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

    Mama sends her best regards

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards, 6, 47, 116, 12, and 16 And so we bid good-bye to Madge, but not without a few more cards from her! First up, a rather nice-looking rabbit complete with carrot and baby chicken. Complete with a small message on the image side at the top (see the title of this post). Apparently sent by one Maria? Martha? On the reverse–quite a long message. The writer recognizes the difficulty her recipient is likely to have reading it, attributing it to her pen (hence the number of times I guessed or couldn’t even guess at what she wrote). Hello! how do you like Okla? fine I…

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

    Life happens when you’re not looking?

    Life happens when you’re not looking–and when you are. I plead the press of work (semester starting, search committee work, two library-related research/writing projects in process . . . ) Here’s the next Thomas Gray Haile subcollection card (#41). I’ll post more (possibly finish the subcollection) next week–or in October. Depends on how September works out. Then we have a most interesting inscription. Say I cant get that foolish notion out of my head at all. I hope you wont let M___ beat me. If she has’ent already done that. Are you coming home _ __ this summer? What will I do with my roses if you do not come?…

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

    Write real soon and often, be good

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 29, 23, 43, 81 Four quick today–or three quick and one longer at the end (Madge, of course). First up: another with condition issues but showing some pretty flowers. A previous owner sorted it into the flower section. A birthday card, although don’t ask me from whom. I’m not entirely sure. Some of the words are partially obscured by the damage. Here’s what I was able to transcribe: Hello How are you we are fine and dandy but you know we fell [unclear] becouse you all diden come but sure re[?] looking for you all Friday [unclear] must be sure and come so ou call…

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

    Chrysanthemums fill me with hope

    Thomas Gray Haile subcollection, cards 1, 60, 42, and 61 First up, a new year. The card was evidently sent with that message and nothing else–and as you can see it received more damage than most in this group (which is saying something): Nothing much really to say about this in this instance. I’m sure a collector of date-oriented cards could speak more to it, or perhaps someone familiar with the maker. It’s signed Genia Bryant, and postmarked Haydenburg, Tennessee, and that’s about all I can offer without tracking her down someway (perhaps someday). Then there’s this card from a Myrtle of Nashville–perhaps a rival (of sorts) to Madge? She…

  • 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…

  • 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…

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