The Little History of the Postcard: Part 4

Laura and Baptiste/Oscar

The Little History of the Postcard - Continued from Part 3

So Laura waits, waits for Baptist’s reply and photograph.

The days roll into autumn, then into winter.

The correspondence becomes less as the year turns the corner

Laura tries hard to engage Baptiste’s feelings, her messages are always edging him to reply, like - J'ose dire qu'elle me resemble un peu, mais moi mon bien aimé n'est pas aussi loin....sur la même rue!!

I dare say it looks a bit like me, but my beloved is not so far away . . . on the same street!!

It is hard to know how Baptiste felt. We really do not know, we can only guess.

J'ai reçu votre dernière carte. Elle est bien de mon goût. Continuez comme ça. J'ose dire qu'elle me resemble un peu, mais moi mon bien aimé n'est pas aussi loin....sur la même rue!! Pour mon portrait, j'attends jusqu'a Pâques pour me faire photographier dans une belle robe neuve. Soyez certain que vous l'aurez si vous m'envoyer le vôtre bientôt puisque vous ètes photographié déjà, elles doivent ètes prètes à présent.. au revoir donc aimable correspondant. Je vous souhaite tout le (succès) désirable avec les biens aimées, Montréal, "Call Again". Laura

I received your last card. It's very much to my liking. Keep it up. I dare say it looks a bit like me, but my beloved is not so far away . . . on the same street!! For my portrait, I wait until Easter to be photographed in a beautiful new dress. For sure you’ll get it if you send me yours soon, as you have already been photographed, they must be ready by now . . . goodbye my kind correspondent. I wish you all the desirable (success) with your beloved, Montreal, "Call Again". Laura

1907

There are fewer cards, and still no photograph

Mr. Je ne vous avais pas demandé votre photo pour rire de vous comme vous pensez.. Pourriez-vous m'envoyer des séries? Je vous serai très obligée. Je vous en enverrai aussi, en retour si vous le désirez.

A bientôt n'est-ce pas?

Inconnue

Lewiston

Sir, I didn't ask you for your picture to laugh at you like you think . . . Could you send me a series? (cards.) I'll be very grateful. I'll send you some too, in return if you wish.

See you soon, that’s right, huh?

Unknown - Lewiston

Mr. j'ai reçu votre jolie carte. Je suis en retard  je crois pour vous envoyer celle-ci.  Vous me demandez ce que je vous ai écrit sur la dernère carte ? Je me  rappelle pas du tout; je crois que ce ne devait pas être de grande conséquence. Mes meillerus souhaits pour vous à l'occasion de Pâques. Je vous souhaites de la passer bien agréablement comme je l'espère la passer moi-même. Aurevoir,  cher ami, mille baisersd'une amie inconnue, mais sincère. Laura

Mr. I got your nice card. I'm late, I guess, sending this one.  Are you asking me what I wrote on the last card? I don't remember at all; I don't think it was of any great consequence. My best wishes for you at Easter. I hope you spend it as pleasantly as I hope to spend it myself. Goodbye, dear friend, a thousand kisses from an unknown but sincere friend. Laura

And sometimes there were cards with a few words

October 1907

The Teddies

President Theodore Roosevelt went off to hunt the bear. As he had not found one, a black bear was tied to a tree for him to bring back as trophy. Roosevelt refused to kill it. A cartoonist by the name of Clifford Berryman quickly drew this famous cartoon.

A toy-shop keeper and his wife saw it, had an idea, and the first real branding of a child’s product was made. THE TEDDY BEAR after Theodore. It was the new craze and from this came the song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic"in 1907, composed by John Walter Bratton.

Cartoon: Clifford Berryman, published in Washington Post, 1902. Public Domain

Ami, votre série est tellement jolie que je voudrais que vs. m'écrviez plus souvent (toutes les semaines.)

J'irai à Montréal l'été prochain, ainsi qu'a d'autres places projetées, a condition que vous veniez à Lewiston, avant l'été prochain, à moins que vs occupations vous en empêchent, j'espère que non. Qu'elle est votre occupation, s'il vous plait. C'est difficile d'écrire sur le dos des teddy bears', il gigotent tout le temps. J'espêrent qu'ils vous seront agréables, pour moi je les aime beaucoup. Connaissez vous le language des timbres poste? J'espère que oui.

Friend, your series is so pretty that I would like you to write to me more often (every week.)

I'll go to Montreal next summer, as well as other places planned, on the condition that you come to Lewiston, before next summer, unless your occupations prevent you from doing so. I hope not. What is your occupation? Please.

It's hard to write on the back of teddy bears, they're always wriggling. I hope you’ll like them. I like them very much. Do you know the language of postage stamps? I hope you do.

Laura mentions

the language of postcard stamps. Intricate and intriguing.

What codes was Laura sending Baptiste. Was he returning her codes? This we will never know. However, by the end of the year 1907, maybe Laura is beginning to realise that Baptiste will never send her a photo, and he will never tell her what he does.

Her tone changes. The cards are less romantic. Baptiste is no longer titled Mr but friend.

