1940s THEATER OF THE SEA Postcard ~ ISLAMORADA on the FLORIDA KEYS ~ Porpoises 

1940’s Postcard ~ Porpoise Jumping for Food

THEATER OF THE SEA ~ ISLAMORADA on the FLORIDA KEYS

·        Original Vintage Post Card ~ this is NOT a reproduction

·        Measures: approximately 3-3/8” x 5-3/8”

·        NOT Used and NOT Postmarked

Take a step back in history and view this vintage souvenir postcard. This is a LINEN postcard. This postcard features a man, standing on a platform, feeding a Porpoise. The “ruler” is attached to the platform so tourists can see how high the Porpoise is jumping ~ looks like this jump was over 14 feet high. Look closely and you can see the tourists looking over the sides. On the side of the platform are 2 Life Preservers with the name “Theater of the Sea” printed on them. There is a large sign on the side of the platform which is printed: “THEATER OF THE SEA” “ISLAMORADA” “ON THE FLORIDA KEYS” “73 Miles South of Miami”. This is an early picture of this interesting tourist attraction. The following information is printed on the back of the postcard: “Porpoises leap for their food – You feed them and get a picture – Also huge Turtles, Jew Fish, Saw Fish and Sharks. Bring your camera.”

Condition

There are NO Rips and NO Writing. There are small corner bumps and there is some edge wear. There is a 3/16” long crease located in a corner ~ this crease has laid flat for years ~ there are no other creases. The back of the postcard has lightly browned due to aging ~ the postcard is NOT brittle. See the photos in this auction to see the condition of the postcard. This postcard will be shipped in a protective sleeve with cardboard around it to protect it during shipping.

Brief Information about Theater of the Sea (from Theater of the Sea website and Wikipedia): Theater of the Sea, established in 1946, is the second oldest marine mammal facility in the world. Its natural salt water lagoon was originally a quarry that supplied rock for Henry Flagler’s famous railroad which opened the Keys to the rest of the country in the early 1900’s. When the railroad went bankrupt after the devastating Labor Day Hurricane, the property, was sold by the receivership to a local for $800 (having no interest in the property, the local was offered a parcel stretching to Whale Harbor, about .2 miles to the west for the same $800).  

Brief Information about Islamorada (from Wikipedia): According to Wikipedia Islamorada, a “Village of Islands,” is an incorporate village in Monroe County, Florida. It is located on the islands of Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Plantation Key in the Florida Keys. The village was incorporated on November 4, 1997. Prior to this date, Islamorada was only considered to be on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key.

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