Greetings from Lake Geneva, Wis. (Sepia Saturday 736)

 

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, Potter Co, Pa
From: Gerda (sent from Chicago, Jun 9, 1908)

Käre bror! Undrar hur du mår. Jag är nu på landet, detta är platsen som jag arbetar, men den är så otydlig. Du väntar nog på bref, jag skall snart skrifva. Här är så vackert, jag önskar du vore här. Jag har just varit och badat i sjön idag. Kära hälsningar frän syster Gerda. 

Dear brother, I'm wondering how you are. I'm now in the countryside, this is the place where I work, but it [the picture] is very blurry. You will be waiting for a letter, I will write soon. It is so beautiful here, I wish you were here. I have just been to the lake for a swim today. Love, sister Gerda

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, Pa.

From: Gerda (Lake Geneva, Wis, Jul 23, 1909)

Käre bror! Jag är nu på landet, och jag har ej hört någonting från dig på så länge. Jag undrar hur du mår. Jag mår fint. Jag minns ej om jag skref till dig innan jag lemna Chicago, så kanske är min tur. / Här är förtjusande vackert, jag önskade du kunde komma hit. Jag kanhända lemnar här nästa vecka. / Min adr. är c/o Mrs Seipp, Lake Geneva, Wis.

Dear brother, I'm now in the countryside, and I haven't heard from you in so long. I'm wondering how you are. I'm fine. I don't remember if I wrote to you before I left Chicago, so perhaps it's my turn. / It's charmingly beautiful here, I wish you could come here. I might leave next week. / My adress is c/o Mrs Seipp, Lake Geneva, Wis. 

After a few shorter employments in Chicago, my great-aunt Gerda ended up working in the household of a well-known physician, Otto L. Schmidt. (Among other things, he was prominent enough to be one of 25 citizens to have his name engraved on The Illinois State Archives building in Chicago in 1938.  He was also the first physician in Chicago to use X-rays.) His wife was Emma Seipp, daughter of a wealthy Chicago brewer, Conrad Seipp. They were both of German heritage; and had three children: Ernst, Alma and Clara.  

I have written about them before on this blog (some of the posts not linked to Sepia Saturday). For example, you can read more about Otto L. Schmidt in a post from September 2012, and about his wife Emma and the Seipp family in a post from April 2021. 

Here, I'll just repeat that it seems the Schmidts (and at least some of their servants) used to spend the summers at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where Mrs Schmidt's mother had a house - or even two. An article I found online says that the Seipp family built a summer home there in 1888, and after the death of Conrad Seipp, his widow (Catherine Orb Seipp) added a rather large and more modern "cottage" in 1905 - "to also accommodate her large and growing family".

I have also come to the conclusion that the two photos below of Gerda together with other servants were probably taken at Lake Geneva, on two different occasions. My guess is that both these photos show the summer staff at the Lake Geneva houses, consisting of Mrs Seipp's own servants +  those that Mrs Schmidt brought with her from her own household in Chicago. (In case you are wondering, Gerda is standing in the middle of the top row in the first photo, and sitting down on a tree stump or a rock in the second.)

The second postcard above (with the boat) shows the residence of a Mrs. Otto Young. I also found an article about Otto Young and his stone manor. It seems that Young was another German immigrant who arrived in New York in the 1850s, worked his way up in business (involving jewellry and real estate) and ended up very rich. He had a stone manor built at Lake Geneva, and died there in December 1906. I suppose that after his death the manor came to be known as the residence of his widow - and so named on this postcard.

To finish off this post, I recently noticed two more postcards of residences along Lake Geneva, Wis.,  in Gerda's collection of unwritten cards. I have not yet done any research on those names - maybe I'll return to them some other time... (I'm already late with this post as it is!)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 736

 

WWI Postcards of Lake Geneva - Sepia Saturday 657

Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman) is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. 

