Mrs. George Adams lived in Ipswich, a coastal town in Essex County of northeast Massachusetts.

Ipswich has a long history through the Colonial Era, and the Ipswich River once boasted a number of mills.

Today, surrounded by a forest park and a shore nature preserve, Ipswich is a magnet for tourists and seafood lovers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipswich,_Massachusetts

In October of 1918, Mrs. Adams was celebrating a birthday.

She received a postcard from Elsie.

Elsie mailed the birthday greeting from Haverhill, a city on the Merrimack River, in Essex County of northeast Massachusetts, near the border of New Hampshire.

The city of Haverhill was connected to every significant national event since the Colonial Era, and became a leading industrial center of milling, and then of shoe manufacturing.

Haverhill is about 16 miles northwest of Ipswich.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haverhill,_Massachusetts

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The face of the postcard is a bright drawing of butterflies – the delicate creatures lightly delineated upon a Fall landscape in autumnal colors.

The wings of the butterflies are almost translucent.

Beneath the uncredited drawing is a printed message: “Hearty Good Wishes”.

On the reverse, Elsie repeats best wishes “from all of us”.

We do not know how Elsie (and the others) are related or otherwise connected to Mrs. Adams.

Elsie hopes that “the day will be perfect for you in weather and happiness…”

If she had not been “down and out”, Elsie assures Mrs. Adams that “you would have heard from me before.”

The message was sent with “lots of Love”.

Mrs. Adams seems to have appreciated the butterflies as the postcard was preserved in very good condition throughout her life.

One hopes that Elsie was not “down and out” again, that Mrs. Adams did have a fine birthday celebration, and that she and Elsie remained their friendly correspondence for many years.