Master Tom & the Italian Dance – Wilmington, Delaware (1930)

Master Tom Wills was growing up in Wilmington, the largest city in Delaware -now a national center of banking and law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington,_Delaware

In July of 1930, Tom received a postcard from his aunt (?) who was traveling in Italy.

The postcard was mailed from Sorrento, the ancient peninsula that was inhabited by humans at least since the 8th century BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorrento

The face of the postcard is a hand-tinted photograph of a traditional dance performed for hotel guests on the veranda of the hotel.

The ” Grand Hotel Vittoria”, constructed in the mid-19th century, overlooks the Bay of Naples in Sorrento, Italy.

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/c/grand-hotel-excelsior-vittoria

On the reverse, the sender reports that the “little boy in the picture” was dancing with the older children – all in traditional dress.

It appears as though the photograph was created by the hotel as a souvenir for hotel guests who saw the Tarantella performed there.

In concluding her remarks on the reverse, the aunt adds a note “for Janie, not Tom”.

This message is, “I’ll see you before long”.

The signature seems to be “Sister”, but this may be a name.

It seems that the boy, Tom, was delighted by the postcard as it was preserved in good condition for almost a hundred years.

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