The description on the front of the card:
Ohio Penitentiary, Columbus O.
Postmark Date: July 25, 1906
No. in Series: 43.-5
Era: Undivided Back Era
Condition: Used
Also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary, the Ohio Pen was a prison that operated from 1834 to 1984 in what is now the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. At its peak in 1955, it housed over 5,200 prisoners. Postcards were in high demand in the early 1900s and images like these of prisons often came with a joke from the sender such as this one’s, “This is not where I’m staying.” Other popular messages included, “Wish you were here!” “[I’m] stopping here, when I’ll be released I cannot tell.” and “Have escaped from the Pen — [they] say I am too bad to stay here.”
Message of the back of the card:
Dear Mable – This is not where I am staying.
Am having a thorough rest, marking to eat and sleep.
Expect to take in about fifty pounds!
Lucie H.
Addressed to:
Miss Mable Carter
11 Wooldridge Ave.
Cleveland, Ohio
Published by:
Illustrated Postal Card Co. New York
The Illustrated Postal Card Company, based in New York City, operated from 1905 to 1914. During its peak years, the company printed millions of postcards, capitalizing on the popularity of picture postcards.
Read more about the Illustrated Postal Card Co.
Printed in Leipzig.
Rights Info: Public Domain
