Mr. C. E. Spofford lived in Malden, a city in the hilly region along the Mystic River – near Boston, Massachusetts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malden,_Massachusetts

On the last day of 1910, Mr. Spofford received a New Year postcard from his friend, Ellie.

Ellie mailed the postcard from Winter Hill, a neighborhood of Sommerville, Massachusetts – also near Boston.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Hill,_Somerville,_Massachusetts

The face of the postcard is a lovely bit of original art.

A seated maiden samples the fragrance of roses which are offered by an attending child or cherub.

The maiden is clad in a robe, and the depiction recalls the Pre-Raphaelite Movement in the fine arts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood

The work is signed by the artist, Eva Hollyer – an accomplished British artist born in 1865.

https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Eva-Hollyer/8AA865F7E98D96BC

Above the scene is a printed legend, “To wish you a Happy New Year”.

Beneath the drawing is another inscription invoking all that one wishes and loves.

This art postcard was published by the renowned English firm of Raphael Tuck & Sons; the image was printed in Berlin.

On the reverse, Ellie has written a brief (and somewhat perfunctory) message.

In her defense, the custom of postcard exchanges had grown so enormously by 1910 that she may have been hand-writing more than a hundred postcards.

Ellie seems to be responding to a message from Mr. Spofford.

Without a greeting, Ellie begins her message, “Thanks for greeting.”

She adds, “Wish you the same.”

Despite the terseness of the exchange, Mr. Spofford preserved the postcard throughout his life.

One hopes that he and Ellie had other opportunities to communicate in the near future, and that both enjoyed a wonderful 1911.