Miss Hagdahl lived in Shell Lake, a small city and county seat of Washburn County in northwest Wisconsin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Lake,_Wisconsin
Named for the local shell-shaped lake where varieties of mollusks and oysters are found, Shell Lake was a center of lumbering in the 19th century when it was connected to the railroad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Lake_(Wisconsin)
Today, this tightly-knit community it is a spot for summer recreation.
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Sometime around 1908, Miss Hagdahl acquired a postcard photograph related to a popular song.
The postcard is addressed, but has not been stamped nor mailed.
We have seen other examples of postcards that illustrate words of hit musical numbers:
“May I Hope to Be Thine”
“Just for the Sake of Society”
“A Charming Irish Rose”
This postcard was part of a Song Series related to the “Words and Music by Chas. K. Harris”.
Charles K. Harris (1867-1930) was a noted American songwriter, perhaps the leading composer of “Parlor Songs” and sentimental ballads.
One of his biggest hits, “After the Ball”, sold 3 million copies of sheet music in 1891.
Harris is considered the father of “Tin Pan Alley”, the district of popular music publishers in New York City during the early 20th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Harris
Copyright by Charles K, Harris in 1908, this postcard was published in the United States.
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The face of the postcard is a photograph of a young woman standing at the stone steps leading to a rural home.
It is night, and the lights from the house illuminate a young man standing at the door.
Our lovers are well-dressed, as though they have been out for an evening
The young woman is wearing a dress; the young man is attired in jacket and tie.
It is not clear what is occurring here – a spontaneous attempt to see one another, a secret meeting or tryst, or an unwillingness to conclude their evening engagement.
Below the photograph, a few measures of a melody and lyrics are printed:
“I’m starving for one sight of you, just for one glimpse of eyes so true”.
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We don’t know what meaning might have been attached to the postcard, but Miss Hagdahl preserved in good condition throughout her life.
RESEARCH NOTE
I made a few stabs at locating Miss Hagdahl, but the effort is unlikely to succeed without a first name.
There are dozens of variations of this Norwegian surname throughout Wisconsin: Hagdahl, Hegdahl, Hugdahl, Houdahl, Haugdahl, Hoidahl, Hegdal, Hougdahl…
