Vintage Dutch New Year Card with Dogs & Snow Scene

A golden horseshoe-shaped object discarded in the snow sets the tone for the chaos unfolding here: three dogs — a shaggy white-and-brown one, a scruffy dark terrier, and a small brown puppy — have assembled to carol with absolutely no one's permission, heads thrown back, tongues out, belting into the void beside a holly bush where a sheet of music floats nearby, presumably so they can pretend this chaotic howling is organized. A robin perches in a bare winter tree above, judging them silently, which is exactly what the robin should be doing. The green street lamp in the background completes the picture of disorder. 'Gelukkig Nieuwjaar,' reads the Dutch text — Happy New Year — though nothing about three unsupervised dogs screaming at sheet music in a blizzard reads as particularly happy for anyone involved.