My great-aunt Gerda, who spent the years of WWI working as lady's maid for an unknown employer in Lyon, France, also during those years travelled more than once to Lake Geneva. On the French side they stayed at the resort Evian-les Bains; but they also went across the lake to Lausanne in Switzerland. 

Cf. these posts of mine from 1922:
1915 - Sepia Saturday 604 (A Holiday at Lake Geneva 1915 - Jan 2022)
1917 - Sepia Saturday 608 ("I have had no News from Sweden in months" 1917 - Feb 2022)
1913-18 - Sepia Saturday 611 (Hotel Postcards 1913-18 - March 2022) 

Below are some unwritten postcards from Gerda's collection which I assume she bought on these trips as well. (I don't think they've been included in previous posts.) From her written postcards I have drawn the conclusion that she loved lake and sea views, and also quite liked to bathe/swim when she had the opportunity. From her many travels I also assume she did not suffer from sea-sickness, but enjoyed boat trips as well. 

Repeating the text from one of the postcards sent to her brother in 1915: 

"Switzerland, 19 sept 1915 - Dear brother, I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. Sending you a view from here. I hope you will recieve it soon. Love, sister Gerda."

Lac Léman. - Château de Chillon.

Chateau de Chillon

Chillon Castle (French: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. Chillon is amongst the most visited medieval castles in Switzerland and Europe.

By JoachimKohlerBremen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46700055

 

1931. - Ile de Salagnon (Lac Léman)

Only found a French article about Salagnon Island on Wikipedia.

6395 Lac Léman. Etude et Ile de Salagnon

 

Bords du Léman - Coucher de soleil.
(The shores of Lake Geneva - Sunset)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 657

G.086.02-087.03 - '"I have had no news from Sweden in months" (1917) - Sepia Saturday 608

 G.086.02 - Nice

154 - NICE - Grotte - Jardins des Palmiers

"Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire"

¨"Opened by the Military Authority"

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sweden)
From: Gerda (Lyon, 28 May, 1917) 

Lyon, May 28th '17

My dear brother, How are you? It is a long time I heard anything from you. Write me a card in english. Want to see if you forgot how. Love from Gerda. - I am quite well, hope you all are. - What kind of weather have you? 

Lyon, 28 maj 1917
Käre bror! Hur mår du? Det var länge sedan jag hörde något från dig. Skriv ett kort till mig på engelska. Jag vill se om du har glömt hur. Kära hälsningar, Gerda. - Jag mår bra, hoppas ni alla gör det också. - Vad för slags väder har ni? 

28th May, 1917: Gerda writes to her brother in English, and asks him to also write back to her in English. She says she wants to see if he can still manage it. (It's been six years since they both returned to Sweden from America.) 

However, from the next card (9th July, below), it's made clear that Gerda also thinks that cards written in English may more easily pass the censorship of the military authorities. That such censorship did occur is proved by stamps on some of the cards in this post.

From what Gerda writes about not receiveing any news from Sweden it is also obvious that the postal services are getting increasingly unreliable. I think that by writing in English, she was hoping that her cards would not be put aside as suspcious just because there was no one at the Military Authorities that could read Swedish.

G.086.03 - Evian-les-Bains, Lake Geneva

77 EVIAN-LES-BAINS. - La Jetée et la Ville. - LL.

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sweden)

From: Gerda (Lyon, 10.7.17)

Lyon, July 9th '17

Dear brother! How are you, did you get my card I wrote you in english? some time ago now. I have had no news from Sweden for about two months. I don't understand why. Write me a card in english soon. Perhaps that will go quicker. Please write soon! - I am very well, soon going to the country. You can see the boat on the other side. Love to all, Gerda.

Lyon, 9 juli 1917
Käre bror! Hur mår du? Fick du mitt kort som jag skrev till dig på engelska? för en tid sedan? Jag har inte hört något från Sverige på ca två månader. Jag förstår inte varför. Skriv ett kort till mig på engelska. Kanske det går fortare. Var snäll och skriv snart! - Jag mår bra, reser snart till landet. Du kan se båten på andra sidan. Kära hälsningar till alla, Gerda.

