“Could You Be True?” – Stevens, PA (circa 1908)

Mr. Edwin Eberly lived in Stevens, the unincorporated community of northern Lancaster County – named for Thaddeus Stevens.

Stevens was also known in the early 20th century as “Reamstown Station” for the proximity of the railroad station that also served the much-larger town of Reamstown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens,_Pennsylvania

This postcard greeting was cancelled with bars, not with a postmark that indicated date and location.

Thus, we don’t know a precise date of mailing or the location of the sender.

(These cancellation marks often indicate that the postman hand-cancelled the stamp when it was mailed from one stop on his delivery route to another address on the same route.)

Sometime around 1908, Edwin received a lovely postcard, heavily- gilded and lightly embossed.

A maiden sits on a stone bench while her elaborately-dressed suitor hovers above her attentively.

The maiden seems to be plucking a single blossom from the basket of flowers beside her.

Beneath the. Illustration is a question about the suitor’s faithfulness – “Could you be true to eyes of blue?”

It would be great if there were more clues to the meaning behind the postcard.

We don’t know if Edwin was conducting a romance with an uneasy partner, or if someone simply liked the vivid illustration and sent the greeting to Mr. Eberly.

One hopes that Edwin was pleased by the greeting and that he won the confidence of those he wooed.

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