Rock River, Beloit, Wis.

Mailed 29 Jan. 1909 from Beloit. From Lizzie to Miss Mary Dawson[?], Rockford.

The picture

A calm stretch of river with a wooded bank: a cluster of leafy trees at left and center reflected in still water, a low grassy point, more trees on the far bank at right under a pale yellow evening sky.

• Printed caption: ROCK RIVER, BELOIT, WIS.
• Number: No 4606
• Printing: colored halftone · color
• Postmark ink on the picture: a faint grey circular arc in the sky, upper center, the shape of a circular postmark (offset from another card)
• Condition: light wear at the corners; the scan shows horizontal color banding across the whole picture (scan or print artifact)

The back

• Layout: divided back (message at left, address at right)
• Printed: Post Card · This Space for Address only.
• Stamp: 1c, green, Franklin
• Postmark: BELOIT / JAN 29 / 12-30P / 19 09 / WIS. (machine cancel with flag killer (flag with stars and wavy stripes))
• Condition: toning; light soiling

Exact copy

Line for line as written. [?] follows an uncertain word; [illegible] marks one that cannot be read; ~~ ~~ is crossed out, ^ ^ written above the line, […] runs off the card.

Message (back of the card, left half, message space; the first lines run under the postmark, written sideways, reading top to bottom (turn the card 90 degrees counterclockwise to read)):

Dear Cousin: Just rec'd
your card. am so glad
you are coming tomorrow
hope the storm will be
over in[?] that[?] thought that
nice weather couldn't last
very long. Some of us will meet the 2 o'clock car, so tell M. H.'s not to get off until car stops.
Yours Lovingly
Lizzie

Address:

Miss. Mary Dawson[?]
Rockford
Ill
216 - Kishwaukee St.

A later hand (pencil number in parentheses, probably a dealer's or archive inventory number, bottom right, below 'This Space for Address only.'): (#161 373)

Reading version

The message joined into sentences, the spelling lightly modernized only where it helps; uncertain words keep their marks.

Dear Cousin: Just rec'd your card. Am so glad you are coming tomorrow. Hope the storm will be over in[?] that[?] thought that nice weather couldn't last very long. Some of us will meet the 2 o'clock car, so tell M. H.'s not to get off until car stops. Yours lovingly, Lizzie

Who

• Miss Mary Dawson[?] — recipient, 216 Kishwaukee St., Rockford, Ill.
• Lizzie — sender
• Mr. H.'s — mentioned in the message (people travelling with the recipient)

When

How	Date	Basis
filename	1909-01-29	the date in the scan's file name
postmark	1909-01-29	postmark, as read: the day the card was mailed, not the day the picture was made
card-features	after 1907-03-01	divided back: allowed in the US from 1 Mar. 1907

The readings

Part	Status	Readers
caption	all agree	claude, gemini, gpt
postmark	crux (the year still in question)	claude, gemini, gpt
address	majority	claude, gemini, gpt
message	majority	claude, gemini, gpt
signature	in message	claude, gemini

Uncertain readings:

• address, line 1, surname: Dawson (or Darwin, Dawvin) — the middle letters after 'Daw' are run together

Reader's note: 'Mr. H.'s' is the writer's own abbreviation; 'not' is underlined. 'The two o'clock car' is presumably an interurban or street-railway car; the card does not say which line.

Scans: 1909-01-29 - Rock River, Beloit, Wis. - 01.png and 1909-01-29 - Rock River, Beloit, Wis. - 02.png (sha256 e2247698e8a2…, 059640e69beb…). Media: front — the scan, byte for byte; back — the scanner's white edge trimmed: kept pixels [0, 0, 1100, 701]