"Soon going to the country" - and referring to the boat on the front of the postcard. This seems to imply that they're planning another trip to Evian-les-Bains, and across Lake Geneva to Switzerland.

Cf.  A Holiday at Lake Geneva (1915).

G.087.01 - The Alps

J.J. 8021 Lac du Grand Saint Bernard

Great St Bernard Lake (French: Lac du Grand St-Bernard, Italian: Lago del Gran San Bernardo) is a mountain lake of the Pennine Alps, located south-west of Great St Bernard Pass. It is divided between Switzerland and Italy, although it lies south of the Alps. The lake is located at a height of 2,447 metres above sea level and has a maximum length of 350 metres. 

"Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire" 
"Opened by the Military Authority"

To: Monsieur Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède
From: Gerda (Lyon, 24.7.1917) - 

Lyon, 31 av. de Noaïlles
July 24th

My dear Brother, I wonder if you ever got my cards I wrote you a long time ago. I have had no news from Sweden for three months. Love, Gerda - Write me a card in english as soon as you get this. Don't send it over Switzerland, send it like always, the old adress. 

Lyon, 31 av. de Noaïlles
24 juli
Käre bror! Jag undrar om du någonsin fick mina vykort som jag skrev för länge sen. Jag har inte hört någonting från Sverige på tre månader. Kära hälsningar, Gerda. - Skriv ett kort till mig på engelska så snart du får detta. Skicka det inte via Schweiz, skicka det som vanligt, den gamla adressen. 

Two weeks later, Gerda is still writing from Lyon. I think this is the first time I've seen her add her street address on a postcard. Perhaps with the double purpose of making sure that Gustaf hasn't lost her address, and  to show the Military Authorities that she has nothing to hide: This is simply a private greeting from a sister to a brother.

 G.087.02 - Lausanne

Lausanne et les Alpes de Savoie

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Schweden)
From: Gerda (Lausanne, Switzerland, 12.9.1917)

Lausanne d. 12 sept '17

Käre bror! Sänder dig härmed de käraste hälsningar, hoppas du mår bra. Jag mår utmärkt. Har du fått mina kort. Skriv snart är du snäll. / Syster Gerda.

Lausanne, 12 September 1917
Dear brother, hereby sending you my best wishes. Hope you are well. I'm very well. Have you received my cards. Please write soon. / Sister Gerda

In mid September, she is writing from Lausanne in Switzerland. She does not mention how long they've been there. (I get the impression that when they went travelling they were usually away for a couple of months or so.) She's keeping the message on this card very short, but it seems that she still hasn't heard back from Gustaf. Maybe she had also written more cards in between that never reached him. 

G.087.03 - Heureux Noël (Merry Christmas)

Heureux Noël - DIX 584/2
Dans ce mignon sabot vous trouverez l'emblème
Du bonheur que mon coeur souhaite a ceux qu'il aime!

Merry Christmas

 "In this cute clog you will find the emblem

 of the happiness my heart wishes to those it loves!"

To: Monsieur Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Sweden
From: Gerda (Lyon, 26.11.1917)

"Ouvert par l'Autorite Militarie"
Opened by the Military Authorities

31 av. de Noailles, Lyon, 25 Nov '17 
Käre bror. Hur mår du, det är så länge sedan jag hörde något från dig. Kanske du har flyttat nu. Jag önskar dig på det hjärtligaste en god jul och gott nytt år! Kära hälsningar, Gerda

31 av. de Noailles*, Lyon, 25 November 1917
Dear brother. How are you? It's been so long since I heard anything from you. Perhaps you have moved now. I send you my heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love, Gerda.

Towards the end of November, Gerda is back in Lyon again, sending early Christmas greetings.