Ami, J'ai reçu votre jolie carte et l'expression que me fait votre jeune fille est ci doux qu'il me fait penser quand je vous vous regarderez comme elle: face à face. Je vous envoie une vu de notre église en construction; c'est léglise où j'irai; la première messe sera dite le jour de Noël dans le sous bassement; c'est seulement à une centaine de pieds de chez nous; c'est aussi la photo de notre bon Curé; ne trouvez-vs. pas qu'il a l'air bon, aimable et bien gentil; je vous assure qu'il a toutes ces qualités. Nous l'aimons tous beaucoup. Il est grand ami de ma famille.

J'aimerais bien recevoir la photo de l'église où vs allez. Cela me serait un souvenir précieux.

Votre carte est de mon goût, continuez s.v.p. dans le même genre. Quel genre désirez-vous?

Amie inconnue

Laura Lavoie

Lewiston

Friend, I have received your beautiful card and the expression that the young girl gives me is so sweet that it makes me think of you when I look at you, like her: face to face. (?)

I am sending you a view of our church under construction; it is the church where I will be going; the first Mass will be said on Christmas Day in the basement; it is only a hundred feet from our house; it is also a picture of our good parish priest; don't you think he looks good, kind and gentle; I assure you that he has all these qualities. We all love him very much. He is a great friend of my family.

I would like to receive the picture of the church where you are going. It would be a precious souvenir for me.

Your card is to my liking, please continue in the same vein. What kind would you like?

Unknown friend - Laura Lavoie

Lewiston

This second to last card expresses, perhaps, a strange and erotic sentiment Laura has, and unconsciously . . . In between her more formal cards, she choices this one off.

THE LAST MESSAGE

Cher ami j'ai reçu votre splendide dernière. Mille remerciements. J'attends votre photo avec grande impatience. Il me semble que ce sera tout é fait charmant. A la fin je crois que vous savez que j'aime tout ce qu'il y a de nouveau. Pour l'échange voulez-vous être assez bon de me dire si vous aimeriez ma photo sur une carte our sur une simple carre de photographie. Si votre dernière carte est  à peu près votre photo j'ai à vous dire que je n'aime pas votre moustache. Tant que vous êtes triste. C'est vrai que vous le parraissez, mais à qui la faute si nous sommes pas plus près l'un de l'autre. N'est-ce pas au garçon de s'avancer? Moi je suis triste quand vous passez plus d'une semaine sans m'écrire. Voulez-vous me dire quelle est votre occupation? Cette carte mon ami est plus affectueuse que jolie. C'est pourquoi je vous l'envoie. 

Laura,

Dear friend, I received your splendid last one. A thousand thanks. I'm looking forward to your picture with great impatience. It seems to me that it will be quite charming. In the end I think you know that I love everything new. For the exchange, would you be so kind as to tell me if you would like my picture on a card or on a simple photo card?

If your last card is going to be similar to your own picture, I have to tell you I don't like the moustache!

It's true that you seem to be sad, but whose fault is it if we are not closer to each other? Isn't it up to the boy to come forward? I'm sad when you go more than a week without writing to me. Do you want to tell me what your occupation is? This card, my friend, is more affectionate than pretty. That's why I'm sending it to you.

Laura,

And that is that.

Leaving us to close that box of postcards, bought at the auction 10 years ago by Alvaro, and placed back onto a shelf in Western Montreal.

However, DUST NEVER LIES

Alvaro continued to do research. He worked for years digging, delving, and as a researcher he knew how to put a some tiny pieces of the puzzle together.

Laura Lavoie

never married. She spent the rest of her life with her sister, living in the same house she had lived in all her life in Lewiston, Maine, USA.

OSCAR VALIQUET

Alvaro discovered why Oscar was not more forthcoming. He could not be. Found among Laura’s correspondence bought at the auction were a handful of cards and mentions belonging to Oscar/Baptiste.

Oscar, pen name, Baptiste was ordained to become an abbot. Oscar was ordained by Louis Joseph Napoléon Paul Bruchési in 1916.

In 1932

there was a terrible fire in Montreal’s port. (In French.)

Many firemen died, and the famous Father André Bessette, known fondly as our Montreal Saint André was accompanied by the Abbot Oscar Valiquet to soothe the city’s pain.

So this is the chronicle of two young things, merry in their world, and had it not been for Alvaro, their story more than likely would have been left untold.

What we do know is that Oscar/Baptiste kept Laura’s cards all his life. He never threw them out.

They were finally sold along with other family papers ten years ago.

Did he love her?

Did he contemplate this long distance relationship? This we will never know.

The photo

that Laura so wanted, her constant demand, denied her over two years, was hidden under all the other postcards.

Oscar Valliquet and his friends once upon a time. (Oscar looking directly into the camera.)

Thank you so much for coming by

Next week I have the two part series on my friend, and artist, the late Stanley Lewis.

Please share if you enjoyed this.

I did, and I have a plan to work this into a short documentary. A dream I have had for along time.

LOVE ON YA! JEANNE

*All postcards from Alvaro Pacheco Collection. To whom I am SOOOOOO grateful