Another Mystery Fish Postcard?
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 29th, 2008
Phyllis Mancz of Ohio has sent in a scan of another postcard that might be viewed by some as another mystery fish photograph. Or others might assume it is a funny hoax item, one seen in tourist-laden places like Florida almost a century ago, available to send back home to Aunt Dorothy with a minute-tall-tale hastily written on the back of the card.
But is it real or is it fake? There’s a long tradition of fake pictures and drawings being placed on postcards to keep the tourists buying them and the family and friends receiving them laughing.
Some are modest attempts at showing giant fish, like this trout, apparently casually caught and strapped to the traveler’s horse, to demonstrate to the folks back home the great adventures to be had on vacation.
Others may be examples that are quite beautiful, as is the entire art and idea behind this giant pineapple postcard.
What would a discussion of postcards be without the jackalope card, where often a cowboy is pictured on the back of one of these rare creatures.
A few illustrate why you should buy your potatoes from the State of Maine, where the locals grow ‘em spuds wicked big.
Other postcards show the sizable crops grown in various parts of the country. To get a history behind some of these postcards, please read all about them here.
Let’s return to the postcard I showed you to start this whole discussion. It is obviously a fake, in the tradition of all of these kinds that have been produced from holiday spots like Florida, right?
But is this one fake or real?
As it turns out, other old photos of this same fish being caught, although not as nicely colored, have showed up on old postcards too.
But the fish pictured in the postcard up top is actually a known species. As opposed to being a fake postcard, it is an actual representation of the fact these fish do grow that huge.
It’s a colorized, vintage example of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest living fish species. The record length for a whale shark was accurately recorded on November 11, 1947, of a specimen caught near the island of Baba, not far from Karachi, Pakistan. It was 12.65 metres (41.50 ft) long, weighed more than 21.5 tonnes (47,300 lb), and had a girth of 7 metres (23.0 ft).
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The caption on the color postcard reads:
“The Big Fish, Length 45 ft, Weight 30,000 lbs, Miami, Florida. Caught by Capt. Chas H. Thompson.”
In the right hand corner of the actual photograph is a small copyright notice with Thompson’s name plus the year 1912.
On the black and white postcard, although it is difficult to make out, it says “Copyrighted by Chas. Thompson…Miami, Florida 1912.”
The length is also recorded at 45 ft, but I can’t make out if the weight is given as the same. I cannot read what is written beneath the words “Copyrighted by” in the black and white photograph. Can anyone?
For more on what Capt. Thompson was out there looking for in 1908, read my new blog on that here.
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I think both postcards show the same whale shark though the cart is different. It could be a real fish that has been preserved with internal structures to keep the tail horizontal. The color postcard even says who caught it, how much it weighed and how long it was.
The mouth stuck open looks odd, but I’m willing to accept that that is something whale sharks do after death.
If I were going to fake a postcard 100 years ago, I think I would have done better than a whale shark. An enormous goldfish or photo of some marine monster model from a museum would have worked better. Maybe a giant sea cucumber.
In looking postcards that are obvious fakes the nature of the “hoax” needs to be considered. More often than not I think it was intended to generate a laugh rather than perpetrate a fraud.
I think that the photos are of real sharks but they have been used to make fake postcards
This is apparently real. If you Google - (”charles thompson” florida “whale shark”) you’ll find many mentions of this fish in publications like the Miami Times and USA Today. From USA Today: “Perhaps the greatest Keys fishing tale was the catch made off Knight’s Key by Capt. Charles Thompson in 1912. He battled a 38-foot-long whale shark for a reported 39 hours, harpooning it multiple times and riddling it with bullets. The 10-ton fish was then stuffed and mounted on a railroad car for a tour.”
Whale sharks can be found on exhbit at the Atlanta Aquarium.
First time I’ve seen images of a whale shark feeding head on.
For something so graceful and elegant it looks goofy with its mouth open.
I was surprised the patterning is almost invisible on the B&W picture.
I do like this bit.
I didn’t know there was a tradition of whale hunting from Florida? Or was he a sports fisherman who usually specializes in submarines?
I’ve updated this blog with new information about his catch above, and more on Capt. Thompson’s other adventures, here.
That’s no jackalope, it’s just a giant jackrabbit. Nothing strange about that.
The mouth of the whale shark looks odd. I imagine they could have stuffed something on it.
Or, it may very well be a completely fake whale shark, made of papier machè or semthing.
The reason I doubt it is a real shark it’s because of the two little kids riding on top of it in the B&W photo. Now, it is my understanding that sharks have really rough skin, almost like sandstone to the touch, so a kid wearing shorts would not really have such a good time pony-riding one of these now, would he?
“Unlike other kinds of sharks, whose skin feels like sandpaper, [diving enthusiast Norborne] Turner said, the whale shark’s skin, several inches thick, was much smoother.”
Source.
I stand corrected. Thanks for the link Loren
Cashel,
I have it on good authority from my friend in Texas, that it may very well be a jackalope. In Texas when jackalopes are broke for cattle work, they are generally dehorned, because the tall, forked structures make them difficult to bridle, and can also interfere with the cowboy’s lasso.
I believe the writing on the B&W photo says “Photo by Handgo, Miami, Florida” I found another postcard of shark in ebay, showing it still in the water, apparently chained to the side of a fishing boat. A man is sitting in its mouth. The photo is copyrighted 1913.
I have a great recipe for Jackalope eggs. If anyone is interested. What, you don’t think Jackalopes lay eggs? Show me a Jackalope and I will show you its eggs.
See the next, updated blog for a copy of this photograph on the new eBay postcard find.