Category: Teaching

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“He Was Here Last Eve”: Capturing Girlhood and Family Bonds in a 1909 Postcard

To: Miss Mildred Freeman From: Mabel 1909

Dec. 7, 09

Why don’t you write me, M. and I want you to come up Xmas just as you did last year and we go home with you. We will meet you at Russel just the same and we will try and not make any mistake. I went skating last eve and had a fine time only wish you were here. I would teach you how to skate. he was there last eve but I didn’t skate with him. his time was occupied. Now answer right back.

With love,

–Mabel

In December of 1909, William Howard Taft was president, Pearl Harbor is founded, and the Manhattan Bridge opened. Women couldn’t vote, neither world war had broken out, and we were still three years away from the Titanic sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic.

While I love the many different postcards that I write about, and while each of them is a gem unto themselves, this particular postcard feels like something special. Partly, because it reads like it came directly out of a period movie. I can almost hear Mabel’s sweet but chastising voice, almost picture her coy and playful smile, can practically hear her nonchalant frustration at his time being too occupied to skate with her.

It is a perfect snippet of girlhood. The longing, the frustration, the all encompassing angst of (unrequited?) love. So rarely does a card capture the essence of a moment so wonderfully.

Yet this is undeniably Mabel. And she is amazing.

I love this card so much that I almost didn’t want to research the people involved. I know that sounds counterproductive, but I enjoyed the picture painted by the correspondence, and worried that research might ruin that image. And, as I’ve stated time and time again, researching women is complicated. They are obscured by their fathers and husbands, and maiden names can be just as difficult to research as married names.

But this gem of a card just kept on giving. One quick search and I immediately found Mildred Freeman, and her story is just as interesting as Mabel’s story on the card. Mildred Freeman was born September 28, 1894 in North Prescott, Massachusetts. At the time of this card, Mildred was 16 years old. However, she was only months away from her wedding to Charles Fiske, a man 7 years her senior. For reference, he was 23 to her 16 when they married. Perhaps that’s why Mildred wasn’t writing Mabel back…she was being courted by Charles. Mildred had one son and died in 1988 at the age of 94.

And what of Mabel? The letter suggests the two girls are related (especially since Mabel suggests they spend Christmas with each other’s families), so I went through each of Mildred’s aunt’s and uncles in the hopes I could find a cousin that matched.

And I did…sort of.

Mabelle Florence Beach was born on June 16, 1889. At the time of the postcard, she was 20 years old. This surprised me a little, since the voice of the card reads a tad younger. However, it still tracks. The tragic thing about Mabelle, or perhaps not so tragic depending on how you view it, is that she never married. Her father died in 1907, and in the census of 1920, Mabelle was working as a stenographer. Mabelle died in 1944 at the age of 55. She was buried with her father and mother, which I find endearing. Though, I’m saddened he never gave her the attention she hoped to receive.

What a lovely, lovely card. The love between these two cousins endures, and I’m so grateful to tell their story 115 years later.

Front of Postcard: “In the Berkshires”

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“Greetings”: The Art of Succinct Messages From A 1908 Postcard

To: Mr. Andrew Berlin From: Martin 1908

Greetings from Martin

The beauty of this postcard is astounding, and I’ve loved it since I first saw it. Yet, I’m in the business of connections, not art and the brief greeting on the back of the postcard always left me a little sad. Unlike so many of my cards, there’s almost a lack of connection here. It’s cold, formal, almost a card of obligation rather than desire.

In my (limited) experience, there’s two reasons why a greeting might be so short on a postcard. First, the writer is young. Let’s face it, kids can pepper you with questions, and string stories from their imaginations, but when asked to write a card or a thank you — they freeze up.

Second, short greetings are usually reserved for undivided back postcards sent before 1907. Those required the sender to write on the front and often left little to no space to send more than a “wish you were here.”

This card doesn’t seem to fit any of the above. The handwriting is too elegant to be considered a childish scrawl, it’s dated 1908 with a divided back, AND there’s plenty of blank space on the front for the sender to write a message if they had wanted.

In going into my research on the addressee, I now have a set of questions in my mind. Like, how old were they when the postcard was sent? Is there a Martin in their family tree? And why might the postcard be postmarked in the same city?

