Belief Collection (page 8)

Rail car transporting giant cabbages Date: 1910

Carved Korean Mountain Gods at the roadside. Date: 1909

Rail car transporting giant Bellflower apples Date: 1910

Carload of Mammoth Navel Oranges
A frankly ridicuolous carload of Mammoth American Navel Oranges! Date: 1909

Californian farmer with an immense watermelon Date: circa 1910

Rail car transporting a giant lemon Date: 1910

Rail car transporting a giant pear Date: 1910

Rail car transporting giant tomatoes Date: 1910

ST JOHNs FIRE 1864
An Alsace couple leap through the flames of la Feu de la Saint Jean, on Saint Johns Eve : the aim is to increase her chances of getting pregnant Date: 1864

Two girls looking at a crucifix outside a church
Two girls looking at a crucifix set in a gothic arch-shaped niche outside a church

Shiva Temples, Kalna, West Bengal, India
A circle of Shiva (Siva) Temples in Kalna, known as the Temple City, in West Bengal, India. The Nava Kailash or 108 Shiv Mandirs was built in 1809

Ruins of the Katra Mosque, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
Ruins of the Katra Mosque, a five-domed mosque built in the early 18th century, in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India

Pratapeswar Temple, Kalna, West Bengal, India
Terracotta carvings above the entrance to the Pratapeswar Hindu Temple in Kalna, known as the Temple City, in West Bengal, India. The temple was built in the mid-19th century

St Nicholas Church, Berlin, Germany
St Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche), Berlin, Germany, distinctive for its twin steeples. Seen here with an old signboard in the foreground

Buddhas in a temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Seated Buddhas in a multi-religious temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sculptures, Sri Sivasubramaniya Swamy Temple, Colombo, Sri L
Sculptures at the Sri Sivasubramaniya Swamy Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka -- a venue for the annual Hindu Vel Festival

Sri Sivasubramaniya Swamy Temple, Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Sri Sivasubramaniya Swamy Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka -- a venue for the annual Hindu Vel Festival

Roadside shrine, Austria
A roadside shrine on a country road not far from Aggsbach, Lower Austria

Nuns in charabanc
A group of nuns in white habits in a charabanc on their way to Lourdes, France

Zoroastrian School - Iran
A superb postcard showing the pupils and teachers of a Zoroastrian School in Iran

Woe Betide or Good Luck to You by Pauline Baynes
A page of superstitions painted in intricate detail specially for Holly Leaves by Pauline Baynes. The key to the illustration is on p.46 of the issue

Scene outside a mosque in Kashgar, western China
A crowded scene outside a mosque in Kashgar, western China. Photograph by Ralph Ponsonby Watts

Reigate Heath Windmill, a Grade II listed post mill with a single storey roundhouse at Reigate Heath, Surrey. In 1880 the roundhouse section was converted to a chapel of ease to St Marys Parish

A Swami Mystic and his Followers
A Swami Mystic (religious figurehead) from Madras and his Followers. Swami is primarily a Hindu honorific title, which emphasises a learning and mastery of Yoga, devotion to the gods

Popish Plot Document
Proclamation ordering a complete inquiry into the (supposed) Popish Plot against the late Charles II, in the belief that the sinister conspiracy might continue

Description of a Lourdes cure
A description on the front of a Lourdes postcard describing a cure witnessed by the author, James Gardener, sent to his daughter who was a nun

Mistaken Identity
A group of children pursuing an old man carrying sacks and baggage through the snow, in the belief that he is Father Christmas

Native American Masks
Masks are worn by Native American medicine men in their religious and tribal ceremonies, in the belief that this enables them to acquire the forces of nature

Moslem, Christian and Jew
A Moslem meets with a Jew and an Arian monk named Sergius, to discuss their differing beliefs

Child Praying C1850
A child kneels in prayer at the side of the bed

Lassie Tramples Washing
It is the firm belief of postcard makers that the Scots are too canny to waste money on a washing machine - instead they trample the washing, the way the French do grapes

Born with a Caul
A child born with a caul - i.e. delivered with the membranes intact : the caul has great value in popular belief

Shape of the Earth
A diagram demonstrating how the Earth is definitely round due to the shadow cast across the moon and not triangular square or hexagonal in shape

Eve of Day of Doom 1000
The panic caused in the Tenth Century by the belief Satan was about to be let loose to work the misery of men, having been bound for a thousand years (Revelation XX, vs 2, 3)

Fakir hanging over a fire, India
A fakir in India hangs over a fire for three hours without manifesting any signs of pain

Ninth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu
The ninth avatar (incarnation) of the Hindu god Vishnu

Tenth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu
The tenth avatar (incarnation) of the Hindu god Vishnu

Second incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu
The second incarnation (avatar) of the Hindu god Vishnu

Family at Prayer C1850
The whole household, including the maidservants, gather for bible reading and prayer

Zola / Pelerin 1923
EMILE ZOLA Satirical comment on his novel, Lourdes (1894) - the Devil teaches him to be sceptical about miracles

Medea and Pelias
Medea avenges herself against Jasons uncle Pelias by persuading his daughters to chop him up and cook him, in the belief that this would restore his youth

Japan Buddhist Temple
After Shintoism, Buddhism - introduced from China in the 6th century - is the most popular belief-system

Thunder at Chartres 1360
A thunderstorm at Chartres encourages Edward III to make the Peace of Bretigny

Indian Reincarnation
An Indian belief asserts that if a live black cat is thrown into a fire, a reincarnated soul is liberated (How did they find out ?)

Sacrifice by Romans before the the Battle of Capua
SECOND PUNIC WAR : A sacrifice to Apollo by the Romans before the Battle of Capua, held by the Carthaginians under Hannibal. The Romans were defeated, but managed to escape

Sacred bull in Benares, India
A sacred bull in Benares, India, eats a leafy offering. In the Hindu religion, all cattle are sacred

Wise Men following the Star across the desert
Jesus Birth The Wise Men following the Star across the desert to Bethlehem

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