Thursday, January 7, 2010

Reading Both Sides of the Postcard


Cheer Up, The Worst Is Yet to Come

Reading both sides of a postcard can be an object lesson in putting life - and death - into perspective. The above picture view on this postcard in a rather cute and humorous way tells us to cheer up because the worst is yet to come.

The message on the reverse of the card, brings us back to earth, jarringly:

click on image for larger view

postmarked Chicago, Illinois, USA, August 2, 1916

"Dear Sister,  We all pulled through the fearful heat all right, but it killed hundreds up here. Have had two days of delightfully cool breezes and the survivors are perking up. Hope you all managed to slip through. Last two days of it about knocked the ambition out of me."  Edw.

Subsequent heat waves in Chicago, in 1936 and 1995, resulted in high death tolls, 297 and 525 respectively.

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