Part 2 - The little history of the postcard

Laura Lavoie and Oscar/Baptise Valiquet - 1906

Continued from Newsletter June 21 - The little history of the Postcard

Some years ago in Montreal, my friend Alvaro found a glorious postcard collection containing many cards written between a young woman, Laura Lavoie to a young man, Oscar Valiquiet. The date was 1906.

Laura Lavoie portrait, by Annie Sène - Montreal

Once-upon-a-time,

my curious eyes came across a postcard album. This treasure had been left untouched for years protecting its freshness, friendships, dreams and childhood loves.

From the very beginning, it was clear to me that I wanted to explore the world in which Miss Laura Lavoie, the main subject and owner of this album lived.

I want to tell her story. But I also know that I risk waking up some sleeping dust even if a young woman from a small community leaves little trace of her passage.

However, the story of Laura Lavoie is also the story of a people and a time. It's no coincidence that we learn of Laura Lavoie's existence through the postcard. While everyone was intoxicated by the novelty of the century, the postcard broke the barrier of visual silence. Anyone could now talk to each other, exchange information, news, and gossip. The history of the postcard is an important lesson in our heritage of human communication.

“How to make the past speak again. How can I make Laura Lavoie, her entourage, Lewiston, Montreal, speak again?” That is the challenge before me.

Alvaro Pacheco June 2020

1906 - Lewiston - Maine

Lewiston Railway station - 1906. Lewiston, Maine. Alvaro Pacheco collection

Intrigued by these cards for so long, and often thinking about Laura’s album, tucked away in a box, somewhere in West Montreal. I wanted her to come out and talk to us in 2020, and tell us a little bit about herself, the girl from 1906. 

Combining fact with some storytelling I open this short-lived moment in Laura’s life. Other than census records on word-dry ledgers, her postcards with their innocent writings are the only trace we have when she began to correspond with Oscar/Baptiste Valiquet in March 1906.

Jeanne Pope, July 2020

LEWISTON. MAINE. USA. MARCH 1906

A young woman, Laura Lavoie, in her early twenties, lives at 135 Oxford Street, Lewiston, Maine, USA. The house is built that year. She has just joined her first postcard club, the latest craze, imported from Europe. 

Laura’s interest in postcards started when she helped at the post office. The new postal scheme for rural homesteads - Rural Free Delivery - used a network of rural routes, where carriers delivered and collected mail from roadside mailboxes.

Lewiston Post Office. Public Domian. In use between 1895 and 1934

Mail poured in, especially postcards, in, out, three times a day, every day, sorted, stacked, and delivered. Laura drooled over the cards, the far away, the unknown, places she would never go. They bewitched her, drew her to other words. Each postcard a new adventure.

Early US, Rural Free Delivery vehicle circa Sept. 1905 . Photo unknown, public domain

A man down at Rochester holdings, Naples, was exchanging train postcards with a man from Liverpool in England. Laura tried to image England; no image would come. The world she daydreamed of was Quebec and the snows of Canada, where her family originated from.

Montreal in snow, by Pierre Corbeil

The Quebecois started arriving in Maine by the 17th century, to work in the wood mills or as lumberjacks. Lewiston, like many small cities, had enclaves called, “Little Canadas.” The immigrants clung to their roots, keeping the French language alive.
They still do today.

Everyone waited with excitement for each 24th June, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day parade, the Quebec national holiday, which brought travellers to the Dewitt Grand Hotel. Piled high with trunks bulging foodstuffs from Montreal and Quebec City, as well as local Quebec gossip, Quebecois came to make merry. There would be whirlwind romances, engagements and those who would not go back home to Canada, looking to make a better living in the States.

French-Canadian Loggers - near Lewiston, Maine, Public Domian

It was often difficult for newcomers to settle. There was an outpouring of dissent from the US government trickling down to many American citizens, as this recent article recalls, due to Anti-Catholicism.

For Laura,

none of this mattered, she was young, she was curious, and ‘turn-of-the-century’ life stood in her way.

