Mr. Raphael Smead Hays was an industrialist in Carlisle, the county seat of Cumberland County in the rich Cumberland Valley of south-central Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle,_Pennsylvania
(I have several postcards and other memorabilia connected to three generations of the Hays family.)
https://archives.dickinson.edu/encyclopedia/raphael-smead-hays-1875-1954
We have seen postcards sent to Edward Gardner Hays (son of Raphael) while he was a student at Yale:
“Mother is in Greece”, and “Aunt Sara Sends the Boatmen”.
In August of 1937, Mr. Raphael Hays received a postcard view of Paris.
The postcard signature is not distinct, but I believe that it is “W. W. Gardner” – who may be a relative.
Mailed from Paris on the evening of August 11, the postcard was delivered in Carlisle on August 18.
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The face of the postcard is a lovely photograph of the “Place de l’Opera” – the photo has been hand-colored in a painterly fashion.
This intersection of several avenues in the 9th arrondissement of Paris creates the traffic congestion nicely captured in this scene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_l%27Op%C3%A9ra
The building that dominates the center is the “Palais Garnier” – constructed between 1861-1875 as a new home for the famous Paris Opera, one of the premier cultural institutions of France.
The architect, Charles Garnier, was a favorite of Emperor Napoleon III – and Garnier lavishly employed the eclectic style of ornate decoration (using a wide variety of materials) that was beloved of his patron.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Garnier
The postcard was printed and published in France under the name “PATRAS” – and subtitled “Les Jolie Coins de Paris” or “Picturesque Corners of Paris”.
The French translations printed on the postcard suggest that it was intended for the tourist market.
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On the reverse, the sender greets, “My dear Raphael” and reports that he “returned from Italy Monday” and “received your letter this AM”.
Something in the letter was not understood, as W. W. asks, “What’s this about glass”.
The writer then notes, “Have met no Americans yet”.
We do not know if this was a disappointment or a welcome circumstance.
The message concludes with the wish, “Hoping to see you before the end of the month.”
This postcard was preserved in good condition throughout the lives of the correspondents.
It was part of a large collection of family correspondence from many places in the world – a collection now dispersed among dealers in old paper.
One trusts that Mr. Gardner returned safely from Europe and that he met Mr. Hays as he had hoped.
