Mr. Lewis Harrison lived in Matthews, a small town on the Mississinewa River in north-central Indiana.
(The town was laid out with very wide streets, hoping that the discovery of a nearby gas field would lead to the town’s becoming the State Capital.
Alas, the gas field soon ran dry and the town did not grow as desired.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthews,_Indiana
In May of a year near 1910, Lewis received a comic postcard from his pal, Joe.
Joe mailed the postcard from Marion, a city on the Mississinewa River – about 20 miles northwest of Matthews.
Matthews, home to Indiana Wesleyan University, is the county seat of Grant County.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion,_Indiana
The face of the postcard is a scene of rural romance, a young man leans over a rail fence to converse with a young girl.
The swain wears a broad-brimmed hat on his head and a kerchief at his neck.
The gal is wearing a long shift; on her head she sports a large cloth cap which serves to protect her from the sun.
Above the pair, the bold legend proclaims: “Farming Has Its’ Charms!”
There are several things about the image that seem odd – the backdrop is wooded, not fields; the pair have more of a cowboy vibe than a farming feel; one suspects that the same scene could be used for “Ranching”, or “Shepherding”.
The postcard was “Made in Germany”.
On the reverse, Joe reports that he is “in the town shopping”.
This trip was noteworthy in that “Edith and I came down with our neighbors in their Ford.”
The shoppers are “now ready to leave”, but Joe seems to have taken the time to mail this postcard to his friend.
There is some excitement in the air as Joe notes that he is “feeling fine over our trip to the concert.”
It is not clear if the trip has occurred or if it is eagerly anticipated.
Joe concludes his message by writing, “Hope to see you Sunday.”
This postcard suffered rough wear, either in the mail or in the century since Lewis received it.
(I made many digital repairs to the face -erasing creases, repairing borders, re-drawing a tree.)
One hopes that Lewis was amused by the postcard, that Edith and Joe returned safely in the Ford, that the concert-goers were thrilled by the performance, and that the friends met on Sunday.
