Birthday Greetings to J. Wheeler Smith

I have no idea who J. Wheeler Smith was, but he received this card for his 90th birthday in 1910. Born in 1820,  J. Wheeler Smith might have been considered too old to fight in the Civil War. Imagine that. He probably died before the first World War.  His life experience was so different from mine, yet I hold this card of his in my hand. This really sums up my fascination with old postcards.

Here's the unedited message:

Please except hearty congratulations and best wishes  for this your 90th birthday. Hope you will see many more. Just recd. your kind letter.  You certainly are a wonder to me, so smart for one of your years. With all good wishes I am sincerely

Mrs. J.H. Prentice.

Beatific Smiles

I bought both of these photo postcards for their beatific smiles. Something about them radiates calm, warmth, trust, hope, honesty, and a total lack of malice. They act as a tonic to renew my faith in humankind. Am I reading too much into the photographs? Probably - but for a dollar or two a piece I  think I got my money's worth. They both make me smile too.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order. Based on the stamp boxes, both are from approximately the same time period: 1904-1920.

To view more old photos and the fascinating stories that accompany them, check out the many wonderful posts of Sepia Saturday.

No Nice Boys Yet

More from the Bee family! The Bee family lived in the Rosemount Buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland. This card was sent to Chrissie Bee from her friend Isa.

Here's the back of the card:

The message reads:

Dear Chrissie,

How do you like this. I am enjoying myself #1.

But have seen no nice boys as yet.

Yours with love

XXXXXXXXXX

Isa

The Rosemount Buildings were built in 1860 and are now part of Edinburgh's West End Conservation District. They were unusual in that they were built of red brick with yellow brick accents, instead of traditional stone. You can read more about the conservation area here at the Friends of Gardner's Crescent.