I’m not sure exactly why this postcard came to mind on Thanksgiving. My children’s table manners, are, of course, perfect.
In this postcard from 1905 it looks like the orangs may have been smarter than the zookeepers. They sat eating so nicely at the linen-and-china decked dinner table in their chairs. But the bowls look empty! It looks as if the zookeepers forgot to put food on the table.
Maybe Bugsy the Bulldog would like to do it. He seems as if he’d be willing . . . he actually looks a bit like the guy eating at the table on my blog header. But smaller and sweeter, of course.
Of course it’s easy not to spill when there’s no food in your bowl
We lived in NYC when I was little girl. Visiting the zoo was something special, the orangutans were my favorite…now zoos like that just make me sad.
I think they have improved the Central Park Zoo a lot over the past years, ac. And of course the Bronx Zoo is at the top of its field and quite magnificent for both the visitors and the inhabitants, thank goodness!!
I haven’t been back to the CP zoo in ages, but it’s nice to know that improvements were made. I just remember those antiquated itty bitty cages. Too bad you can’t climb around on the Alice in Wonderland sculpture anymore. It was a joy to hide under the ‘shrooms on a hot day and feel the cool metal against our legs.
Hello Karen,
I’ve visted your blog several times and I’ve been looking for an excuse to introduce you to the readers of A Festival of Postcards – an bi-monthly “carnival blog” which celebrates both modern and vintage postcards. I would like to feature your orangutan post in the December issue.
You can check out the latest issue here:
http://acanadianfamily.com/2009/10/29/a-festival-of-postcards-5th-ed-quadrupeds-a-canadian-family/
If you’re interested just leave a message on my site and I’ll include a link to yours when the next issues is ready.