I’ve always loved this postcard, even though I couldn’t understand what it said. I was going through my postcards today (it’s spring break!) and realized it was written exactly 125 years ago, so on the occasion of its birthday, I posted its pictures to Instagram.
Little did I know that several helpful, brilliant friends would pitch in to help me translate! It turns out my mystery postcard says the same thing so many of my postcards in English from the same period say, namely, “Don’t be mad at me for not writing you a real letter yet, I promise you’ll get one ASAP.”
(In fact, maybe the only message I have more of in my collection is the one this one anticipates: “How dare you not write me/You owe me a letter/I haven’t had any news from any of you in ages/Have you forgotten me?” Which, given how unbelievably bad I am at staying in touch, is a message that sends chills down my hobbled spine.)