For the first photo, the large character to the right but partly obscured by the head denoted the Chinese surname LEUNG (梁).
The first of the four characters in the middle also started with this surname. The 2nd and 3rd characters and those in- between are too blurred to distinguish. The 2nd and the 3rd characters probably represented the given name of the same person. The last character is the word "residence" or "reside" in Chinese (住). So the 4 characters meant "LEUNG X X residence".
The two characters to the left were simply "LEUNG residence".
The characters there were may be for the convenience of receiving mail post, probably through the window of the residence just above instead of setting a mail box for simplicity sake. Privacy those days was not that respected or being abused.
I think the characters there had no relations to the cobblers outside.
As to Q1, the padded donut was used to carry items on the head, usually with a plate or board on top, instead of using the pole on shoulder or by the hands. Similar method of delivery can be seen by those who delivered lunch sets to offices in Hong Kong central district in the 60s and 70s.
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Four cards from Festival of Cards
For the first photo, the large character to the right but partly obscured by the head denoted the Chinese surname LEUNG (梁).
The first of the four characters in the middle also started with this surname. The 2nd and 3rd characters and those in- between are too blurred to distinguish. The 2nd and the 3rd characters probably represented the given name of the same person. The last character is the word "residence" or "reside" in Chinese (住). So the 4 characters meant "LEUNG X X residence".
The two characters to the left were simply "LEUNG residence".
The characters there were may be for the convenience of receiving mail post, probably through the window of the residence just above instead of setting a mail box for simplicity sake. Privacy those days was not that respected or being abused.
I think the characters there had no relations to the cobblers outside.
As to Q1, the padded donut was used to carry items on the head, usually with a plate or board on top, instead of using the pole on shoulder or by the hands. Similar method of delivery can be seen by those who delivered lunch sets to offices in Hong Kong central district in the 60s and 70s.
Thanks octa, that's good…
Thanks octa, that's good information.