Miss Nina Gould lived in Holland, a town in Erie County of northwest New York State.
The town’s name is derived from the Holland Land Company, a Dutch investment firm that once apportioned land grants across the region.
The town continues to celebrate a Tulip Festival each May.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland,_New_York
(Laura Colby Ingalls, mother of Charles Ingalls and grandmother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, was a native of Holland, NY)
In November of 1908. Nina received an art postcard from an unidentified friend.
The postcard was mailed from Buffalo, the port city and center of industry, transportation, and commerce on Lake Ontario of western New York State.
For almost a century, Buffalo had thrived as a conduit (by canal, then railroads) for goods and produce between New England and upper Midwest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo,_New_York
Buffalo is 30 miles northwest of Holland.
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The face of the postcard is a painting of a mountain peak looming over a stone arch bridge.
A clear stream gushes under the bridge and through the mountain valley.
The artist, “Splitgerber, Jr.” has signed the work.
Fritz Splitgerber (1876-1914) was a landscape painter working primarily in watercolors.
Fritz followed the profession of his father, August Karl Martin Splitgerber (1844 – 1918), a German Romantic painter.
Fritz died in a mountain accident at age 38, four years before the death of his father.
The postcard was published by the Rotograph Company of New York City, and was printed in Germany.
https://rotographproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/brief-history.html
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The postcard appears to have been published circa 1906 as it has an “undivided back”.
Thus, there is no space for a written message.
We assume that Nina recognized her unnamed correspondent.
Nina preserved the postcard in very good condition throughout her life.
One hopes that many more postcards were exchanged.
