"Holy Hole in a Donut!" - Holy Cards

An extra special, extraordinary post about some extra special, extraordinary items I thrifted recently.  I suppose they may be common everyday items to some of you, but I was not familiar with them.  

 I'm not religious myself,  however I appreciate religious artwork, if it isn't too too.  Too religious, I mean.  Not the large ones of Jesus on a cross for example.  Small unusual ones.  Vintage ones.   St. Vincent de Paul had a little tray of 15 little (they fit in 3" x 5" zipper plastic bags, some with room to grow) cards.  I found they are called "prayer cards," or "holy cards."  Most of the bags had two in them.  I was going to pick out the ones I liked best, but ended up getting them all.  They date from the 40's, and at least one from the 30's. 

Here's a photo of the entire lot.  They are truly tiny works of art.  One from a printer in Italy that claimed to be the first to introduce color printing to holy cards.

Some of my favorites.

Xmas 1942 from sister (I don't know if "sister" was a family member, or the church sister).  The angel guiding the Holy Family into Egypt (I assume that is what this depicts) seems to be too young for the job, toddling along in a romper with those sturdy toddler legs!  

This one was from Grandma Furstenberg, also known as "...your loving Grand Mother Furstenberg" below.

One ©1936, Litho in U.S.A. and from Mother.  

 

Aunt Ethel gave this one on Feb. 8, 1948. 

I feel sad finding them at a thrift store.  Imagine the little girl (the handwriting looks like she was just learning cursive), Ethel (for that was her first name, I won't share her last), saving these cards for so many decades, only to have them discarded.  I can't imagine finding a great-grandmother's little cards and not treasuring them.  Some have hand written notes on the backs, dates or who gave them.  Was the girl named for Aunt Ethel (see red robed Jesus above)?  Or was this Ethel in 1948 the same as the Ethel who signed her name in schoolgirl cursive (although that doesn't make sense of the dates)?

 I am also confused by this note from Grand Mother Furstenberg.  Who is Francis?  Ethel's sister?  

Have you noticed what these all have in common?  The depiction of a Jewish Middle Eastern baby/child/man as blonde haired and  white!

 

There are more, but these were what I liked the best.  I'll leave you with this is the one I find the most unsettling, dated Dec. 16, 1947. There's just something about that baby's stare, and combined with the words (when read in a menacing tone) I feel I'm being watched a bit too closely!

"Holy Hole in a Donut" is one of Robin's 359 "Holy..." quotes from  the 1960's Batman television series.  I had no idea there were so many!   Want to hear them all?  Click here.

359!  "Holy Priceless Collection of Etruscan Snoods!"