In the US, one has to have reached an advanced age to remember the great Department Stores in their prime.
I recall very well my first visits to Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia, to Kaufmann’s in Pittsburgh, to Dayton’s in Minneapolis, to Rich’s in Atlanta, and to Marshall Field’s in Chicago.
Although some of the store names remain, none retain the elegance and grandeur that they did in the early 20th century.
The Misses Keene, India and Abbie, lived in Colora – a small, unincorporated community in Cecil County of north-central Maryland.
Colora is near the communities of Conowingo and Port Deposit in the valley of the Susquehanna River.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colora,_Maryland
I have more than a dozen postcards between members of the Keene family and between them and their friends and relatives.
In September of 1905, India and Abbie received a postcard from Cora and a name that is undecipherable – possibly Carrie or Calvin.
The postcard was mailed from Chicago, and displays on the face a drawing of the enormous “Marshall Field Building” which housed the high-end emporium, “Marshall Field Company”.
Marshall Field was born on a farm in Massachusetts and began his career by clerking in a local store.
In 1852, when he was 18, Field went to the young city of Chicago to make his fortune.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Field
The Marshall Field Store grew to become one of the premier commercial establishments in the Midwest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Field%27s
This postcard illustration was copyrighted by the publisher, Curt. Teich & Company of Chicago.
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On the margin of the postcard illustration, a brief message was inscribed.
The pair of travelers “visited a small part of this store this morning” – which was a Saturday.
Their impressions of the magnificent store are not recorded.
Instead, the two “will be thinking about you all as we go to a strange church tomorrow”.
Chicago remains a vibrant and exciting city; one hopes that the travelers sampled the cultural, historical, architectural, and culinary richness of the place before returning safely to their home.
Throughout their lives, India and Abbie preserved this souvenir of Chicago amid their voluminous personal correspondence.
