Master Claude Maple lived in Lawrenceville, an unincorporated community in Mercer County of west-central New Jersey.

Situated equidistant from Princeton and Trenton, Lawrenceville was traversed by several important roads – and hosted Lord Cornwallis and George Washington at different times during the American Revolution.

Today, Lawrenceville has an extensive historic district – some structures dating to the years soon after its founding in 1697.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrenceville,_New_Jersey

In a month of 1908, Claude was celebrating a birthday.

He received an art postcard from his Aunt Georgie.

Unfortunately, the postmark is applied so unevenly that we cannot read the location of the post office or the month.

Aunt Georgie may have written from a railroad station in New York.

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The face of the postcard is a charming drawing of a barnyard in which a rooster surveys his fiefdom which contains a half-dozen hens.

The hens show a variety of coloration, and they are displayed in a range of activities – pecking, sleeping, roosting, and walking.

Beyond the rustic boards and the pile of straw, one sees green fields and a lovely village.

There is one human figure in the distance but it may be a scarecrow.

The brightly-colored scene is delightful example of postcard art, but I did not see an artist’s name or initial.

The postcard was published by S. Langsdorf & Co. of New York; it was “Made in Germany”.

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On the reverse, Aunt Georgie wishes, “Many happy returns of the day to you”.

For Claude, Aunt Georgie adds: “May they all be filled with love and happiness.”

Claude preserved the pretty postcard throughout his life.

One hopes that he enjoyed a splendid day and that he exchanged many postcards with Aunt Georgie in the years to come.