Harriet Severance Munn Postcard Collection (SC-14)

While the majority of the cards in the albums are blank, many contain correspondence between Harriet, her sister Marjorie, and other family members. Some are addressed to Harriet and her husband John Munn, while others are addressed to Marjorie and appear to have been returned to Harriet at a later date. Other cards bear no address or postmark, but contain notes by Harriet further describing the image on the postcard. They cover a period from circa 1911 to 1928, and some of the correspondence is in French.

The first smaller volume contains over 150 postcards housed in an Italian-made album designed specifically for postcard display. The cards depict the art and architecture of Europe, primarily France (Pau, Lourdes, Carcassone, Avignon, Arles, Orange, Antibes, Grasse) and Italy (Rome, Siena). Also included is a single, loose “Graves Stereal-Graph”, also known as a stereogram or stereograph. The stereogram is entitled “Making a Welsh Rabbit” and was created by C.H. Graves in Philadelphia in 1903. On the reverse is a short poem of the same name.

The second larger volume contains over 290 postcards housed in a bound leather album engraved with the words "Souvenir Postals" and "Harriet Severance". The cards depict street scenes and architecture throughout Europe (including London, Windsor, Stratford-upon-Avon, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Trondheim), Africa (Johannesburg, Gilbraltar), the Carribbean (San Juan), and United States (Jekyll Island, GA, Norfolk, CT, Bennington, VT, Richmond, VA), works of art, and postcards with feminist themes.