• Collecting,  General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    With love and best wishes

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollections, cards 32, 2, 44, 50 Time for some more cards from Madge! First up, some flowers. You wouldn’t notice, since I’m sharing the cards here in the order they were posted, but the flower cards were bunched together. Ditto other topics. The collector(s) whose album contained these cards was one of many who may have collected in part based on subject. I can’t say for certain whether they sought out specific subjects as the album had a fair range–but they most definitely arranged most by subject. The inscription on the reverse is fairly tame for Madge. June 29.08 How are you? Hope you got home all…

  • General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Be good and enjoy your self

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 19, 46, 104, 166 A variety of mysteries for you this week: disappearing writing or, rather, the fading writing (due in part to card condition. For this one — I have guesses as to parts of the message, but not the whole. For the most part with the Haile cards, I’ve only been showing the front. Here’s the front and back. You tell me (if you choose) what you think the message is. As for the image, it’s a saying (humorous or not) in a frame. Rather a pretty frame, too. The card doesn’t have an easy-to-find insignia or maker’s mark. Someone with a keen…

  • General Info,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Truth, Deception, and a Lucky Wishbone

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollections, cards 24, 5, and 22 We’re back! With some lovely roses to start us off, and a nice sentiment for a 1 April (1908) card. This is fairly tame for Madge, in image and message. The inscription itself is short: “April 1st Received your card tonight. Guess you were not disapointed about the letter. I was good last Sun. I am afraid to say much There is a show in town tonight Mary has gone.” Again, this offers hints about their layered communication in cards and letters, plus Madge’s being “afraid to say much” about being “good.” Then there’s this card. Sent for a holiday, given…

  • General Info,  Health,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    With Love and Best Wishes

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 30, 21, 63, and 40. Two cards from Madge for today (or is it three?), and one other. Here we go . . . First up, one from Madge with a suitably love/romance-oriented image. A rather brief message, but bearing much in the way of implications: Just nine more days until the twenty second–Dixie was down yesterday afternoon and I ‘spect yours and John’s ears burnt for we talked about you all the time Dixie is sick tell John. Be good Madge [unknown] to Thomas Haile, 18 February 1908 One suspects the date reference was to when she next expected to see Thomas. Dixie evidently…

  • Health,  Logistics,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    The world was made for only two

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 49, 69, 45, and 67 Madge in January, 1907. These next four cards all date from the latter third of January, 1907. At this time, Thomas was evidently either in Nashville or having his mail directed there–specifically to the Cumberland T&T for whom (I’m guessing) he worked. Maud sent three from Gainesboro, and one from Oneida. First up, a couple by the seaside. They appear rather pleased with themselves (from my perspective). Received your card tonight and was sure glad. Wish you could be here tonight have been waiting all the afternoon on [unclear] from being lonely. Wont be down the 22nd. Be good. Madge”…

  • Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    I’m in trouble and wish you were here

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 34, 68, 64, 65 First up, another flower card — and a cryptic message for us. Clearly there have been tempests of some kind somewhere. It’s easy to speculate, but best to be cautious. For whatever reason, this card indicates Madge was concerned about what Thomas’s other correspondents might report. Quite apart from that, her last line sets up an interesting offer wherein her truthfulness (by which she likely meant fidelity) was potentially contingent upon his trusting her to be true. “Hello Trust me regardless of what others may write you. Received your card. Please write often and be good and I’ll be true if…

  • Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Be good and write often

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 31, 4, 39, and 35 Introducing Madge. This is the first card from her chronologically, based on postmarks (unless one of the illegible postmarks turns out to be earlier). It’s addressed to Thomas in Gainesboro, Tennessee. Later cards were addressed to him elsewhere in Tennessee (Oneida, Nashville, Flynn’s Lick) and in Oklahoma (Kiowa). The number of cards she sent him, and her ability to direct them to different locales, suggests these were part of an active correspondence. The card itself is rather pretty and in decent shape for the collection (i.e. signs minimal mold/water damage). Her handwriting is fairly legible (this was not always the…

  • General Info,  Presentation/Appearance,  Social,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Valentines, union suits, and wrestling

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 36, 55, 167, and 95 First up, a nearly blank slate ripe for speculation. This could be from Madge–but equally might not be. There is very little to go on. With respect to the sender’s identity, we have the choice of the card, which suggests a romantic connection, and the name and address of the recipient. This is the kind of card Madge generally chose (i.e. romantic, as the following posts will demonstrate), but . . . the handwriting on the card isn’t close enough for me to incline that way (much as I’d like to). Further, the card was addressed to Mr. T. Gray…

  • Collecting,  Miscellaneous,  Thomas Gray Haile subcollection

    Good and True and Truthful

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, overview Time to switch to a new set of postcards! The Haile cards. These, too, date from around 1907-1908, with some later cards. Nevertheless, the Haile cards differ in many respects from the Katheryn McMahon album. The Haile cards don’t constitute a coherent album collection. Oh, they were in an old postcard album when I got them . . . but mixed in with other unrelated cards. In short what I’ll be focusing on for the next month or two (or three) is a sub-collection: cards that at some point became part of some one’s collection. Was that someone one person? I don’t know. Were they…

  • Collecting,  Katheryn McMahon Newton Album,  Travel

    Numerical proof of love?

    Katheryn McMahon Newton album, an initial chronological and numerical assessment For about five months, I’ve been posting about the cards contained in the album and referring to an eventual chronological assessment. This is–and isn’t–it. It is, because it’s what I’m providing; but it also isn’t, because I don’t promise it addresses all the issues I mentioned in earlier posts. There’s only so much I can do now. I expect this particular album and assortment of cards to play a strong role as I analyze and write about early post cards in bulk and in specific, but at this point I’m still processing cards and getting ideas (and sometimes having those…

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