The flags have 48 stars -- 6 rows of 8. That would mean it was from 1912 (after Arizona) to 1949 (before Alaska). The inside of the card has a "military" them, but there is nothing else to identify it except a "Made in U.S.A." in the lower left corner of the back.
Verse: If you'll heed these Get Well Wishes
That are daily multiplying,
You will shortly be "at liberty"
With all your health flags flying!
A simple piece of heavy stock paper, the back says, in pencil, "From Lorraine".
Verse, on front:
A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year
I light my candle in my window
To shed its prayerful light,
And send you Christmas wishes,
For a New Year that is bright.
And after Christmas, a Valentine's Day card.
Verse, on front:
Greetings On St. Valentine's Day
If I should send a card to your
Each time I'm thinking hard of you,
I'd spend my money all for stamps
You dear delightful Vamp of Vamps!
Some connect the first use of vamp with the role of "The Vampire" in the 1915 movie "A Fool There Was". Merriam-Webster's web site say 1911. Photoplay Magazine called Theda Bara "the vamp of vamps" in their January 1918 issue.
Post cards were a favorite for advertisers. The front of this card is apparently a gilt-edged advertisement for "No. 9 Lover's Lane, Saint Jo. - by Eugene Field" according to the top line with the following verse on the bottom:
In the Union Bank of London
Are Forty pounds or more,
Which I'm like to spend, ere the month shall end
in an antiquarian store.
Almost a limerick.
The back, however, has an advertisement for "Woman's World" Largest Circulation in the World Greatest reading value in the World. Send 25c for full years subscripton and this set of 12 Post Cards, sent free and postpaid at once. Woman's World, Dept. K. P. Chicago.
A search on the web says the inset picture of a man is "Eugene Field", a poet and the card on the web was mailed in 1909. A similar card, but with "Eugene Field" written across the picture of the poet, is listed as being from 1912. The poem is apparently called "Lovers Lane, St. Jo", written in 1889 referring to a country lane in St. Joseph, Missouri. There is a web site about Lovers Lane, St. Jo. with scans of all 12 of the post cards the back of the card refers to.
The Golden Gate Bridge is built from San Francisco north across the inlet from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. The inlet, itself, is called "Golden Gate". This card is from before the bridge was built from 1933 to 1937. The caption on the front says "San Francisco, Cal. Fort Point & Golden Gate", with a "No, 23." in the lower left corner.
The back is full of a Description of Scene, a paragraph about the Golden Gate, and then an advertisement for
A FREE BOOK.
Most chronic diseases are either caused by or complicated by
catarrh. Everybody should know of Dr. Hartman's famous rem-
edy for catarrh -- Pe-ru-na. Send for Dr. Hartman's latest book
on catarrhal diseases. Sent free by The Pe-ru-na Drug Manufact-
uring Company, Columbus, Ohio.
Catarrh, as defined by Wikipedia, is a build-up of mucus in the throat. The New York Times warned about it in the March 3, 1865 issue. Dr. Samuel Hartman started selling Peruna in 1885 and by 1903 was claiming that half of human illnesses are caused by catarrh, which Peruna would cure. In 1906, Peruna was denouced as being 28% alcohol and a fraud, with calls to outlaw "quack cures", like Peruna. Goodness!
But our main interest here is in the Golden Gate.
This card is undated because, again, it seems to have been sent by military mail from Bernie (Ollie's son) during World War II. The front says "40:- Golden Gate Bridge From Fort Mason. San Francisco, California."
On the back, it describes the scene:
The Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to Marin County is the World's largest single span bridge. The main structure is 8,940 feet long. The towers above water are 746 feet high. The main span is 4200 feet long. There are two ten-foot sidewalks and six lanes for vehicular traffic: total width 90 feet. Total length including approaches is seven miles. Cost $35,000,000.
The back shows it as being from Scenic View Card Co., 667 Mission St., San Francisco, Cal., Nature Tone Views. with a logo of a bear over S.V.C Co in the lower left corner.
They seem to include the card number (43685) in the space reserved for the stamp in the upper right corner:
The card is addressed to Mr.s Ollie Peterson, RT 2 Box 490, Ashland, Ore.
The message on the back says:
Dear, Mom,
Well just a few lines to let you know I'm O.K. + hope you are to I'm in San Frisco for a little I don't know how long I got to see George + Alice + went and seen Glynn for about 25 min. just in case you want to know I'm not a messman or cook. I'm an O.S. on deck. well I guess you getter not write cause I don't know how long I'll be hear. will write when I can. "all my Love" "Your Son" Bernie.
Bernie came back from the war, and eventually settled in Sacramento, California.
Another post card of the bridge:
This post card shows "Bridging the Golden Gate, San Francisco, Calif. in distance" with a "104" in the upper right corner and "(c) Stanley A. Piltz" in the bottom left corner. The bottom right corner says "5B-H61".
The back shows it was postmarked "12:30 PM Apr 27 1948" at Oakland, Calif. T.O. S. P. Depot and mailed to:
Mrs. Ollie Peterson, R 2 Box 490, Ashland, Oregon.
This is the "Pictorial Wonderland" Art Tone Series, 104 from Stanley A. Piltz Company, San Francisco, Calif. with the message:
Hello Sis, Well I am still taking it easy. I think I am pretty well rested though and would like to get back to work. I got a card from Jena a few days ago. She said they were sure having bad weather. Sure glad to hear Mother Williams was doing so good and that Gordon had got some work. haven't heard from Harriet for several days but she said she was better Will close for now Geo.
People seemed to like pictures of bridges.
This post card is from "Brubaker Aerial Surveys" (lower right) with a 32 in the upper right, and a caption on the front of "Air View of Portland, Oregon, Showing Battleship "Oregon," Business District, 5 Main Bridges and East Side in Background.
The back, on the left, says it is Angelus Commercial Studio, Portland, Oregon, and down the middle -- between the "This space for writing messages" and "Post Card" it says 'Tichnor Quality Views" Reg. U.S. Pat.Off. Made Only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass., with the number 74164 in the lower left corner.
The Message on the Back is:
Dear Ollie
I came to Vancouver with Ruth + Albert Mon. They were coming home from Frisco. We visited the ship yards yesterday. Saw some being finished. Will see the Fleet from the Pacific at Portland Sat. Will come home next week. Love -- Arletha.
Addressed to: Ollie Peterson, R.2 Box 490, Ashland, Oreg.
Postmarked from Vancouver, Wash. Oct24 3 PM 1945.
The surrender of Japan was on August 15, so the war was over. Still it seems unlikely that much would have happened to bring the Fleet home by October 1945. Wikipedia refers to "Operation Magic Carpet" to repatriate the military out of the Pacific as starting in October 1945 and concluding, in the Pacific, by September 1946.
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