It would be a lovely thing if archives opened up and the answers to all our questions spilled out of their coffers. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I am not positive that I found our Andrew Berlin. However, I did find record of an Andrew Berlin living in Minnesota at the 1910 census. In that year, he was 7 years old.

If this is our Andrew (which I am not positive that it is) then the short greeting is appropriate for a five year old. Perhaps an Uncle or a cousin sent the card in the cold March months to cheer the boy up. It’s plausible. A beautiful picture, a succinct greeting, calling him “Mr. Andrew Berlin” as though he’s older than his five years. It’s certainly something I might send to my niece or nephew.

The only sort of broken cog in the machine is that I couldn’t find a relation named Martin for this Andrew. But, I didn’t scroll through the myriad of cousins on both sides of the family, so we can hope.

In the meantime, please enjoy my own maiden meditation.

“Maiden Meditation” front of postcard

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Celebrating a Roaring 20’s Birthday: Warren Spitler’s Legacy and the Mystery of Effye

To: Mr. Warren Spitler From: Effye 1920

Am having the time of my life. Can you find me on the beach? Come down, the water is fine. All well and able to sit up an take notice.

Effye.

The 1920 census was the first census to record a population of over 100 million in the United States. 192o was the ACLU was founded, and Congress decided not to join the League of Nations. By August 26, the 19th Amendment of the Constitution was passed, granting women the right to vote. Racial tensions, however, ran high in the nation. Lynchings occurred in throughout the year in both the North and the South. The Roaring Twenties had truly begun.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may recognize this card. This is one of the first cards I posted, and I didn’t research it. Since I had a bit of a late day at work, I decided to revisit the card and do a little bit of research. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find anything — as you know that’s how the jelly rolls sometimes, but I like the art on this card. I think it’s beautiful and I love the beach scene. So, I figured I’d give it a go.

Imagine my surprise when I easily found a Warren Spitler in the family search records. Even stranger, Warren was born on September 18, 1884. The post date of this blog will be the anniversary of his 140th birthday! I’m a bit of a superstitious gal, and I can’t help but think Warren may have had something to do with the timing. Let’s get into it.

As I said, Warren was born on September 18, 1884 in Augusta, Virginia. There’s no (accessible) information on him until the 1930 census, which places him in Covington. He was 45, and living with his brother and his brother’s family. He’d remain there in the 1940 census as well. Both the census records and Find a Grave indicate that he was a salesman in a department store, though was type I don’t know.

It seems that Warren never married, so I wondered who Effye may have been and what relationship the two of them had. I thought perhaps a sister, though there was none that stood out as having the nickname Effye. There is an Abbie, so maybe that’s it? The handwriting also seems a bit childish to me, so I thought niece perhaps? But, searching through the family tree I can’t find many of his siblings who married. If you note the grave, Warren is buried next to his brother Clarence, also unmarried. I didn’t go deep into the family tree, but there weren’t many nieces or nephews to be found.

So, who is Effye? Is it a nickname for a sister or a niece? Is it a friend of Warren’s, or perhaps even a cousin? There’s a few cousins that could fit the bill, but again I came up short. Still, I hope that Warren found time to “sit up and take notice” on the beautiful beach with the people he loved.

Happy birthday Mr. Warren Spitler!

Front of Postcard, 1920

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Patricia’s 1954 Postcard: A Historical Exploration of Old Town San Diego

To: Miss Patricia Baker From: Warren, 1954

Hi Pat,

This is an interesting spot in “old town.” Best Wishes

From,

Warren

“Old Town,” San Diego was founded in 1769 by Spanish settlers. The town survived three governments (Spanish, Mexico, then American) before being usurped by “New Town”, or modern day San Diego, primarily because it was closer to the water. Now, a monument to the original settlement stands on the site. It’s full of restaurants, tourist shops, and the Whaley House, the “most haunted” house in America.

In 1954, Dwight Eisenhower was president, Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio, and Brown V. Board ruled that segregated schools are unconstitutional. The United States was in our Nuclear Era. Suburbs were growing, cars were getting faster, the movies were glamorous, and people had more money for leisure. It might sound great, but the racial and gender divide in the US was huge. The Cold War was raging, and Senator McCarthy was conducting hearings on communism.

