Mt. San Jacinto, 1943

Hand franked, "Hubert G. Cain, U.S. Navy, Columbia, Mo." Addressed to "Mrs. J.H. Cain, 201 So. Wright St., Champaign, Ill." The message, "Hi Folks, Well I arrived here Sat. at 12 o'clock. I am doing Los Angeles now. I have to take the 3:15 train and it's after one now. I'll write a letter as soon as I get an address. Jigs" Franking is a signature or mark placed on a piece of mail that allows the sender free service. Jigs could be a nickname or it could mean Lieutenant, Junior Grade. Mt. San Jacinto now has an aerial tram that goes to a state park at the peak. Navigate back one to see another Cain family postcard

Palm Springs

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I've long known that hand colored black & white photographs were the most common source material for linen postcards, and with this one, I have some proof. Credited on the back, "PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHEN H. WILLARD, PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA." Willard was born in Illinois in 1894 and as a young man moved to the Palm Springs area where he built a career as photographer and artist. He was especially know for his hand painted black & white photographs. I found an example of one, the original photo painted over with oils, on sale for $600 at a gallery in Santa Monica, California. Willard died in 1966, and his daughter donated over 16,000 pieces of his work to The Palm Springs Desert Museum as The Stephen H. Willard Photography Collection and Archive. The card's caption reads, "The many and colorful costumes of the desert lend pleasure to outdoor living in this delightful spot." Postmark, "PALM SPRINGS CALIF., NOV 28, 3 PM 1942." The card was addressed to "Mr. J H. Rutland c/o Kirtland's St. Petersburg, Florida." The message, "Dear Jeff, 11/28 You certainly would disappointed if you came here. We are having a nice trip. Regards from Mrs. Lord. Myself to Ma Rutland, (name obscured), and yourself. Irving" I can only imagine that Irving was in a hurry and left out not be between would and disappointed in his note to Jeff Rutland.

Town and Country Palm Springs

I was interested in these two images because they were of Palm Springs from a time when it was still the getaway for the Hollywood crowd. The Town and Country Restaurant, part of the Town and Country Center that also housed The Desert Sun newspaper was designed by architects A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams, one of the few prominent African American designers of the mid twentieth century. The Town and Country was designed in 1947, and built in 1948. Today, the Friends of the Town and Country Center http://www.friendsoftcc.com/ are trying to save the building from being bull dozed.