C. B. Havens & Co. coal yard with delivery teams and staff, Omaha, Nebraska

Four men stand between two horse-drawn delivery wagons outside the frame office of a coal yard painted “C.B. HAVENS & CO. COAL & BUILDING MATERIAL.” A driver sits on the left wagon and several men sit aboard the right wagon. The wagons flank the doorway; each wagon carries a side placard with the firm name, partially legible “C.B. HAVENS & CO / [?].” A vertical board left of the doorway reads “COAL / AND / [?],” and a list board at right advertises “JUPITER. / PURITY EGG. / TRENTON. / WYOMING. / COLO.” A further vertical company sign appears on the right wall. In the upper background a rail boxcar bears “C.B.&Q.”

The message is headed “Omaha Neb. / Feb 17th 09” and a machine postmark reads “OMAHA, NEB. / FEB 19 / 5:30 PM / 1909.” The reverse is addressed to Mrs. Elizabeth Baillie, Munden, Kansas, with “R. D. R. No” but no readable route number. Signed “Nettie,” the letter asks after Aunt Ella and the family, says she has not heard from Ma for a long time, and reports that the earlier awful cold has turned warm. It identifies two men in the photograph: “You will see Clyde & Richie with his team in the door way on this card but you can’t see much of him for coal.” A green one-cent Franklin stamp is cancelled by wavy lines.

Later pencil notes record “219 SO. 16TH ST IN 1907,” “1805 FARNAM & 1223 S. 20TH / OMAHA, NE (IN 1911)” and “Nellie.” These annotations are recorded as later notes, not proof that the photographed yard occupied any of those addresses. No maker is credited.