Miss Millicent Fellows lived in Kinzua, now a “ghost township” in Warren County of northwest Pennsylvania.
The community was a prosperous center of the lumber industry in the first decade of the twentieth century, but declined steadily when the forests were depleted,
Much of the township is now submerged behind a dam that was constructed in 1963.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinzua_Township,_Warren_County,_Pennsylvania
In September of 1912, Millicent received a romantic postcard from Roland.
Roland mailed the postcard from Jersey City, the industrial powerhouse on the Hudson River in northeast New Jersey.
Jersey City lies across the Hudson from Manhattan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_City,_New_Jersey
The face of the postcard shows a young woman in a white dress seated on a square, wooden chair.
Perched awkwardly beside her, apparently on the arm of the chair, is an older and somewhat portly man who has his arm around the woman’s shoulder.
The two appear to be carrying on their tryst in a parlor or sitting room.
Above the scene is a printed legend:
“Passing time in Jersey City”
On the reverse, Roland has typed a message – suggesting that he was employed in an office or performed some clerical duties.
After a declaration of his constant thoughts and best wishes, Roland thanks Millicent for her postcard.
Roland was not a careful typist, however, or Millicent has terrible handwriting – “Kinzua” is the only post office beginning with K that was established in Warren County.
Roland twice addresses Millicent as a “Friend”, but it is hard to ascertain the degree of intimacy between the correspondents.
Hundreds of thousands of young people exchanged postcards through postcard clubs and associations, only some of which were identified as exchanges for meeting romantic partners.
The amorous couple in the illustration is not particularly attractive, which would not further Roland’s cause if he was seeking a deeper romance.
Nevertheless, one hopes that Millicent was pleased by the postcard exchange and that she and Roland continued their postal relationship.