Laura represented the hundreds of young women looking for romance, and who made the postcard trade into a roaring success. Women from the northern states being the most prolific buyers.

At first, she swapped postcards with friends, she’d buy them at the local store, or in the Saturday market where Monsieur Charles Lemaire, the postmaster had a stall selling personalised writing sets and postcards. However she often complained that there was not enough variety.

Laura started collecting more seriously, mainly buying 6 card series, sealed and boxed from a Jewish postcard peddler who travelled around Maine. Her favourites were the French romantic cards from artist and printer Albert Bergeret.

In 1900 Bergeret’s workshop was printing 25 million cards. By the time Laura started writing to her new correspondent, Monsieur Oscar Valiquet, a young French Canadian man from Montreal, Canada, in 1906, Bergeret was printing 75 million.

Poster for Bergeret’s printers. Public Domain.

Laura helped Monsieur Lemaire put up the new decorative metal postcard display racks; she also had a hand in choosing which postcards to go on show. She insisted on placing them by the post office door where everyone could see them when coming in and going back out.

In the beginning,

the first few exchanges between Laura and Baptiste - his pen name - were cordial, polite and friendly; Laura more concerned with swapping cards and writing in French than anything else.

Laura Lavoie, 1906. Lewiston, Maine. Alvaro Pacheco collection

1. Amiable correspondant, vos cartes me font de plus en plus un grand plaisir. Revenez bientôt. Salutations amicales. D'une amie inconnue. Laura. "Happy dream"

   My friendly correspondent, your cards are making me more and more happy. Write again soon. Friendly greetings. From your unknown friend. Laura. "Happy dream"

2. Cher ami inconnu, j'ai reçu votre jolie carte. Elle est toute à fait de mon goût, excepté les moustaches. Mais vs. n'avez pas je crois. Aimeriez vous recevoir une serie de 6 cartes; elle est jolie; la couleur que j'aime le plus c'est le "rouge" sur la carte. “Laura.”

   Dear unknown friend, I received your lovely card. It's very much to my liking, except for the moustache. But you don’t have one, I don’t think. Would you like a set of 6 postcards? Very pretty; the colour I like most is the "red" on the card. "Laura."

Alvaro Pacheco collection

After a few exchanges Laura became less formal

Mon ami Baptiste je m'empresse de vous répondre à votre aimable carte, afin que vous receviez celle-ci à temps. Vous dites que vous avez un plus beau nom que Baptiste. C'est difficile à deviner ça, vous me le direz bientôt n'est-ce pas? Vous pensez que j'irai à Montréal. Vous le laisser savoir!!! C'est à peu près certain que j'irai au Canada l'été prochain pour ma vacance annuelle mais je crois qu'il sera pas facile de vous voir car j'aurais plusieurs places à aller. J'ai beaucoup de parents au Canada mais aucun a Montréal. Je suis contente de savoir que vous avez des soeurs. Sont-elles jeunes? J'aimerai bien avoir de leurs nouvelles. C'est un peu curieux de ma part, mais si je venais à les connaitre !

Maintenant aurevoir cher ami. Au plaisir de vous relire. La prochaine carte je crois sera pour Pâques.

My friend Baptiste, I’m replying quickly to your lovely card, so that you’ll receive it in time. You say you have a better name than Baptiste. It is hard to guess what it can be. You’ll tell me soon, won't you? You wonder if I’ll be coming to Montreal. I’ll let you know!  It's almost certain though, I'll be going to Canada next summer for my annual vacation, but I think it won't be easy to see you because I'll have several places to visit. I have a lot of relatives in Canada but none in Montreal. I am glad to know that you have sisters. Are they young? I would love to hear from them. It's a bit curious on my part, but what if I got to know them?

Goodbye for now, dear friend. I look forward to having your news again. The next card I think will be for Easter.

Alvaro Pacheco collection

April 26th, 1906.

