The writer was an actor traveling to North Carolina cities in which a play was being performed.The picture postcards in the collection depict views of various scenes in North Carolina from the coast to the mountains.
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Van Natta Postcard Collection
PhC.46.1
ca. 1913
English
The writer was an actor traveling to North Carolina cities in which a play was being performed.
The picture postcards in the collection depict views of various scenes in North Carolina from the coast to the mountains.For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Public Services Branch, North Carolina State Archives.
Unknown
State Archives of North Carolina
The postcards are arranged chronologically by the hand dated notations on the back of the images
Available for research.
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Processed by Stephen E. Massengill, April, 1992
Encoded by Dietra Stanley
Encoding updated by Aaron Cusick, January, 2012
The writer of the correspondence signed his name "Father," so his identity remains a mystery. He purchased the postcards as souvenirs of his visit to North Carolina. His messages apparently are directed to his daughter Bertie (location not given). The writer was an actor traveling to North Carolina cities in which a play was being performed. Research in local newspapers published at the time revealed that he was probably a member of the cast of "Peg 'O My Heart", a J. Hartley Manners' comedy produced by Oliver Morosco. The New York hit show was making a tour of the South, and after leaving Virginia the group made its way into North Carolina. The chronology of his cards displays the travel route and the order of cities in which the play was performed. The troupe first visited Greensboro and in succession performed in Durham, Wilson, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Statesville, and Asheville. After the engagement in Asheville the players continued on for a booking in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
[Identification of item], PhC.46.1, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Van Natta Postcard Collection, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC, USA.
The collection was donated to the State Archives by Mr. and Mrs. Ray Van Natta on April 23, 1992. They are acquaintances of Dr. Thornton W. Mitchell of Raleigh, who acted as agent.
Additional information on topics found in this collection may be found in the Manuscript and Archives Reference System (MARS) http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov.
The picture postcards in the collection depict views of various scenes in North Carolina from the coast to the mountains. The color postcards were never mailed, but were hand dated December, 1913, on the reverse of the cards by the owner. Therefore all of the cards were published just prior to that date. Some of the cards, in addition to the dates on the back, contain notations of varying lengths. The last eleven postcards include one continuous postal message.