Mr. Richard Cook had moved or traveled from Richmond, Virginia in July of 1907.

A comic postcard that was mailed to him at a Richmond address was forwarded to Newport News.

A variety of postmarks disfigure parts of the comic illustration.

The postcard, mailed from Richmond, depicts a scene at an English railway station.

A well-dressed man, holding a walking stick between his knees, searches his pockets for a forgotten purse.

A line of unhappy, would-be travelers (including a scowling clergyman) waits impatiently.

The legend at the top of the face, “The art of leaving one’s purse at home”, describes the situation.

There are little jokes embedded in the details, including the posted announcements and signs.

The postcard is English – it was printed in England, published by Davidson Brothers, and features the artist, Tom Browne.

(“Tom Browne RI, born Thomas Arthur Browne was an extremely popular English strip cartoonist, painter and illustrator of the late Victorian and Edwardian Era…”)

We don’t know if the anonymous sender of the postcard was recalling some previous episode of forgetfulness by Richard Cook, or if he thought merely that the illustration was amusing.

One hopes that Richard found the postcard amusing.

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