Why Don’t You Come To Fresno

Why Dont You Come To Fresno pc1Why Dont You Come To Fresno pc2

Divided back, artist-signed, used postcard. Postmarked from Fresno, California May 22, 1917. Publisher S. Bergman. Series or number 1060.

Price:  $8.00.  Besides the usual wear, this card has some soil marks on the little girl’s face.

In keeping with the prior post, here’s another one having to do with the city of Fresno, with the caption reading, “Why don’t you come to Fresno, Cal.”  This is one of many that was produced using this same theme, with the city and state in a flag or pennant, though the designs and publishers vary. This one happens to be an artist-signed postcard by Charles Twelvetrees of a painting or drawing of a cute little girl in a pink dotted dress and straw hat with blue bow. A copyright logo appears at the bottom left of the front of the card which is hard to read, but others online have identified the publisher as S. Bergman (indeed the last name is discernible after knowing what to look for.) The copyright here looks like 1917. The card is addressed to:   “Miss Henrietta Ellison, Sacramento. Calif. 1314  F st.”  

The sender writes (this is good):   “Dear Henry. Do you think you could come here – alone if Ma will let you or maby you dont wont[want] to come do you?  Dos.   yes. no. no  yes”  (Love the yes no no yes part.)  “Dos” is short for Dossie. This is one of many from our “Alice Ellison Collection.”

The artist:  Charles H. Twelvetrees was born in New York, about 1872 or 1873. A separate post will be up within the next couple of days on him, as there has been some confusion owing to what seems to be an incorrect middle initial of R, and whether his father was or was not also an artist. There are lots of online records to dig into for clarification, and we’ll get there in just a jiffy.