This is one of at least two postcards that I have from Warren. I may have more in my stash that I haven’t identified yet. The postcards are separated by a period of years, but both are addressed to the Baker household, both are written in the same all caps handwriting, and both postcards are short and to the point. Nonetheless, they both provide distinct information about the spots Warren has seen or traveled.

When I started my research on the card, I really thought I’d be able to find Patricia and Warren. I have a date, a name, an address…but alas, no real luck. This may be a symptom of using only free sites to conduct my research (what can I say, I’m a cheapskate), however there were SO MANY Patricia Bakers in or near El Monte. Add to the fact that El Monte is in Los Angeles County, and now I’m dealing with a ton of records from LA and, phew, it was a lot.

Plus, our old foe: the maiden name! We know that Pat isn’t married because Warren uses the “Miss” title. Therefore, if she married, her name can get easily obscured in the records and make it much more difficult for us to uncover.

There is a Patrica Baker who lived in El Monte and married a William. She was one of 9 sisters and passed in 1982. I thought this was a good match, except it seems she married in 1946. So, my hopes were dashed.

Sometimes that’s how the cookies crumble. Hopefully next week I’ll have more luck with research!

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The Tongue Wagging Postcard to Mrs. Nora Ringer from Her Aunt Eva 1910-1930

To: Mrs. Nora Ringer, From: Aunt Eva 1910-1930

Dear Nora,

I suspect your tongue is waging at both ends these days. I know you are enjoying your mama’s visit – in from the winter(?) How I would have liked to go with her and sleep like(?) our young(?) Julia. But, I went to South B. and Bluffton. Write me.

Your Aunt,

Eva

Wow. To say I’ve been holding on to this postcard is an understatement. This is one of the first postcards I picked up, largely because I thought the front of the card was so beautiful and vibrant, and the back of the card is so clean and aesthetic. But it was a doozy to try and decipher! In the end, I had to play with the colors and contrast of the card as well as look for common letters that I was confident in. I know I didn’t get everything right, so if you have some thoughts on what these words are, let me know! For now, though, let’s dissect a bit of the history of the card.

As you can see, the card has no stamp or postmark. That tells me it was either carried to Nora in person, or mailed in a separate envelope. However, there are some clues that we can gather to help us determine when the postcard may have been written.

First, let’s look at the front. The image is a sweeping watercolor painting of Vernal Falls and the Cap of Liberty in Yosemite. Paintings like this were popular on postcards in the first half of the 20th century (1900-1950). Additionally, the abbreviation for California is “Cal”. State abbreviations weren’t standardized until 1963. So, we know the postcard must be before that date.

However, I’m not happy with a 63 year possibility. So, the final determining factor is the publishing company. On the back, I’m barely capable of making out a publisher: Benham Co. This publisher was active from 1910-1930. So, although we don’t have a postmark, I can now place the card within a 20 year period. If I had to guess one date, I’d say 1918. No particular reason, just a gut feeling.

There is so much I love about this postcard, including “your tongue is waging at both ends”. Which, I hope I deciphered that phrase correctly because it’s fantastic. I attribute it to the visit of Nora’s mother (they must be catching up on a lot!). But, who are Nora and Eva? Honestly, without a location I can’t be sure. It may surprise you to find out that there is more than one Nora Ringer in the archives.

I did find a possibility. There’s a Nora Ringer living in Ohio who was born in 1906. However, I can only find one census record of her, and “Ringer” is the maiden name. The card explicitly says “Mrs.” That indicates a marriage. Since we are talking about women, Ringer would be her husbands name. Once again, the archives do more to obscure than reveal and we are hampered in finding our Nora because she’s hidden by men’s names. Without the husbands name, or a time frame, or location, I can’t confirm our Nora.

Nonetheless, I hope Nora’s tongue wagged the entirety of her mother’s visit, and I hope she wrote her Aunt Eva a mile long letter filled with a cacophony of gossip and family information.

Cheers to Nora and Eva. May we all have friends and family we can spill the tea with.

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“Love Hazel”: A visit to Mount Vernon and a Timeless Connection

To: Miss Eileen Doyle From: Hazel Anderson, 1923

Dear Miss Doyle,

I am writing this card as we are going up the Potomac River to Mount Vernon.

Love,

Hazel Anderson

In 1923, Warren Harding was President until his death on August 2, at which time Calvin Coolidge took over. Yankee Stadium opened it’s doors, Roy and Walt Disney found the Disney Company, and 15o are killed and the town of Rosewood destroyed in the racially motivated Rosewood Massacre.

