LEAPzine Copyright

Sat, Feb. 28, 2004
Vintage postcards celebrate leap year
By Steven Wayne Yvaska

Leap year is full of lore and legend. All of us know that to accommodate the Earth's movement we need to add
an extra day every four years, but another account says Feb. 29 came about for another reason.

Back in the fifth century, St. Bridget (or Brigit), head of a convent in Kildare, Ireland, asked St. Patrick, then
bishop, to grant her sisters the right to propose marriage to reluctant suitors. (In those days, men and women
of the church were allowed to marry.)

Patrick turned out to be sympathetic and understood the women's frustration living in a society where only men
could propose. He granted nuns the right to propose every seven years, but Bridget begged him to make it every
four years. Patrick supposedly said, ``Very well, I'll give you leap year.''

Nowadays, collectors search for penny postcards made during the height of the postcard craze (1904-20) that
illustrate archaic, often humorous, leap year traditions. It's believed there are as many as 250 known designs,
issued by both European and American publishers.

Many were printed by the E. Nash Co. of New York City. The handsomely colored cards -- they mostly came
in sets of 12 -- often picture women chasing men with shotguns, dogs and butterfly nets. Some show men being
enticed into marriage with beer and sandwiches, or billowing sacks of money. It was, after all, ``open season'' on
bachelors.

One illustrated by British artist Fred E. Spurgin has a bachelor sitting far away on a crescent moon. On Earth a
group of women stylishly attired in Gibson-era fashions beckons him to return. Another card signed by August Hutaf
shows two lovers obviously smitten with one another, but each too hesitant to pop the question.

While leap year cards are not scarce, they don't tend to appear as readily as those for other occasions. Expect
to pay $5-$20 a card.

If you're intrigued by leap year, pick up ``The Leap Year Book'' by Barbara Sutton-Smith (Fitzhenry & Whiteside,
$9.95). It's 64 pages of legends, lists of famous leap year babies and trivia. Order it at a bookstore, or call the
publisher at (800) 387-9776.

A mammoth sale

The 44th annual White Elephant Sale sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women's Board takes place March 6
and 7. It's the one rummage sale of the year you don't want to miss.

At a preview held several weeks ago, a mind-blowing array of donated objects was on parade. Everything was
neatly arranged in a giant department store setting by thoughtful volunteers who had tested the appliances and
spruced up the merchandise.

Making my way around the warehouse, I spotted some interesting antiques, including two brass chandeliers that
once graced a French church ($2,000 each), a vintage park bench ($175), a Victorian pump organ ($2,200) and
a walnut side chair in need of a new seat. At $20, it was a good buy. And there was more. Lots more.

I spied porcelain and pottery, glassware, sterling and plated silverware, books and records, cameras, furniture,
holiday decorations, linens and garden tools. There was a large quantity of kitchenware, paintings, toys and
games, tons of funky clothing, ethnic art, lamps, baskets, scads of jewelry, even a zither.

The 2004 extravaganza takes place 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 6 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. March 7. The warehouse is at
333 Lancaster St., Oakland. Take the Fruitvale exit from Interstate 880, or BART to the Fruitvale station, where
a free shuttle is provided. No admission fee. No strollers or shopping carts allowed. Details: (510) 536-6800.

All proceeds assist the Oakland Museum of California with educational programs, exhibitions, acquisitions and
conservation. The board has contributed more than $10 million to the museum.

Deco masterpieces

Much more will surely be written about the magnificent Art Deco exhibit, which opens March 6 in San Francisco.
In the meantime, act quickly to secure tickets to a show destined to be the talk of the town.

``Art Deco, 1910-1939'' was organized last year by the Victoria and Albert Museum (known by fans as the V&A)
in London, where it broke attendance records. This West Coast showing is one of only two stops in the United
States and splendid news for the healthy contingent of Art Deco devotees living in the Bay Area.

More than 300 objects will be on display including Cartier jewelry, Tiffany silver, Lalique glass, fashion by Chanel,
Lanvin and Schiaparelli, sculpture by Léger and Brancusi, as well as paintings by Joseph Stella and Tamara de
Lempicka.

The show will be at the Legion of Honor until July 4. For advance tickets see www.museumtix.com . The museum
is in Lincoln Park near 34th Avenue and Clement Street. For more information, including admission fees, ring up
(415) 863-3330, or visit www.legionofhonor.org.

Contact Steven Wayne Yvaska at syvaska@mercurynews.com. Fax (408) 288-8060.