This comic postcard, featuring a secret romantic tryst, was not mailed.
The postcard was presented to Miss Bessie Beckley who lived on a rural delivery route outside of Lebanon, PA.
At the turn of the 20th century, Lebanon was a prosperous steel-making city and a center of food processing (including “Lebanon bologna”).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon,_Pennsylvania
The postcard, with an “undivided back” was printed circa 1905.
Printed in Great Britain, the postcard is part of the “Valentine Series”.
I suspect that this is a reference to Valentine’s Day, although there was a noted English publishing firm by the name of “Valentine”.
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The face of the postcard is a hand-colored photograph of a young woman and an oder relative sitting together in an enclosed garden.
The older woman is holding a magazine, while the young woman holds a red parasol for protection from the sun.
Behind the pair, the head of a young man can be seen peering over the stone wall.
The scene is entitled, “Over the Garden Wall”.
In the margin below the picture, a humorous verse adds additional context:
“Pretty niece of sweet sixteen;
Auntie reading magazine
Very soon asleep will fall,
Heedless of the garden wall.”
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The unidentified giver of the postcard added an inscription, “Bessie and Auntie”.
Additionally, an arrow suggests that the young man might bear the initials of “F.G.”
(The unedited image is below.)
It seems that Bessie may be being teased about a boyfriend, although we have few clues about her life situation.
RESEARCH NOTE
This light-hearted postcard is connected to a very sad story.
Bessie May Beckley was born in September of 1890, in Lebanon County, PA.
She was the daughter of Samuel W. Beckley (1858-1937) and Miranda R. Sherman (1856-1922);
Bessie was the third child; she had an older brother, Arthur (1884-1914) and an older sister, Sallie (1887-1949).
(An obituary of Bessie’s brother, Arthur, indicates another child had been born to Samuel and Miranda in 1884 – but this child (a twin?) died the same year.)
In January of 1908, Bessie died.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LRPG-27Y
I have not found an obituary that might provide additional information about her death.
She is buried in the Kochenderfers Cemetery in Lebanon, PA.
The Kochenderfer United Brethren Church was established on the homestead of John and Catherine Kochenderfer in 1872.
A group of parishioners left Salem UBC in the city of Lebanon to form a German-speaking congregation for families in North Lebanon Township.
The congregation grew, and the church building was expanded several times.
In 1968, The United Brethren Church became part of the United Methodist Church – and Kochenderfers is now a UMC congregation.
https://www.kochenderfer.church/about
Arthur Beckley was ordained a minister in the United Brethren Church and married Emma Elizabeth Delong in 1907.
He was serving a congregation in Shamokin, PA when he died in his thirtieth year.
He left two children who survived into the 1970’s.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51027434/arthur_s-beckley
It appears that Bessie may have been 16 years old when she was given this postcard, just like “pretty niece of sweet sixteen” in the postcard rhyme.
