Two horses stand harnessed to an enclosed Bible wagon on a grassy patch beside a wire fence. A man in a suit and brimmed hat occupies the open driver's seat. The wagon's curved roof, side window and large spoked wheels are clearly shown against the surrounding trees.
The painted lettering identifies a Swedish Baptist Bible wagon and names the American Baptist Publication Society. An ink caption in the photograph's white margin reads, “Bible Wagon and Sunday / School missionary in / Nebraska.” This identifies the man's role and the state, but neither the precise location nor his name is securely established.
The postcard was mailed from Stromsburg, Nebraska, to Mrs. A. E. Maas at 1054 Adams Street, Chicago, Illinois, with a November 19, 1907 cancellation and a green one-cent Franklin stamp. The message, signed Alice Mattson, asks to exchange cards and mentions a collection of about 150.
No photographer or postcard publisher is credited. The society named on the wagon is part of the photographed subject, not an established maker attribution. The postal date places the photograph no later than November 1907; Stromsburg is documented as the mailing location, not necessarily the place photographed.
- Title on card
- Bible Wagon and Sunday / School missionary in / Nebraska. (inscribed)
- Medium
- RPPC
- Subject
- Faith, Nebraska, Occupational, Outdoor Scene
- Dimensions
- 5.45 × 3.42 in (138.5 × 87.0 mm)
- Condition
- Photograph and card appear sound, with no major tears, losses or heavy staining visible. Handwritten caption on the front; postal writing, cancellation and additional pencil notations on the reverse.
- Provenance
- Postal history: sent by Alice Mattson of Stromsburg, Nebraska, to Mrs. A. E. Maas, 1054 Adams St., Chicago, Illinois; postmarked November 19, 1907.
- Catalogue no.
- MRPPC3479
Catalogue details
Location
Stromsburg, Nebraska · Stromsburg, Nebraska, United States
Photographed subject · Locality (town) · 75% confidence
Set aside: this town comes from the postmark or mailing address, which never proves where the photo was taken. Kept on the mailed route. Mailed from Stromsburg, Nebr. (postmark NOV 19 4 PM 1907) by Alice Mattson, Stromsburg R# 5, to Mrs. A. E. Maas, 1054 Adams St., Chicago, Ill. Front caption: "Bible Wagon and Sunday School missionary in Nebraska."
Source: postmark