A Google search for the address *L'Avenue de Noialles leads me to a website from Bibliothèque Municipale de Lyon, and a street photo from c. 1870 (below). Nowadays the street is called Avenue Maréchal-Foch. In 1917,  it probably didn't look all that different (perhaps with bigger trees, though?)  I think we can assume that Gerda lived (with her employer/s) in a flat in a building like one of these: 

Going on to look up Bibliothèque Municipal de Lyon, a French Wikipedia article informs me that its history goes all the way back to a Jesuite college in the 16th century. Their library was later incorporated in public libraries.My French is not good enough to understand the whole article - but by putting part of the text into Google Translate, I came up with this:

The lending service is provided by the active town hall libraries, the origin of which dates back to the municipal decree of July 1, 1871. There followed the creation of borough libraries, "depots of books open every evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.”, which closed during the First World War. 

... closed during the First World War... What a pity. Just as I was beginning to imagine Gerda dropping in at her local borough library on her evenings off, to improve her French! Ah well - I'm not going to let that stop me from linking to...

Sepia Saturday 608

SVENSKA:

28 maj 1917: Gerda skriver till sin bror i Sverige på engelska, och ber honom också använda engelska när han skriver tillbaka till henne. Hon säger att hon vill se om han fortfarande kan. (Det är sex år sedan de båda återvände till Sverige efter nio år i Amerika.) Men av nästa kort framgår att Gerda också hoppas på att kort skrivna på engelska kanske lättare ska passera de militära myndigheternas brevcensur. (Antagligen inser hon att det finns risk att korrespondens på svenska kan bli lagd åt sidan i brist på tolkar som kan läsa det språket.) Vi har också här de första exemplen på poststämplar som visar att vykorten passerat kontroll av de militära myndigheterna. Det är uppenbart att postgången blivit allt mer opålitlig.

Den 9 juli skriver Gerda (från Lyon) att hon snart ska resa "till landet". Antagligen menar hon Genèvesjön igen - Evian-les-Bains och Lausanne tycks vara återkommande resmål. Två veckor senare, den 24 juli är hon dock fortfarande i Lyon. Men 12 september skriver hon från Lausanne. 

28 november är hon åter i Lyon och skriver en julhälsning i god tid därifrån.

En sökning på adressen L'Avenue de Noialles Lyon tar mig till en arkivbild från det kommunala bibliotekets i Lyon websida: Ett foto av Avenue de Noialles från 1870. Senare har den bytt namn till  Avenue Maréchal-Foch. Men 1917 såg den antagligen inte så mycket annorlulnda ut än 1870. (Kanske hade träden växt till sig lite?) Jag tänker mig därför att Gerda (tillsammans med sin/a arbetsgivare) måste ha bott i en lägenhet i ett hus liknande dem på bilden. 

När jag fortsätter och även söker information om Bibliothèque Municipal de Lyon, så hittar jag en fransk Wikipedia-artikel som informerar mig om att dess historia går tillbaka ända till ett jesuitiskt college på 1500-talet. Dess bibliotek införlivades senare med kommunala bibliotek öppna för allmänheten. Det fanns även små stadsdelsbibliotek som höll öppet mellan 7-8 på kvällarna - men under första världskriget hölls dessa stängda. 

Och jag som just var på väg att föreställa mig Gerda slinka in på sitt lokala bibliotek när hon hade någon kväll ledig, för att förbättra sin franska!  Nåja - jag låter inte det hindra mig från att länka till Sepia Saturday 608 (med en bild från ett bibliotek som insprationsbild!)

G.077.01-G.078.01 - A Holiday at Lake Geneva (1915) - Sepia Saturday 604

 G.077-01 - Evian-les-Bains, Lake Geneva (France) 

8779 - Evian-les-Bains

Évian-les-Bains  is an old spa town situated on the shore of Lake Geneva in southeastern France. 

Lausanne, where the card was posted, is situated in Switzerland, on the other side of the lake.

