Postcard to Dr. Arthur Melvin Townsend from Willa Ann Hadley Townsend: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A postcard sent to Dr. Arthur M. Townsend from his wife, Willa A. Townsend. The front of the postcard carries a printed tribute to fathers titled "Dad, Here's to You." The back of the postcard is used, with the black printed text [POSTCARD[feather]] at the top center and a vertical dividing the printed text [CORRESPONDENCE] on the left and [ADDRESS] on the right. In the handwritten correspondence, Willa tells her husband she just arrived in Huntingdon, Tennessee and wishes him well. In the upper right quadrant is a postmark and a green stamp.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: March 30, 1916
• Printed by: Walker's Post Card Shop, American
• Written by: Willa Ann Hadley Townsend, American, 1880 - 1947
• Received by: Dr. Arthur Melvin Townsend Sr., American, 1875 - 1959
• Type: postcards
• Medium: ink and graphite on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (8.9 x 14 cm)
• Place depicted: Paris, Henry County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Huntingdon, Carroll County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Correspondence
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Fatherhood
• Object number: 2011.36.74
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.