USA - Washington

Hallowe-en

This card comes from my friend Chanele in Washington State (yes, two cards back to back for Halloween!)  The poem on this one reads:

When doubt and fear creep o'er you 

And your heart is beating fast

Look in a glass of water

If it's clear, the die is cast.

USA - Washington

Hallowe'en

This postcard comes from my friend Val in Washington State.  The artwork is of a postcard circa 1908 by Bernhardt Wall.

Germany

DE-5195063

An early-20th Century pinup girl in bikini with sunflowers.

USA - Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

This appears to be the first card I've gotten from Rhode Island.  The state is on the east coast of the US and is actually the smallest state.  Thanks to my friend Chanele for sending it to me on one of her trips there this year.

Japan

JP-819543

Mt. Minamidake from Lava Road of Sakurajima

The user mentions that the people in Japan are friendly, the food delicious, and the onsens (bathhouses) are fantastic.

USA - Iowa

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Davenport on the Mississippi

This card is a beautiful smaller, city card of Davenport, Iowa located on North America's mighty Mississippi River.

Portugal

PT-467714

This card may look odd, but it is a 3D card (which doesn't scan or photograph that well).  It was sent because it reminded the sender of art and she saw in my profile that I lied art.  It comes from Portugal, which some people may recognize as the country where Postcrossing started over a decade ago!

USA - Illinois

The Interior of the Stables at Carton, County Kildare; a Liveried Groom, Lord Charles William FitzGerld, and his Sister Lady Jane Seymour FitzGerald, c. 1825 - George Naim (Irish, 1799 - 1850)

This painting was a part of the Art Institute of Chicago 2014 exhibit  Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690–1840.  The two named figures in the painting Charles William FitzGerald was the 4th Duke of Leinster was born in 1819 and died in 1897 and his sister Jane Seymore (FitzGerld) Repton was born in 1825 and died in 1898.  

USA - Washington

U-3993034

Indian Tiger

Taiwan

TW-1932575

From what the sender said this card, apparently from 2005, encourages people to enjoy their lives.  It features a young woman in green with a scale with love (a heart) on one side and the dollar sign (money) on the other side.

USA - Indiana

This is a bit strange of a postcard.  It features the Purdue "P" with the back of a statue. 

The statue is actually of John Purdue, the university's name sake.  Purdue donated money to help start the university which, despite widespread belief, is actually a state and not private university.  He died on September 12, 1876 which was the first day of classes for the school's only 3rd school year and is buried nearby this statue on campus.

Why someone decided to take a photo and make a postcard of the back of his statue....is beyond me.  I have other postcards (that are given away free at the Memorial Union Building) featuring the front of the statue. 

Romania

ROU-1199

Bran, Romania

Bran Castle in Romania which is one of the castles of the famous Count Dracula.

Sudan via Turkey

Modern Shopping Center

This card is literally of "Modern Shopping Center" and is sent by my friend in Ankara, Neslhan.  The card came from a friend of hers who used to live there.  Apparently this mall was made by a Turkish company and has a few Turkish restaurants!    

USA - Delaware

US-3991223

"Velum Cascade"

This interesting card is my first card from the US state of Delaware, which is actually our first state!

Australia

AU-490529

South End Queensland

The photos include a pineapple field, Brisbane, and Lake Wabby.

USA - Claifornia

Thaddeus Kosciuszko

Tadeusz Kosciuszko was a Polish-born member of the nobility who rose to great fame when the young man traveled to the American Colonies to join the fight for Independence.  At that time, Poland had already had the First Partition (when Russia, Austria, and Prussia took territory from Poland, eventually leading to the country being wiped from the map of Europe).  

Kosciuszko was a favorite of General Washington and oversaw the construction of West Point.  His will stipulated for the executor of it, Thomas Jefferson, to use the funds to free slaves in America, though sadly Jefferson did not do this.  

Kosciuszko returned to Partitioned Poland and lead the failed Kosciuszko Uprising in 1794.  He died in Switzerland on October 15, 1817, 199 years ago. 

This card comes from my friend Shelby.

Taiwan

TW-1925779

Lanyu

USA - Texas

US-3976726

USSR Health Resorts

A beautiful travel tourist poster circa 1930-1939.

USA - Pennsylvania

The Little Bird

I picked this and a few other postcards up a few years ago when I stayed at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in Pennsylvania.  This statue by Fernando Botero called"The Little Bird" is on the grounds of the resort and is somewhat a symbol of the hotel.

USA - Illinois

Are They Thinking About the Grape?, 1747 - Francois Boucher (French, 1703-1770)

This photo of a pastoral scene is housed at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Poland

The Chopin Statue, Warsaw

This large statue of Poland's famous composer Frédéric Chopin stands in Łazienki Park in Warsaw.  On Sundays during the summer months live piano concerts of Chopin's music are preformed free for the public.  

This is the second Chopin statue located there.  The original was purposefully targeted by the Germans during the early occupation of Poland during World War II.  The statue was destroyed on May 31, 1940, according to Wikipedia, the first monument destroyed by the occupying power in their attempt to obliterate Polish culture. 

According to the same source, there is a story that the following day, someone had put up a sign where the statue stood  saying I" don’t know who destroyed me, but I know why: so that I won’t play the funeral march for your leader." 

This card is actually a very old one, that I found in my grandparents house.  The stamp on it looks to say that it is from July 20, 1973.  The card features the below stamp.  Please note that the stamp features an overprinting.   The original amount was 60 groszy (cents) but was overprinted to cost 4 ZL / Zloty.  

USA - Arizona

US-3991215

Mexican Picatso

USA - Kansas

US-3981651

Monument Rocks

Grove County, Kansas

Australia

AU-490310

Tom Kruse - "The Outback Mailman"

USA - Oregon

Eugene

This card, by Tyler Burgess comes from my friend Val on a trip to the city of Eugene Oregon.

USA - Illinois

Picture of Dorian Gray, 1943-1944 - Ivan Albright (American, 1897-1983)

This painting is held and on display a the Art Institute of Chicago.  It was a gift of the author in 1977.

USA - Illinois

Angela Ingersoll, Kymberly Mellen, and Kevin Gudahl in The Comedy of Errors (2008) directed by Barbara Gaines

This card comes from the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, located on Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois.  I got this in large part to send it to my Roman-born-Shakespeare-loving friend Silvia who is lucky enough to live in London where there is a ton of Shakespeare to see!

Columbia

Cartagena de Indias

This card from Cartagena de Indias comes from my friend Val when she was on a cruse.  The city looks absolutely beautiful and is my first card from Columbia.

USA - Virginia

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Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

USA - Illinois

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, about 1879-81)- Edgar Degas 

This statue was part of the 2015 Art Institute of Chicago exhibit entitled Degas: An the Track, On the Stage.  A copy of this artwork resides at the Art Institute.