Although Mt. Vernon was not designated a historical landmark until the 1960’s, Americans have been visiting the site since 1860. Though, at the time of Hazel’s visit, Mt. Vernon Highway had not been built yet, nor was there a marker for the enslaved cemetery on the property.

I have quite a few postcards from Mt. Vernon, and all of them are beautiful. If you don’t know, Mt. Vernon is the home of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Washington left behind a complicated legacy, one full of missteps and careful planning. He was a man deeply rooted in the south, but always conscious of the cognitive dissonance of being a slaveholder in a nation that’s built on a founding principal of equality. I’m not a Washington apologist, not by any means. Yet, I give credit to those who change, or attempt to change, and Washington certainly did throughout his lifetime.

But what of Hazel Anderson and Eileen Doyle? Let’s start with Hazel. Yes, I have a first and last name, but since the postmark is Virginia and Hazel is clearly on vacation, it’s difficult to confirm the correct Hazel Anderson in the records, especially as it’s a fairly common name.

Eileen, on the other hand, is a little easier to find. Especially since I have her full name and address. Despite this, there were quite a number of decent candidates. The best fit is an Eileen G Doyle who lived in Milwaukee in 1930. At the time of the census, she was 27 and single. That means that she would have been twenty years old when Hazel sent the postcard.

To be clear, I can’t match the address to any of the Eileen Doyle’s that I researched. However, the Eileen mentioned above was a lodger in 1930, so it stands to reason that she may have been lodging in 1923 as well. If this is the case, Eileen was a public school teacher for at least twenty years (according to census records in 1930, 40, and 50). She’s also listed as head of household in all records — so single.

I’m always a little sad when I can’t for sure find the people in the postcards I research, but I hope that Hazel and Eileen stayed friends for years, and kept in contact.

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Amway Shopper or Distributer? The Story of Mildred Becker

To: Mildred Becker From: Dan and Didi 1979

Keep smiling!

It makes people wonder what you’ve been up to.

Love,

Dan and Didi

In 1979, Jimmy Carter was President, McDonald’s released the Happy Meal, Nickelodeon debuted on cable, and the Department of Education was established. The year also saw a large number of walks and protests supporting LGBTQIA+ rights. A nuclear disaster on Three Mile Island experienced a partial meltdown, American Airlines flight 191 crashed (still the worst aviation accident in US history), and the Iran Hostage Crisis began.

An eventful year to be sure, especially for Amway. Founded in Ada, Michigan, the company is a pioneer in the multi-level-marketing bracket (if you haven’t watched LuLaRich on Amazon Prime, I recommend!), and by 1980’s they reached one BILLION in sales. However, in 1979 a judge for the FTC commission, ruled that Amway was NOT a pyramid scheme. So, although the ruling required Amway to comply with retail rules, it largely allowed (and still does) MLM’s to sell a get rich quick dream to distributors.

By the time Dan and Didi sent Mildred their card, she was 65 years old, and living in Crystal, Minnesota. On paper, she lived a somewhat hard life. She had four stillborn children, her husband died in the 1960’s, and it seemed she had to hustle for a living. Three years prior to this card, her mother, whom Mildred had lived with since the 40’s, passed away. Mildred would live another 32 years (until the age of 97!), and despite her hardships, she left behind a large legacy, including 6 great-great-grandchildren.

So who were Dan and Didi? My initial thought is that one of them was a grandchild. Howver, the phrase “Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to” was something my grandpa always said. So, based on that alone I sort-of think that Dan and Didi were contemporaries of Mildred. They don’t seem to be a brother or sister, so that leaves friends.

However, seeing as it’s on an Amway postcard, and there’s nothing really personal about the card, I do wonder if Mildred was part of a downline for Dan and Didi. Meaning, I wonder if Mildred sold Amway products, and the people who got her into sales were Dan and/or Didi. It would make sense. Why else send an Amway themed postcard with a quippy message on it?

I’ll never know who Dan and Didi were, but thanks to a beautiful obituary, I got to know Mildred a little bit during my research. It’s always touching and rewarding to find a lovely memorial to the person who owned one of my postcards. I love breathing a little bit of life into these captured snippets of time.

