I buy, sell, and collect antique postcards as a hobby, and I particularly like cards with interesting messages on the back. Most of the messages run along the lines of "I'm fine. How are you?" "I hope Grandma is feeling better," or "Wish you were here," but occasionally, you find something more interesting than that. This blog post is about a card from a dealer's twenty-five-cent sale box at a postcard show and the card's surprising message.
York, PA postcard show 2012
Postcards in sale boxes are usually common or damaged, but there are always customers for them. Beginning collectors often start their collections from the sale boxes, and artists buy them for collage work or ideas. More advanced collectors and dealers also go through the sale boxes, looking for a "gemstone" in the "gravel." They might find a card that the seller didn't recognize as valuable or a damaged copy of a card that will suffice until a better one turns up. Often, the find is just a postcard that appeals to the eye or reminds one of another time or place.
When shopping for postcards at a sale, I go through sale boxes quickly. Hundreds of cards are in each box, and I depend on a swift look to tell me when to pause. The card pictured below appealed to me on two levels: first, it was an early Japanese postcard with an attractive, hand-tinted rural scene, and second, I knew that many early Japanese cards have significant value. This card’s printed back has no dividing line between an address space and a message space, meaning it was printed before 1907. The edges of the card had minor wear, and it had been written on and postmarked in 1948. These changes were acceptable, but unfortunately, it had a small, discolored, rough area on the back where some of the paper's surface was missing–perhaps where a sticker or a piece of tape had been removed. Collectors of this type of foreign postcard want cards in excellent condition, but this card seemed to be a bargain at twenty-five cents.
The card was produced about 1905; however, the message, neatly written in ink, was mailed in 1948. Glancing at the message, I saw that the name "Lincoln" appeared several times. That got my attention, of course, and here's the payoff:
Message:
8-4-48. The card you mailed in the Mailomat at Chicago shows a Lincoln statue in Lincoln Park.Any Lincoln card is always of interest in this household, especially to Mrs. Matthews. Her father used to sleep with Abraham Lincoln. Her grandfather, Joshua Wagenseller, and Mr. Lincoln were long time friends, beginning when Mr. Lincoln practiced law in Springfield and Pekin, Illinois. Whenever Mr. Lincoln came to Pekin for a term of court, he was always entertained at the Wagenseller home as long as he stayed in Pekin.Mrs. Matthews spent the first twenty-two years of her life in that big Wagenseller home so full of Abraham Lincoln reminders. Thanks for the fine cards.Sincerely, Will C. Matthews, 2310 Fort St., Omaha, Nebr
Back at my computer, Internet research revealed that Joshua Wagenseller was a successful Pekin, Illinois businessman, an ardent abolitionist, and a good friend of Abraham Lincoln. In fact, President Lincoln offered Mr. Wagenseller a cabinet position, but Wagenseller declined due to his extensive business interests.
Lincoln also had strong ties to Pekin, Illinois. In 1862, he gathered a group of men there to establish the first council of the Union League of America to promote patriotism and loyalty to the Union during the Civil War.
The postcard message seems legitimate and tells a Lincoln story that may not be recorded elsewhere. But of course, it gets better, doesn't it? The message says Mrs. Matthews' father "used to sleep with Abraham Lincoln."
In recent years, there has been some speculation that Lincoln might have been bisexual, based in part on the fact that, as a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, he shared a bed for four years with Joshua Speed, a local businessman. This postcard gives us another instance of Mr. Lincoln possibly sharing a bed, or perhaps just a bedroom, with a male––Mrs. Matthews' father, the son of Joshua Wagenseller.
It's an interesting bit of history and open to speculation, I suppose, but in the 19th century, it was pretty standard for people of the same sex to share a bed. In many instances, bed space was scarce or expensive, and a comfortable sleeping space was not to be wasted. In fact, when necessary, unmarried house guests of the opposite sex sometimes shared a bed. In such cases, a wooden plank called a "bundling board" was often set between them to ensure no "accidental" touching occurred during the night.
In my opinion, these reported sleeping arrangements for Mr. Lincoln are simply evidence that even the great Abraham Lincoln needed a good night's sleep. Rest in peace, President Lincoln.
So, that's the 25¢ Lincoln story. Looking closely, you can see the price written lightly in pencil on the back of the card. It was a bargain and an excellent example of the small treasures out there if you keep your eyes open.
By the way, see the Spielberg movie, "Lincoln," as soon as possible. Daniel Day-Lewis is as close as you will ever get to the real Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field are terrific, and James Spader almost steals the show. However, One must remember that the true story is always much more complex than a movie version.
