May 27, 2007
Several years ago I picked up a nice stack of postcards dating back to around the time of World War I, but have never seemed to take the time to sort through them very carefully. There are literally hundreds of postcards, and I suspect many of the collections sitting here in front of me contain all of the cards that were originally sold with the set. Several of the sets are still in their original booklets, the thin parchment paper that came between each and every card still intact. None of the cards appear to have been sent via the post, although several do have things written on the back, some in the form of notes--maybe as a reminder of places visited--but some do appear to be written for someone else’s benefit.
I’ll share one such little treasure with you today, with the hope that someone out there can help me with parts of the handwriting that I’ve been unable to decipher. It appears, although I’m only guessing here, that the number “3” appears at the top of the back of the postcard, and unfortunately, I don’t seem to have whatever cards came before this one. From what I’ve been able to decipher, the card reads:
3
The major who was a guest asked me to supper out afterwards. He was a perfect gentleman very interesting too but no special friend of mine, a mere social acquaintance friend of the American hostess who introduced me to him. Don’t care for officers ther (some) are a disgrace to the uniform too often. Do you recognize the Race course where ___ and I stood? ---- Never been there _____. We were on the left. ---- My love [check mark?] thoughts to you. Ever your friend. _______
Keith, you’ve done a grand job. I used to work for doctors and was, therefore, quite nifty at deciphering handwriting. That was some years ago and I’m quite rusty now. However…
I’d only disagree with “for officers ther” - I think it’s “for officers they”.
I think it’s “Race course where Ian and I stood”.
Then “Never been there since”.
I think the mark is an ‘and’ (ampersand).
I’m only guessing too, but it’s fun.
What a lovely thing to share.
I think you’re right on, Boot. As soon as I’d posted yesterday I thought of that mark as an ampersand of sorts, but as for Ian, my mind was truly drawing a blank, which is silly, considering it was probably the easiest one to figure out.
I was at one time in possession of some very fun letters that dated back to the time of the American Prohibition. I’d found them tucked into a book that I’d picked up somewhere and the letters, it turned out, where much more interesting than the book itself. They’d all been written by an apparently well-educated, God-fearing woman from Little Rock, Arkansas, and were filled with one entertaining argument after another against the evils of alcohol. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any idea where those letters ended up, and haven’t seen them in years. I suspect there still around somewhere, tucked back safely into some place I can’t recall.
I’ve always found it’s easier to decipher these things when more than one person has a crack at it. I’ll have to dig up a couple of my papery finds and share them with you. Unfortunately, they’re probably in the very same ‘safe’ place that your letters are hiding.
What a shame about those letters from prohibition. They sound absolutely fascinating.
One thing I think is very sad about the advent and overtake of the electronic age (she says typing online on her iBook), is that in future there’ll be a paucity of these windows into the past.
It’s one of the reasons that whenever I writeout a recipe for a friend or thank you notes (or similar) I still make myself handwriteit. It’s hardly fair on the recipient, given how atrocious my handwriting is, but it would be nice to think I’m leaving hints for future amateur nosy people historians.
I’m looking forward to seeing what other treasures you unearth.
I was thinking “Ian” (or Jan)” in both instances at first. However, after further investigation, I’m convinced it’s “you and I stood” and “My love & thoughts to you.” The reason is the “y” in “your” at the end is the same as we’re thinking of as an I, and the “ou” runs together in both instances of “you” but less so in the second. Oh, and it’s not really an ampersand, just a “+” downstroked and looped across.
/end $0.02/ Neat stuff. I’m thinking about scanning, or photoing, some old letters I sent from China 20+ years ago. They’re so much cooler in their original form. Perhaps this will inspire me to get around to it.
Funny how things sometimes tie together, isn’t it? It’s certainly nice to hear from you again, Debi. Your comments this last year have been almost as infrequent as my posts. I’ve been a real slacker.