Sean T.
Member
Hello,
I was hoping to ask for some help on securing some more information about an interesting postcard in my collection. This came to me by way of online auction and didn't give much thought at first as these old Cunarder cards pop up pretty often online. I did like the year of the postage and upon a little closer inspection found that the day, location, and name of the author set the scene for what could possibly be a collectible item.
The card is dated by the author April 25, 1912 which falls just 10 days after the Titanic was lost and about a week after the Carpathia arrived in New York with her survivors. The post cancel collected at Hudson Terminal Station in New York on April 26, 1912 verifies this date. This of course places the card in New York in late April of 1912.
What makes this much more interesting is that the author appears to sign her name as Adelaide. The message on the card reads (at least by my interpretation), "Apr. 25, 1912 Miss Lloyd and I sailing at 12 to-day- Will write you from the other side. With Love Adelaide." This card is then addressed to a Mrs. (S?) (J?) Donaldson in Ionia, Michigan. From this we can deduce that the author and a friend are going to be leaving New York by way of steamer and are most likely making their way across the Atlantic.
Now where this card gets potentially very interesting is the name of the author. She signs as Adelaide which matches the name of one of the survivors of that fateful night, 2nd Class passengers Mrs. Alice Adelaide Louch. Via information obtained from this site about her, I found out that she arrived on the 18th like the rest and stayed in New York until the 25th which is by chance the date that this card was written. On the 25th it reads that she boarded the White Star Liner R.M.S. Celtic on its eastbound voyage back to England. This matches the day that she was set to leave and by way of newspapers from the time I could find that the Celtic was set to leave New York on the 25th on an eastbound voyage.
Although nothing quite concrete but there seems to be a decent list of events that match up. Of course with something like this there is room for doubt. The author signs as Adelaide but Mrs. Louch's first name was Alice so I am not sure if she went by Adelaide or Alice. Also cannot find much about her accompanying friend and the addressee of the card. Lastly, the card is of the Cunarders Saxonia/Ivernia and not of the Celtic which is a little strange.
So now I open this up to the forum, any and all help is much appreciated and if not many thanks for reading.
All the best.
I was hoping to ask for some help on securing some more information about an interesting postcard in my collection. This came to me by way of online auction and didn't give much thought at first as these old Cunarder cards pop up pretty often online. I did like the year of the postage and upon a little closer inspection found that the day, location, and name of the author set the scene for what could possibly be a collectible item.
The card is dated by the author April 25, 1912 which falls just 10 days after the Titanic was lost and about a week after the Carpathia arrived in New York with her survivors. The post cancel collected at Hudson Terminal Station in New York on April 26, 1912 verifies this date. This of course places the card in New York in late April of 1912.
What makes this much more interesting is that the author appears to sign her name as Adelaide. The message on the card reads (at least by my interpretation), "Apr. 25, 1912 Miss Lloyd and I sailing at 12 to-day- Will write you from the other side. With Love Adelaide." This card is then addressed to a Mrs. (S?) (J?) Donaldson in Ionia, Michigan. From this we can deduce that the author and a friend are going to be leaving New York by way of steamer and are most likely making their way across the Atlantic.
Now where this card gets potentially very interesting is the name of the author. She signs as Adelaide which matches the name of one of the survivors of that fateful night, 2nd Class passengers Mrs. Alice Adelaide Louch. Via information obtained from this site about her, I found out that she arrived on the 18th like the rest and stayed in New York until the 25th which is by chance the date that this card was written. On the 25th it reads that she boarded the White Star Liner R.M.S. Celtic on its eastbound voyage back to England. This matches the day that she was set to leave and by way of newspapers from the time I could find that the Celtic was set to leave New York on the 25th on an eastbound voyage.
Although nothing quite concrete but there seems to be a decent list of events that match up. Of course with something like this there is room for doubt. The author signs as Adelaide but Mrs. Louch's first name was Alice so I am not sure if she went by Adelaide or Alice. Also cannot find much about her accompanying friend and the addressee of the card. Lastly, the card is of the Cunarders Saxonia/Ivernia and not of the Celtic which is a little strange.
So now I open this up to the forum, any and all help is much appreciated and if not many thanks for reading.
All the best.