Miss Elizabeth Knott lived in Frederick, the beautiful and historic city in north-central Maryland.
The address of Miss Knott is an elegant 3-story town house of almost 3500 square feet, erected in 1885.
We recently saw a postcard illustration of a street scene in Frederick, “The New City Hotel”.
In August of 1909, Elizabeth received a postcard from Bertha.
Bertha appears to be making a pilgrimage through New England towns; the postcard was mailed from Boston.
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The face of the postcard is a drawing of Symphony Hall in Boston.
This handsome structure, designed by the prominent firm of McKim, Mead, and White, opened in 1900.
It is home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and is considered one of the finest acoustical halls in the world.
(The other contenders are in Amsterdam and Vienna.)
For music lovers, it is a “must visit” attraction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_Hall,_Boston
Decades ago, when I was attending a professional conference in Boston, I learned that it was Opening Night for the season of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is the second oldest of the “Big Five” of great American Orchestras.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Symphony_Orchestra
I loved the excellent concert at Symphony Hall – and wished that I had packed formal wear to replace my business suit.
This was a time when Opening Night still inspired evening dress.
Symphony Hall, also home to the Boston Pops and to the Handel and Haydn Society, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1999.
The postcard was published by the firm of Reichrer Bros. of Boston, Munich, and Leipzig; the postcard was printed in Germany.
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On the reverse, Bertha begins her message without a greeting.
I am not sure why she begins, “Are you tired of music”.
It may be that she intended to complete the thought by saying that you could experience a new level of excitement at Symphony Hall.
Bertha does state, “I wished so for both you girls today”.
Today, Bertha “went to Wellesley College” and she found it “just beautiful”
Tomorrow, Bertha wants to go to Salem and to Cambridge.
Miss Knott preserved the postcard in very good condition throughout her life. One hopes that she sometime had an opportunity to enjoy the cultural riches of Boston.
