The trappings of luxury appeared wherever industrial fortunes were made in the early 20th century.
Saint Paul, the lovely city on bluffs above a bend in the Mississippi River, grew rapidly from its origins as a trading center and military fort.
Steamboats opened commerce and travel to the Midwest and the South.
The first schools and churches in the Minnesota Territory were established in Saint Paul, and the city was named the capital of the state even as the growth of huge mills across the Mississippi led to greater population growth of the sister city, Minneapolis.
Nevertheless, Saint Paul retains today an aura of quiet prosperity – the architectural splendor of old neighborhoods, the Landmark Center, the Ordway concert hall, the magnificent cathedral, and the several museums exist in a pleasing harmony.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Paul,_Minnesota
(St. Paul was home to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Schulz, and August Wilson.)
Sometime in 1908, T. W, Ingersoll took a photograph of the interior of “Carling’s Up Town”, a luxurious restaurant in Saint Paul.
The image was printed on thousands of postcards, as copies can still be obtained from dealers in old paper.
(My postcard was rescued from a box of 25-cent postcards at an exhibition of vintage paper ephemera.)
The postcard was published by the St. Paul Souvenir Company – presumably at the time the image was copyrighted.
An internet search reveals a postcard image of the exterior of the restaurant, additional scenes (brighter) of the interior, and a printed program for the “Cinderella Dinner” held at Carling’s Up Town on the eve of the “Art’ Guild Cinderella Ball”.
https://jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net/topics/carling+uptown/cinderella+dinner
On the reverse of the postcard that was not mailed, a blurb describes the splendor of this place.
It is interesting how comparisons in luxury are made between upscale establishments: the postcard description of Carling’s Up Town” refers to spectacular restaurants or clubs of New York City, while the same places in New York would refer to ancient spots of London or Paris.
Alas, it does not appear that one would have an opportunity to savor the experience of Carling’s Up Town today.