Front of Card: Amway Complex at Ada

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Lloyd Hublers 1911 Postcard: A Valentines Day Prank?

From: Unknown To: Lloyd Hubbler, 1911

Oh you kid: I’d enjoy another dance with you like the one I had at the Dickeyville dance. Would like to make a date with you, “You Honey Bunch”. Will try and be out for the 15th. Hope you will be there, dear. Will show you another good time. Oh honey I am so lonesome. From – you know who.

(flipped) Look under the stamp honey bunch. xxxxxxx

This is my picture honey.

(On front) I am ready xxx. From your sweet little wife. S.W.A.K

God am so home sick for a x x

Lloyds sweet wife ha ha

I can’t express to you how much I am obsessed with this card. Every inch of it is filled with writing. X’s dot the landscape of both the front and the back and someone added additional rouging and eyeliner to the image on the front. This postcard SCREAMS of some sort of joke, and I am absolutely here for it. So, let’s drop the card into history.

1911 sees the disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York, the invention of Crisco, and the founding of the first movie studio. However, I have to wonder if the news of these events hit the small village of Potosi. Situated in the southwest corner of Wisconsin, modern day Potosi boasts a population of just over 600 people. Like many small towns, it was originally founded as a mining and farming village. Now, it hosts an annual catfish festival and fish fry the second weekend of August.

In 1911, Lloyd Hubler was a few months shy of his 20th birthday, and at least according to Family Search, still unmarried. He had one brother, who was 8 years his senior. Although the card puts Lloyd’s last name as “Hubbler”, I’m pretty sure it was “Hubler”. The Lloyd I found has a father named “William Scott”, but he’s listed as Scott W. in the census records. Seeing as the card was sent “c/o Scott Hubbler”, and the Hubler’s lived in Harrison County (where Potosi is located), I’m fairly certain I have the right man.

But birth days, death days, draft registrations, and the marriage index provide only the barest amount of context for a life. Who sent this card to Lloyd? Why? There are a few clues that we can use to point us in the right direction. Or at least to make some fun and semi-guesses.

First, the card was sent on February 16, two days after Valentines Day. My mind immediately goes to two scenarios. First, maybe there was a Valentines Dance for the surrounding area. Here, Lloyd met a girl and made the gravest mistake: he told his friends about her. Looking to pull a prank, they put together this card and sent it to him, care of his FATHER for added embarrassment.

Second, Lloyd’s older brother was 28 at the time. It’s possible he sent the card as a practical joke, but why would he misspell the name? While I think it’s possible he had something to do with the card, I doubt it was entirely done by the brother.

So, poor Lloyd had to deal with the embarrassment of being sent this provocative card. Because it was a postcard, everything could be seen by everyone. Not only could his father see and read it…but so could the postman, the postal workers…you get the idea. What did poor Lloyd do to deserve this humiliation? We will never know.

Lloyd did end up finding his “sweet” wife. In 1918, he married Leora Hinman. They went on to have three children. She outlived her husband by a decade, but I hope that their life together was S.W.A.K.

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Two Wives, a Botanist, and a Ghost Ship…Oh My! (The Lawrence’s Part II)

From: Ida To Mrs. Dana Lawrence

If you haven’t read my blog post from yesterday, I’d recommend going back and taking a gander. Though part 1 is not entirely necessary, you’ll have more context for this post because I’m going to basically jump right in.

Yesterday, I explored the story of Ida’s postcard and the complicated legacy of the dropping of the Atomic Bombs as well as Victory over Japan day (known as VJ day). As the world entered the Nuclear Age…Ida went on vacation to Natural Bridge.

But what about Mrs. Dana Lawrence, the recipient of the postcard? The more I searched, the more I found, and honestly the stranger it got. So, I’ll go in chronological order and start at the beginning: with Dana Lawrence.

Dana is the patriarch of the family. Born in 1875, he married his first wife, Helen Ethelwyn Briggs in 1897. Their marriage lasted until Helen’s death in 1906. She was 18 when she married, and only 27 when she died. Their union produced three children; Marion Louise, Robert Parker, and Leonard.

With three young children at home, I imagine Dana may have been looking for help. In 1908, Dana married Anna Maria Mathewson. THIS is our “Mrs. Dana Lawrence.” I’ve talked before about how women are often obscured in the historical record because they are referred to by their husband’s full name. This is one of the many times I’ve had to trace the man first and hope to uncover the woman.

