Mrs. W. G. Wetherall lived in Albion, a borough in Erie County of northwest Pennsylvania – 28 miles southwest of the city of Erie.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albion,_Pennsylvania
In February of 1908, Mrs. Wetherall received a postcard from her mother.
Mother mailed the postcard from Linesville, a small borough in Crawford County of northwest Pennsylvania.
Linesville was founded by members of the Lines family, Swiss immigrants who penetrated the northern “wilderness” from Carlisle, PA and built a mill in the early 19th century.
A large reservoir was built in Linesville as a Depression-era work project, and the spillway is a popular tourist site due to the enormous number of over-size carp who feast on breadcrumbs thrown by visitors.
In 1908, Linesville was connected by rail to Albion, about 19 miles to the north.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linesville,_Pennsylvania
The face of the postcard is an attractive illustration of a Dutch scene.
A young woman carries a platter and large pan along a path by the water.
The woman wears a white cap, long apron, and wooden shoes.
She may be coming from a market or from a purveyor of foodstuff – two men stand near other containers and pails in the background.
The men, facing away from us, wear wooden shoes, balloon pants, and caps.
Beyond all the figures are the single sails of two small ships.
The scene has a printed legend, “With Devotion”.
It’s unclear if the title refers to the faithful work of the woman in the illustration or if it is intended for the recipient of the postcard.
Although mailed in 1908, the postcard was printed a few years earlier – it has an “undivided back” which required Mother to inscribe her message on the face.
Mother writes, “Home safe. All well.”
It isn’t clear if mother had returned from a trip to see her daughter, or if she had taken another journey.
Mrs. Wetherall seems to have enjoyed the pretty illustration as it was preserved throughout her life.
One hopes that Mother and daughter enjoyed many years of continued visits and correspondence.
