Man in Bowler and Oversized Coat, View From Behind, Elusive (Pre-Magritte) Antique RPPC antique grammar book It once held 18 tobacco

It once held 18 tobacco plugs--brick-like masses of tobacco

very sturdy and solid and perfectly aged

and all of them spin brilliantly

Framed: 8 1/8 x 10 5/8

Man in Bowler and Oversized Coat, View From Behind, Elusive (Pre-Magritte) Antique RPPC antique grammar book It once held 18 tobaccoI'm rather obsessed with this one, striking and evocative and rather iconic feeling, but which refuses to be pinned down. The back of the postcard dates it to the 1910s or early 20s, I believe (I took some time comparing this exact font and format to other real photo postcards and that seems to be the period of use), meaning it pre dates Magritte's earliest man in bowler painting by at least a few years, though those are what it immediately calls to