Subject: Antique shop
Type: Postcard
Year: 1912
Text: (Front) “No. 9 Lover’s Lane, Saint Jo. by Eugene Field; In the Union Bank of London are forty pounds or more, Which I’m like to spend ere the month shall end, in an Antiquarian store.” (Back) “‘WOMAN’S WOLRD’ Largest Circulation in the World; Greatest reading value in the World. Send 25 cents for full years subscription and this set of 12 Postcards, sent free and postpaid at once. Woman’s World Dept. K. P. Chicago”
Message: “How are you folks all by this time. We have been so busy haven’t taken time to write. Thelma has just started to walk. Come up. With love, (indecipherable) and Martha.”
There is a story behind this card. I am in St. Joseph, Missouri, just near the Lover’s Lane area nearly every day. I also frequently drive down Gene Field Road. That is not where I got this card, however. I purchased this three hours away at the Alma Antique Emporium in Alma, Kansas. This card is not in great condition, but how could I not love it? It’s an antique postcard featuring antiques. This card also represents one of my great regrets in card collecting: I came across the complete set of the postcards referenced in the text above in an antique shop in Atlanta, Georgia a couple of years ago and didn’t buy them! Why not? I don’t know. To make matters worse, that set was in much better condition than my card. Sigh.
Who is Eugene Field? He was an American writer best known for writing children’s poetry and humorous essays. He died in 1895.