Chicago , an enlarged and improved entry in the 08 Minnesota State Fair “I Love You Kite, My Valentine” was entered in 09. Charlie is an infamous miniature kite maker who crafted a one inch valentine kite from a napkin which became a center focus of the entry. The poster size display that was entered is a selection from about 40 collected Valentines all having a kite in the picture.

Referring back to the “Cody kite”, with a box set of post cards from the Drachen Foundation of Seattle , (www.drachen.org), about Samuel F. Cody the “Samuel F. Cody and his Kites” was a 2009 entry in the Minnesota State Fair. There are countless ways to bring kites to the front of our minds for enjoyment and education.

Many countries around the world have issued series of postage stamps or first day covers (FDC) with kites as a focus. Slowly over time I have accumulated about 30 different country stamps and framed them around the theme One Sky One World. Again, in a 40” x 24” poster frame, having a picture of the world in the center and another Charlie Sotich miniature kite made for a postage stamp, an entry for the 2009 State Fair is arranged telling the story of One Sky One World in the kiting world through postage stamps. This entry won a fist place in 2009.

A project for the 2010 MN State Fair will be to enter the First Day Covers in a category as a collection. It is unclear at this time the title theme for the entry.

And for the antiques Americana collector “primitives” there are samples of line winders that go back to early 1900 to 1920 made of wood. Then from the ‘60’s the plastic winder. The wooden winders are hand made and come in one person size or two person size as noted in the large green square one. A most unusual winder is the two line winder.

Of course for the china, pottery and glass collector there are also plate’s dishes and vases with kites as a feature. One of the little Staffordshire 1820-35 childhood tea sets has a kite focus and frequently sells for $50-75 a piece. These pieces have a scene of a child flying a kite and a grave scene next to the playing field.

There can be a section with kite music and scores. I have been successful and finding several songs with kites as a theme or mentioned. From Disney in Mary Poppins to Christmas tunes, “a star with a tail as long as a kite.”

Comic books are noted for collecting. Oh how I wish my mother had not thrown out our comics and baseball cards! It seems every character for Porky Pig to Richey Rich has flown a kite on the cover. Then the famous Mad Magazine with Alfred playing is eclectic guitar while flying his kite in a lighting storm.

Some people just collect personal photos of individuals with their kites. These are very desirable and are highly sought after. For some reason very few people took pictures of people with kites. There are historical Black America post cards with kites selling “Korn Kinks” and I have been successful to match them up with photos of young African American boys from the 20’s with their kites for my scrapbook presentation.

The next time you are in an antique store, look for a kite. Start seeing them in pictures, ads on TV. Then wonder why you do not see young kids today out there flying one. While I enjoy collecting memorabilia and scrapbooking kites, my favorite is just to fly a pretty handmade kite any day and it doe not cost much to do. It is so calming and relaxing.

I took pictures of the kite Valentines and most of the postcard displays at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair. I don't remember “Samuel F. Cody and his Kites” but I liked the group of 9 Chinese kite cards. Are those yours too?

The pictures are not good because there wasn't enough light and there were a lot of reflections on the glass of the display cases.

I have to be smarted than these programs. I was just told, reminded how to get back on the website. As soon as I can I will get some pictures on the site. The next time I display the cards is in Feb at the Clear Lake IA Kite Festival(www.colorthewind.org)
Tom Cross thomasecross@yahoo.com

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1995 World Kite Festival at Napier New Zealand