We met Kinnard McCleary in earlier postcard stories; he seems to have been a much-loved boy who was showered with postcards.
Kinnard lived in Hagerstown, the thriving center of commerce and transportation for the panhandle of western Maryland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagerstown,_Maryland
Kinnard’s father, Herbert McCleary, worked at the railroad depot in Hagerstown.
In November of 1908, Kinnard received a postcard from Clara Bazel.
I seems that Clara was a relative or close family friend as she sent several postcards to members of the McCleary family.
This postcard was mailed from Hagerstown, suggesting that Clara lived nearby.
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The face of the postcard is an original painting of a child offering a plate of food to a stately turkey.
The boy, in a straw hat and rolled-up blue pants, crouches to extend the offering to the fowl.
A printed title in red letters proclaims, “Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving”.
A small stamp on the lower left indicates that the painting was copyright by the International Art publishing Company of New York and Berlin.
The postcard was printed in Germany.
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On the reverse, the sender has written a brief message: “Don’t let the turkey eat too much corn”.
Clara signs her name without a closing expression.
Knowing the likely fate of the turkey, it is not clear why Kinnard should be concerned with the turkey’s longevity.
Although faded in spots, the postcard was preserved in good condition for more than a century.
One hopes that Kinnard and his family, Clara and her household, and all the good folks around them, enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.
