Thursday 21 August 2014

Another Oldy Worldy Postcard Treat For You - This Time It's A Xmas Waterwheel

This is another one of the postcards I bought from the antique shop on the edge of the lovely covered victorian market in St Helier, Jersey.

I picked it because I like water wheels - I love the noise they make and the dank smell they have,and the moss and ferns that seem to grow round them plus I love the slightly faded colour of this example. I'm not entirely sure if it's a painting or a hand tinted photograph as there is a black and white untinted bit just to the top right of the waterwheel and that looks very photographic but the rest looks like it could not only be hand tinted but also hand drawn.


I also like it because it is a xmas card - though I didn't realise that when I picked it, it was only when I got it home and looked at it closely that I noticed at the bottom left in red you can make out ' A merry Christmas' - I have copied the capitalisation as it is. Plus that is printed on top of the picture so you can feel its raised letterness against the smoothness of the rest of the image. On the back it just says postcard, no clue about who printed it or where it was made.
It has been written and posted though - it has a green half penny stamp with Edward VII on it and it is postmarked Bawtry, Dec 24 09. I can't quite believe it is one hundred and fifteen years old (115!!!!!) as it is still so vividly coloured though it is a little scuffed round the edges and also a little creased.

The message written in what looks like it was black ink that has faded a little reads:
Dear Julie, many thanks for card,I hope you will spend a very happy xmas and bright new year. I am going to Doncaster on Monday. Thank you so much for bothering to send me what I asked you. I shall always be delighted to hear from you, from your loving friend M E.


It was sent to an address in Hyde Park, London.

I hope they both had a good xmas and new year - and I wonder what it was that M E wanted, that Julie sent to her and what became of both of them when war broke out 5 years later.