Anna was 25 when she married Dana and bore two children: Lucy and George, and THIS is where it got interesting!

George Hill Mathewson Lawrence was actually the first member of the family I found, because apparently he was a somewhat famous and well thought of botanist! This is the first “famous” connection I’ve run across with one of my postcards and while it’s only niche famous, it’s still a pretty cool find — at least I think so.

I know for sure that George entered the military during World War II, serving as a Lieutenant in the Navy. I don’t know where he served, but seeing as Ida specifically asks if Anna had heard anything from the “boys since August 14,” I suspect it was in the Pacific. If you remember yesterdays post, Japan informally surrendered on August 15. So, the greeting makes sense.

Now, I’ve also promised you the Queen Mary, and don’t worry, I’ll deliver! Leonard Lawrence (youngest son of Helen) has an interesting attachment to his record. It’s the passenger list of the RMS Queen Mary. He took the liner from Southampton to New York City between April 25-April 29 of 1951. Apparently he traveled first class as well. The ship now anchors in LA as a popular tourist attraction, and is considered one of the most haunted places in America. But probably not with any of the Lawrence clan.

There are plenty of other tidbits I found, but not as interesting as the ones I’ve shared. Anna died in 1959, at which point I assume this postcard was boxed, shuffled around, sold, sold again, and so on and so forth until it made it into my hands. Once again, it’s the friendship between two women that uncovers a part of family history.

Thanks for reading!

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1941 Postcard to Sadie Baris: Cheeky Flirtation or Simple Friendship?

To: Miss Sadie Baris From: S. B. Leuson 1941

Don’t get me wrong – I’m only mailing a postcard.

Regards,

S.B. Leuson

In 1941, FDR was the President, Citizen Cane was released in theaters, Bob Hope hosted the 13th Academy Awards, and the US froze the assets of German, Italian, Hungarian, and other occupied countries. War hadn’t yet reached our shores, but preparations for the war had.

I love postcards that are sent to or from New York City. I’m a girl from the West — used to open spaces, mountains, and warm weather – so I’m always intrigued by the thought of city living. My grandmother grew up in New York City and I often think of her as well when I see these postcards.

This particular card is not so much intriguing as it is…silly? Fun? In my reading of the card, there’s an implied innuendo. The front of the card depicts a bed in the Lafayette Room at Lee Mansion in Arlington (colorized in the above picture). As you’ve read, the note on the back states “Don’t get me wrong – I’m only mailing a postcard.”

Yes, friend, but it’s a postcard with a picture of a bed! If I’d received that card as young adult, I definitely would have read into the meaning. I *for sure* would have gotten our friend S.B. *wrong.* Furthermore, the writer wants to downplay the fact that they wrote a postcard from Virginia and sent it to New York.

Sure, it only takes a few minutes, but typically one doesn’t send a postcard unless you care for the recipient. Also…the fact that there’s a bed on the front and the “don’t get me wrong…” on the back? My girlfriends and I would have dissected that meaning bit by bit in the waning hours after midnight, probably while drinking.

Again, we definitely would have gotten him wrong.

As for our recipient, Sadie Baris, I thought I would have a hard time locating her, but it turns out I got some results. There was a Sadie Baris in New York City who was born in 1909. If this is our Sadie, she was quite an accomplished woman. She became a lawyer in 1933 and eventually became a judge in New York. For a woman in the 30’s this is quite a feat!

So, was this our Sadie? The postcard is addressed to “miss” meaning that Sadie would have been unmarried in 1941. If this is our Sadie, she would have been 32 in 1941. A bit “old” to be unmarried. However, the Sadie I found didn’t marry her husband (Nathan Turak) until 1943, so I feel fairly confident this is a match. If true, Sadie Baris Turak lived to be 103 years old! She retired from her post as a judge when she was 100! Illustrious indeed.

What about S.B.? I do sort of thing this is a man writing the card – though it could be a woman as well – and I will argue that the card was suggestive in nature. Perhaps I’m so far off. However, it lends a bit of fun and drama and life to the past. But, what do you think? Is this a case of flirtation, or a cheeky note from a family member? Let me know!

Front of Postcard (In original black and white)