Alvaro Pacheco collection

j’ai reçu votre toute charmante carte. Merci beaucoup. Est-ce que votre série est terminé. Celle-ci est la dernière de ma série. Comment l'aimez vous à la fin. A présent aimez vous mieux que je vous envoie des vues ou des fantaisies. Cela me ferai plaisir de vous satisfaire. Si nous pourions nous entrevoir ta serait charmant. Nous voir tout a fait ça serait encore mieux. Mais que voulez vous il faut bien se contenter de ce que nous faisons. C'est le sort qui le veut peut-être qu'un jour ? Au plaisir de vous relire bien vite. car j'aime tant  recevoir de vos nouvelles. Bon rêve ami.

Sir, I received your lovely card. Thank you very much. Is your series finished? This is the last one of my series. Do you like how they end? From now which do you prefer I send, views or fantasies? (love cards.) It’s my pleasure to make you happy.

If we could sneak a peep of each other, it would be lovely. And to see each other for real, that would be even better. But what does one do? We have to be satisfied with what we are doing. Only fate perhaps, one day will bring us together? I look forward to hearing from you again soon. I love hearing from you so much. Good dreams my friend.

Laura’s tone changes suddenly

1. Vous dites que votre amoureuse reste pas loin de chez moi; J'aimerais bien que vous ne soyez pas aussi discrèt. Je voudrais bien la connaître. Il n'y a pas de doute qu'elle doit bien vous connaître. Son amoureux! Je lui demanderais de vos nouvelles, si vous êtes bien fin!!!. Suis-je moqueuse encore? "Call again, quick" Laura.

   You say that your sweetheart lives not far from my house; I wish you would not be so discreet. I would like to know who she is. No doubt she must know you very well, I mean, you are her love after all! I will ask her about you. See, I am mocking you again? "Call again, quick" Laura.

2. Mr. J'ai reçu votre splendide carte. Je regrette de ne pas pouvoir en envoyer d'aussi belles. Il n'y a pas beaucoup de séries jusqu'a présent dans Lewiston. J'espère qu'il y en aura de bien belles plus tard. (pour un amoureux). J'aimerias bien savoir le nom de l'amoureuse de Monsieur Valiquet. Je suis peut-être un peu curieuse, mais comme je suis moqueuse …. Ceci est une série de 5 cartes. A la fin c'est un marriage!! D'une amie lointaine et inconnue. Laura.

   Sir, I received your splendid card. I regret to say I can't send you back such beautiful ones. There aren't so many series yet in Lewiston. I hope there'll be some good ones later, (for sweethearts). I'd really like to know the name of Monsieur Valiquet's sweetheart. I know I may be a little curious, but, I love jesting .… Enclosed is a series of 5 cards. The last one ends with a wedding!

   From a far off and unknown friend. Laura.

By September Laura’s tone is more intimate

Ami correspondant, Votre nouvelle série me parait tout a fait charmante, j'espère que vous ne tarderez pas a me faire voir la fin de la série, afin que je dise si le jeune Mr. va réussir à donner son baiser. Si vous m'aviez répondu plus tôt, je vous aurais donné l'occasion de voir mon papa et maman chéris à Montréal; car ils ont passé toute la première semaine de Sept. dans votre ville. ils ne sont pas encore revenus de leur promenade, et je m'ennuie beaucoup. Venez donc me désennuyer. Votre Laura.

Dear Friend, Your new series seems quite charming. I hope that you will not take too long to show me the end, so that I can see if the young man succeeds in giving his sweetheart a kiss.

If you had answered sooner, you’d have had the opportunity to meet my beloved parents in Montreal. They spent the whole first week of September in your city. They have not yet returned from their trip, and I’m so bored. *Come on then, come and bore me!

Your Laura.

(*I am not quite sure exactly how to translate this, so I am going literally. Laura might have meant, the contrary, come up and see me, amuse me - up to you to work it out.)

To be continued next time …

After September, 1906 the pace changes. The themes change. Laura changes and Baptiste is sending her romantic cards too …

Have a great weekend. Enjoy. Thank you so much for passing by.

A big thank you to Alvaro for your kindness in letting me use these lovely and touching cards.

Thank you Annie Sène for your charming portrait of Laura, bringing her close to us.

JEANNE - Love on ya!

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