This postcard was mailed 114 years ago, on August 9, 1904. That was before divided-back postcards, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand still had nearly a full decade of life in front of him. It would still be more than 4½ years before the keel would be laid down for RMS Titanic. The Phillies, on their way to 100 losses, dropped a 5-4 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates on the day this card was mailed.
It was mailed from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Swithin's and Greta's oldest sibling, Miss Edna S. Chandler of Wilmington, Delaware, who had recently turned 17.
The note on the front, alongside a photo of the Ocean City boardwalk, states:
Aug. 9, 1904.Some comments:
Dear Edna,
Just came from our bath it was cold but we enjoyed it. you ought to see mamma & cousin Anna with wings on. I heard the score, bad [?] luck. All well. Write soon.
Swithin
- Mamma is almost certainly Helen Gregg Simmons Chandler (1857-1913).
- I'm not sure who cousin Anna in. Looking through the family tree, one possibility is Ann Gregg Simmons Carver (1873-1947).
- The mention of wings is interesting. I'm taking it to refer to some sort of water wings. Wikipedia mentions that one of the first instances of inflatable armbands, called the Swimeesy Buoy, didn't come until 1907 in London. However, the website for the Hoboken Historical Museum has an entry for Ayvad's Water-Wings, manufactured by The Ayvad Manufacturing Co. of Hoboken sometime between 1904-1915. Perhaps the Chandlers were early adopters.
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