W. W. Denslow created this series of humorous Thanksgiving postcards in 1918, and they became a special treat for all the collectors of vintage cards in all three niches: Denslow (no matter what, he'll always be the original illustrator of Oz), humor (with many sub-niches), and Thanksgiving (the biggest family holiday in North America).

Thanksgiving has been an official national holiday in the USA since 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared it should be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. Since then, every president has proclaimed it on one of the Thursdays in November. It was officially set on the fourth Thursday only in 1942.  It's based on the Pilgrim's Thanksgiving Feast held in 1621. The celebration has a much longer history, though. Native Indians held different harvest festivals long before the first colonists set foot on the continent. Even the colonists had similar festivals related to the end of the warm season and preparation for harsh winter much earlier than the Pilgrims in Plymouth. There are documents about celebrations being held in the 16th century, and there were festivals based on the arrivals of supply ships, which came in the spring. However, Thanksgiving is today rooted in the end of the sunny days and the end of the harvest season. That's why Canadians with colder climates celebrate it early in October, while Americans with warmer climates celebrate in late November.

There were 53 survivors from the legendary ship Mayflower, who celebrated Thanksgiving with 90 Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621. It was held in Plymouth, in today's Massachussets. Denslow's Thanksgiving card humorously portrays the presence of the settlers and native people.

Thanksgiving is definitely a very popular holiday and officially the largest eating event in the United States. But not for everybody. There were more than 46 million turkeys eaten each Thanksgiving of the last year, roughly every fifth turkey raised in about 2500 poultry farms across the USA. Geese were always a welcome alternative with juicier and tastier meat, but they never caught the popularity of turkeys. One of the reasons is very likely the larger size of an average goose which means more meat and demands more eaters. Anyway, William Wallace Denslow gave the spotlight to both in this Thanksgiving postcard.

Pilgrim is a term used to describe passengers from the Mayflower who settled in Plymouth in 1620. Pilgrim's hat is now one of the most recognizable Thanksgiving symbols. It's actually a capotain hat, which became popular at the end of the 16th century in England and was worn by men and women. It's flat on the top, slightly conical, and usually black. We can notice it in Denslow's Thanksgiving card, but we have to add that the original pilgrim's hats didn't have buckles. These were added only in the 19th century by illustrators.

A humorous portrait of the man with a hatch and a turkey in a Sunday suit offers many possible interpretations. W. W. Denslow loved to imply human characteristics to animals in his pictures and animal characteristics to humans which create a whimsical feel with darker undertones on this Thanksgiving Greeting Card.

A very similar situation is presented in the fifth in the set of Thanksgiving Cards by Denslow. The turkey is still in the role of the victim, yet he might survive thanks to being - too tough!

We conclude our journey through Thanksgiving-themed vintage cards with another turkey. This time he is reading the menu. Be careful if you don't want to become the main dish, though.