This "real photo" version of the view up South Main Street is captioned in the negative "S. Main St. Salem Ind." and numbered "1790". It is cropped almost exactly the same as the printed version, and both cards obviously come from the same photograph. This card was mailed almost a year earlier than the print version -- it it postmarked from Salem at 5 p.m. November 4, 1907, and addressed to Mrs. Nelle Clawson of Clarence, Missouri. "Hello Nelle," the message reads, "I have not forgot you, yet I am slow about writing. I am very well and was glad to get home. This is a pretty Sun. Write to me, Nelle." There is no signature. The most important difference between the two cards is the greater detail available in the photographic print: This enlarged section of the center of the card shows a bustle of activity around the Square, where wagons are parked and figures can be seen standing. One wagon heads down the street toward the camera. (Click on the detail image to see a larger view.) The white spot in the lower left corner of the detail appears to be a chicken in the road -- something the traffic in 1908 permitted that today's traffic probably wouldn't. Home | The 1900s | Next card