Vintage Thanksgiving Turkey Greeting Card, Early 1900s Patriotic

A turkey standing atop an American flag laid flat on the grass like a very patriotic welcome mat — its fan tail radiating with the energy of a bird who absolutely knows it's the main character — implies a level of enlightenment that seems unwarranted. The red, white, and blue rosette cockade pinned in the upper corner suggests this entire production has a sponsor, and that sponsor is Manifest Destiny. Flanked by yellow wildflowers and sporting a chest so puffed it borders on a medical condition, this turkey gazes into the middle distance with the serene confidence of someone who has never once considered its own mortality — which, given the occasion, is doing some heavy psychological lifting.