We shrug and smile and say 'Oh, well / It’s merely this depression.'

December 19, 2016 9:00 AM

Oh, well _ in spite of it all _ here's a Merry Christmas From The Pineros. An xmas card from 1933, courtesy of the Smithsonian and the McCormick family.
posted by Greg Nog (11 comments total)

In days gone by when we were broke
We hated to reveal it.
In fact our pride demanded that
We struggle to conceal it.
But now at last we’re right in style
And need not fear confession.
We shrug and smile and say 'Oh, well
It’s merely this depression.'
And so this card which once we'd scorn
Now seems within all reason.
It’s cheap—and yet it brings to you
Best wishes of the season!

This is a terrible acrostic
posted by beerperson at 9:04 AM on December 19, 2016 [9 favorites]

Attleboro, Massachusetts had 22,000 people in the 1930 census, it is impressive that so little info on the envelope would get it to the McCormicks.
According to Forebears Piñeros is most common in Colombia and, I guess, originated in Spain.
posted by Bee'sWing at 9:13 AM on December 19, 2016 [2 favorites]

That style of stick figure looks strikingly similar to early-2000's Newgrounds flash animation. And don't those dour expressions perfectly capture the snarky attitude of our post-postmodern times? The poem is really cute.
posted by Taft at 9:17 AM on December 19, 2016 [5 favorites]

acrostic shout out to the International Workers of the World!
posted by slappy_pinchbottom at 9:35 AM on December 19, 2016

beerperson: "This is a terrible acrostic"

You need to read it backwards.
posted by chavenet at 9:38 AM on December 19, 2016 [4 favorites]

Huh, a little surprised no one has been able to track down anything on the family. Pinero isn't the most common last name, and location and size of family would narrow it down further. The 1930 and 1940 census data is public at this point.
posted by tavella at 10:01 AM on December 19, 2016

This is great, thank you for posting it. I'm glad the American History Museum is collecting stuff like this, and glad this guy thought to give it to them.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:09 AM on December 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Hmmm, taking a look at Ancestry, there's a couple in Chicago that have been transcribed as "Rivers", but look like they could in fact be Pinero. Joseph L, Helen M. However, the son is 11 and the daughter 4 in 1930, which doesn't match the drawing where the daughter looks to be the elder of the two.
posted by tavella at 10:09 AM on December 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'd hoped that this was from playwright Arthur Wing Pinero. I am bearing up remarkably well under the disappointment, thank you for asking.
posted by the sobsister at 10:13 AM on December 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

...it is impressive that so little info on the envelope would get it to the McCormicks.

Back then (and into at least the 60's), if you were sending a letter within your town or city, you could simply write the single word "city" as the entire address. So, sending from another city and having just the town name and state as the address was probably just fine.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:15 AM on December 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Wonderful.

By the way, sending a postcard or a letter to someone is GUARANTEED to make them feel good. Pick up some retro postcards from your local antique store for some extra zest.

You may have to buy some postage stamps, if you're not used to this game, but, believe me, it's worth it.
posted by kozad at 8:11 PM on December 19, 2016 [3 favorites]