To see a broader view of people who influenced Lincoln, like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, you might want to check out the PBS documentary, "The Abolitionists." Here's a link to a review of it written by Mary McNamara of the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-abolitionists-20130108,0,1215367.story
Lincoln also had strong ties to Pekin, Illinois. In 1862, he gathered a group of men there to establish the first council of the Union League of America to promote patriotism and loyalty to the Union during the Civil War.
The postcard message seems legitimate and tells a Lincoln story that may not be recorded elsewhere. But of course, it gets better, doesn't it? The message says Mrs. Matthews' father "used to sleep with Abraham Lincoln."
In recent years, there has been some speculation that Lincoln might have been bisexual, based in part on the fact that, as a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, he shared a bed for four years with Joshua Speed, a local businessman. This postcard gives us another instance of Mr. Lincoln possibly sharing a bed, or perhaps just a bedroom, with a male––Mrs. Matthews' father, the son of Joshua Wagenseller.
It's an interesting bit of history and open to speculation, I suppose, but in the 19th century, it was pretty standard for people of the same sex to share a bed. In many instances, bed space was scarce or expensive, and a comfortable sleeping space was not to be wasted. In fact, when necessary, unmarried house guests of the opposite sex sometimes shared a bed. In such cases, a wooden plank called a "bundling board" was often set between them to ensure no "accidental" touching occurred during the night.
In my opinion, these reported sleeping arrangements for Mr. Lincoln are simply evidence that even the great Abraham Lincoln needed a good night's sleep. Rest in peace, President Lincoln.
So, that's the 25¢ Lincoln story. Looking closely, you can see the price written lightly in pencil on the back of the card. It was a bargain and an excellent example of the small treasures out there if you keep your eyes open.
By the way, see the Spielberg movie, "Lincoln," as soon as possible. Daniel Day-Lewis is as close as you will ever get to the real Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field are terrific, and James Spader almost steals the show. However, One must remember that the true story is always much more complex than a movie version.
To see a broader view of people who influenced Lincoln, like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, you might want to check out the PBS documentary, "The Abolitionists." Here's a link to a review of it written by Mary McNamara of the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-abolitionists-20130108,0,1215367.story
Another fine piece of historical incidence and sluething. A lingering question is why this midwestern correspondece took place on such an exotic postcard.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mr. Matthews and Mr. Willson to whom the card is addressed were both postcard collectors who exchanged cards by mail. This was a common practice at one time. Mr. Willson has apparently sent the Matthews family a current card from his travels (from a postcard automat machine) and Mr. Matthews responded with an older, unused card from his collection. Ken
DeleteI can attest to the fact that Mr. Matthews was indeed a prolific postcard writer. He was my grandfather. In his retirement, he sent postcards to postmasters all over the world, asking if they would pass along his address to people who would be interested in corresponding with someone in Omaha, NE. He also would send postcards to people who were in the news, and it was amazing how many people responded. In his living room, he had a large cabinet with postcard-sized drawers that was completely filled with these responses. Fortunately, he and my dad, his son Milton E. Matthews, were both packrats and in the past several years, we have been going through this mountain of correspondence. It's fascinating. The story about Lincoln is apparently true, as my dad remembered his grandfather, (WIlliam) Henry Wagenseller, relating how when Lincoln was a traveling lawyer, and had occasion to be in Pekin, he would stay with the Wagenseller family. Henry was just a boy at the time. I have a picture of the house where Lincoln stayed, and it is a very large house so it's possible that Lincoln had his own bedroom. But we also believe that there was nothing untoward going on, and they probably just shared the room, as suggested by a previous note above. Lincoln called Henry "Fish" because Henry was such an avid fisherman, and occasionally they would fish together. A story in the Peoria, IL Journal-Star of March 17, 1988, an interview with George Toel, Joshua's great grandson, says that he remembers his grandmother, Ophelia, who was a young girl, a friend of the family at the time of Lincoln's visits, saying Lincoln was the ugliest person she ever saw. She called him an ugly, giant man. Recently, some of Mr. Matthews' postcards were offered by my sister's husband at a show in California. Someone there said they were very much aware of Will C. Matthews and his post cards. How fun this has been to find this site.
ReplyDeleteLois Matthews Blake, Omaha, NE lblake 8512@cox.net May 5, 2014
Enjoyed reading Ken's post the first time around, and revisiting it was just a good. Appreciate the extra info, Lois, that's what it's all about!
ReplyDeleteNed Coleman
Austin, Texas