Miss Alice Funk lived in Washington Boro, the picturesque community overlooking the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Boro,_Pennsylvania
In April of 1913, Alice received a postcard from her friend, Sue.
Sue mailed the postcard from Jacksonville, the city straddling the St. John’s River on the Atlantic Coast of northeast Florida.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville,_Florida
The face of the postcard is a hand-colored photograph of workers picking oranges.
The postcard photograph was published by “Cochrane Company Wholesalers” of Palatka, Florida.
We have seen in other postcard stories how citrus cultivation contributed to the growth (of the economy and in population) of Florida.
While we know that unseasonable frosts and other natural phenomena led to an unsteady rise in citrus plantations, the orchard here appears to be thriving and to be producing an abundant crop.
This harvest, like many in the South, seems to be performed by Black workers.
This postcard story is not an adequate platform to discuss the long and often sordid history of agricultural workers in Florida.
On the reverse, we learn more about Sue’s travel.
After reporting that “Arrived all safe this A.M. and “had a fine trip”, Sue reveals that Jacksonville is not her destination.
Her final destination, Sue informs us, is Cuba.
The message explains, “expect to start for Cuba Sunday”.
Sue may be part of a professional society or other social organization; we learn, “there is quite a delegation here.”
(Sue also notes the abundance of beautiful roses.)
After the Spanish-American War, the US maintained political and economic dominance over Cuba and it was a favorite destination of travelers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Cuba
One hopes that Sue thoroughly enjoyed the trip and that she shared interesting tales with Alice.
