When my grandparents were wedded, they received a beautiful series of postcards titled “The Ages of Love” by C Clyde Squires. Our family didn’t know much about the history of this series, or the artist, but after some recent research I found that Charles Squires was well-known as an illustrator in the early 1900s. His first illustration was bought by Life Magazine when Squires was 23, and he went on to become a popular artist depicting romance and western life.
There are conflicting facts in my family as to whether these postcards were sold commercially as a series or individually. It’s fun to think that Mr. Squires was ahead of his time and sold them individually, knowing that love is messy and not always linear!
In 1996, my father took the original postcards that were gifted to my grandparents, and put them together as one picture, copy-wrote them and framed them. These have been cherished gifts for family and loved ones ever since. My grandparents Clara and Ray would have enjoyed how much pleasure has been brought about by those wedding pictures years ago!
Here are the five Ages of Love, with the old-age love blending into the next century, where love is interpreted in new and different ways.
Mother love: We all have a biological mother. Yet in today’s world the definition of “mother” encompasses grandmothers, adopted mothers, fathers being primary caretakers, and the village that helps us mothers raise our children. One thing for sure, whatever a child’s “mother” looks like, there is no argument that a mother’s love is vital!
MOTHER LOVE
Puppy love: I’m quite sure that Mr. Squires had no idea that in 2010 puppy love in today’s world meant texting a girl or boy who may be sitting behind you at a baseball game! Hasn’t our world changed? I love this postcard and the sweet innocence of it makes me long for the same sweetness for my children when they develop their first crushes.
ACCEPTED LOVE: Marriage is different from
ACCEPTED LOVE
a century ago. Families are seldom made up of what the traditional married family looked like in my grandparents time. Once again, I can’t help thinking perhaps Charles Squires had some insight….for his title “accepted” love is appropriate in today’s world…where love has no boundaries in blended families, divorced families, and non-traditional families.
BINDING LOVE
Binding Love: There are many things that bind us together in life. Having children is only one of the many that people choose. I respect couples who choose not to parent, for whatever reason, rather than just having kids because it is what is expected. I also recognize that some people try to have kids and cannot. Some people adopt as single parents. I cherish the thought of binding love, and think that if we, as a society, were all bound by love in a broader definition we wouldn’t have as many problems. Think of binding love as an opportunity to be driven by change. If we were bound by love we would find ways to feed a hungry child, or teach or own children the value of keeping our environment clean. Live your life bound by love!
UNDYING LOVE: Isn’t it true that love never dies? It is also true that love takes you by surprise at any age. I know this, because one of my uncles just got married last weekend, at the age of 86! Congratulations, Uncle Delmar and Aunt Helen. May your life together be filled with glorious moments!
UNDYING LOVE
NEWLYWEDS at 86!
LIFE LESSON: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…no matter what your age!
What do you love? I love a nice day rafting on the river with my family. Read about our latest adventure over Labor Day in my latest article for Mamalode magazine here!
Love what you read? Feel free to share and posts, quotes, or articles, but please acknowledge where they came from ….I appreciate your comments, suggestions, and feedback!
Little Lessons Under the Big Sky 
I love that your grandfather brought these together. I really love that you are redefining them now. These days, love has as many faces as we can imagine. How nice to recognize them in addition to the traditional faces of love we all know.
I love these pictures. It makes me long for those simpler times! But love doesn’t change. Thanks for sharing!
This collection of postcard is part of my family history as well. My grandfather and Ray are cousins. I have been given the print collection of postcards and proudly display it in my house. It is a piece of family I cherish. It is my understanding that Clara mounted the postcards that were a gift to her for her wedding. Allegedly the print is copywrighted and only a certain number of prints were produced.
I thank you for writing about this. I would be interested to see what we can confirm about the print.
Dawn,
This is so interesting! Thank you for sharing. That means we are distant relatives? Anyway, yes I tried hard to find information, and mostly had to rely on stories from my dad (Richard-Ray’s son) about what he remembered.
What was your grandfather’s name?
Thanks for stopping by, Dawn! Let me know if you dig up any more info. I also love the pictures. I still have a few that I give out as gifts to friends getting married.
Love,
Jen
Jen
My Grandfathers names was Lando. I will keep you updated of any new findings as my family is trying to define where their original came from.
Jen,
I have several copies of this print. They were given to me by ( I think it was ) John of Appleton. I also know of framed print that is as least 40 yrs old. I will find out more about this old print, and keep you updated. It would be great to get to the beginning of these postcards. I am almost sure that we are related. Ray is a relative on my father’s side.
til later,
Sharon