Miss Frances Showalter attended the Pennsylvania State Normal School in Millersville, PA.
Millersville is a borough in a rich agricultural region of Lancaster County in southeast Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millersville,_Pennsylvania
The borough was selected as the site for the Commonwealth’s first “Normal School” or teacher training institution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millersville_University
In February of 1907, Frances received a lovely Valentine from an unidentified friend somewhere in Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, the postmark is applied so unevenly that the postcard’s specific origin is undecipherable.
Presumably, Frances knew the identity of her correspondent.
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On the face of the postcard, a heart-shaped medallion painting is applied to the gold-colored background.
In the painting, a pair of figures stand closely together on a rural path beside a stream.
A rustic bridge and a length of fence provide the only signs of human intervention in the bucolic landscape.
Green trees and lush foliage suggest the late Spring or Summer.
The scene is framed by bunches of blue forget-me-nots.
Beside the medallion, a printed title in red script proclaims “St. Valentine’s Greeting”.
The original artwork is not credited.
The postcard was published by the Philadelphia Post-Card Company.
From the Google Summary:
“The Philadelphia Post Card Company was a prominent early 20th-century publisher, active around 1900–1910, specializing in local views (e.g., Willow Grove Park, Fairmount Park) and portraiture.
Their early, high-quality, often “divided back” (c. 1907–1915) productions are highly collectible, representing the “Golden Age” of postcards.”
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We know that Frances preserved the Valentine postcard in very good condition throughout her life.
We hope that Frances succeeded in her studies, that she enjoyed a satisfying career, and that she received many more Valentines in years to come.
