Best Wishes From J. W. C.

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“Holbrook Nebr Aug 8, 1912. Dear Cousen, your card got here all ok. I was glad to here from you did the Dr. put Mark in a cast. I ame glad yous dont have to set up any more. I ame out hay agin it is some that i start to leave for seed and it ant no good. I have some for seen yet I will haft to cuting of hay as I can get at it – from your cousen J. W. C.”

Front shows scene inside gold-tone oval of stylish young woman in hat, carrying a basket, gathering rushes or cattails, perhaps. She is at the water’s edge and in the background, across the water, we see a house, sort of cottage-like, maybe in stone, with a taller portion on the left. Mountains appear in the distance, and in the foreground on the left we see what appears to be a duck or goose (or swan?) This lovely scene has a muted effect and is done mostly in tones of blue, green, and brown. Surrounding the oval is a beautiful embossed scroll work of white on pale greenish gray, with a white border. The lettering “Best Wishes From” appears at the bottom with a space where J. W. has filled in his initials.

Divided back, embossed postcard, unused with writing. Publisher K. L. C. or K. L. Company. Series 150. Circa 1912.

Basket of Forget-Me-Nots

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“Holbrook, Nebr Aug 15, 1912. Dear cousen I received your card today[?] and was glad to here from you. I ame well and all right. I seen ted and minie and harry and sarah to day. They went grape down on the river and seen them just a minite or to. it has rain all day on and off and to night it is rain stedy. you never said what you want to do about go to the fair. I was just redy to cut some more hay this morning but was to rain. from your cousen J. W. C.”

The line with the word grape is hard to figure out. Maybe the word is a misspelling of something else. Or could Ted, Minnie, Harry and Sarah have been picking grapes by the river? (Maybe someone else will have a better guess at this than me.)

The front of the card shows a lovely design of a draped pink ribbon with bows. Suspended from the center ribbon is a gold-tone basket that is overflowing with forget-me-nots. Center background is yellow with gold-tone framing, and a couple of clovers are thrown in for good luck on each side. The little flower drawings in the bottom corners just add to the charm, as does the caption:

“A BASKET

of for-get-me-nots

To you alone I send;

Expressing my

most kindly thoughts

For one I call my friend.”

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard with writing. Copyright E. Nash. G-19. Circa 1912.

Price:  $5.00

Thoughts Of You

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“Holbrook Nebr, Nov 10, 1912. I got your card last night and was glad to here from you. You are lonesome down there are you. paw and maw are up in country they went up wednesday and ant come back and tell tomorrow or next day they are all well as far as I no. I got 35 head of cattle and lost one since i got them here. I got him[?] heart in come and never got over it he live week after I got here. I got 16[?] bushel of alfy seed. I ame husking corn now. I have ben having a bad cold but are get better of it now. your cousin  J. W. Carter”

A really nice one from J. W. that says a lot, including how he was noticing that Cousin Lena sounded lonesome, Pa and Ma are up in the country, he lost the one cow or bull that sounds like had a heart problem (poor baby), he is busy husking corn, he got what looks like sixteen bushels of alfalfa seed (love the “alfy”  expression), and his bad cold is getting better.

This beautiful postcard bearing the inscription “Thoughts of You”  shows a thatched roof cottage scene with a visitor being greeted at the door. (If you look closely you will see some figures there.) The heart-shaped scene is surrounded by brown or gold ivy (not sure why the ivy was done in this color but it’s still nice) and then by forget-me-nots. There’s a light blue bar at the top and bottom of the card. The forget-me-nots and ivy are highlighted with silver-tone lines, (a nice departure from the more common gold) and their placement on the card is elegant.

Divided back, embossed, unused with writing. Publisher unknown. No. 184.