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sverige)
From: Gerda (Lausanne, Switzerland, 17 Aug 1915)

D. 15 aug. 1915

Käre bror! Tack så mycke för brev, roligt höra från dig. Jag är nu på resande fot igen. Vi skall stanna här en månad. Du ser sjön - det är förtjusande. Jag skall snart skriva brev. Kära hälsningar, Gerda.

15 Aug. 1915

Dear brother, thank you so much for your letter, it was nice to hear from you. I'm now travelling again. We will be staying here for a month. You can see the lake - it is lovely. I will write a letter soon. Love, Gerda.

G.077.02 - Lausanne (Switzerland) 

657. Lausanne. Royal-Hotel et funiculaire Lausanne-Ouchy.

A funicular is a type of cable railway system. The line Lausanne-Ouchy was opened in 1877 as the first funicular in Switzerland. 

"The term funicular derives from the Latin word funiculus, the diminutive of funis, meaning 'rope'." - "The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track." [Wikipedia]

Bergbana (engelska funicular, franska funiculaire) är en typ av spårtrafik med större stigningsvinkel än vad som är normalt för järnväg och spårväg. - En vagn är fast förankrad i var ända av en eller flera stållinor, och vagnarna balanserar ut varandra viktmässigt. På banans toppstation finns maskineriet med ett stort linhjul som vanligtvis drivs av en elmotor men i äldre tider förekom ångmaskiner. Runt detta linhjul löper då stållinan, en vagn hänger i var ända av linan, och när den ena vagnen är på väg ned är den andra på väg upp; de pendlar och möts endast på mötesspåret på mitten av banan. [Wikipedia/svenska]

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sverige)
From: Gerda (Lausanne, Switzerland, 19 September 1915)

Schweiz d. 19 sept. 15
K. bror! Jag är nu ute ensam på en lustresa på sjön. Sänder dig en vy härifrån. Tänker du får det fort. Kära hälsningar, syster Gerda.

Switzerland, 19 sept 1915
Dear brother, I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. Sending you a view from here. I hope you will recieve it soon. Love, sister Gerda.

G.077.03 Evian-les-Bains 

2344. Evian-les-Baines - Terrasse de la Source Cachat

To: Herr Carl Emanuelsson* (Gerda's and Gustaf's older brother)
Storegården, Fristad, Suède (Schweden) 
From: Gerda (Evian-les-Baines, France, 21 September 1915)

"Här dricker de vatten eller brunn"
"Here they take the waters at the spa"

Evian-les-Baines [Frankrike] 21 sep. 15

Käre Bror! Sänder dig en vy medan jag ännu är här. Reser till Lyon igen om fredag. Hoppas ni alla äro krya. Jag mår utmärkt. Jag tycker så mycke om det här. Skulle gärna stanna ännu några veckor. Hj. hälsningar / Gerda

Trots kriget verkar det som att Gerdas arbetsgivare (hennes identitet och nationalitet okänd för mig, men uppenbarligen av väldbärgad överklass, och kanske amerikan) hösten 1915 kunde resa med båt över Genèvesjön mellan Èvian-les-Baines i Frankrike och Lausanne i Schweiz, åtföljd av sin svenska kammarjungfru. Gerda verkar också ha fått lite ledighet för att turista på egen hand då och då, eftersom hon på det andra vykortet skriver att hon är "ute ensam på en lustresa på sjön". 

---

Evian-les-Baines [France] 21 Sep 1915
Dear Brother, I'm sending you a view while I'm still here. Will go back to Lyon again on Friday. I hope you are all well. I'm very well. I like it here so much. I would not mind staying here for a few more weeks. Best wishes from Gerda.

In spite of the ongoing war, in the autumn of 1915, Gerda's employer (identity and nationality unknown to me, but presumably a wealthy upper-class lady - possibly American) seems to have been able to travel across Lake Geneva between France and Switzerland, accompained by her Swedish maid. Gerda also seems to be allowed a bit of free time now and then, as on the second card she writes that she is out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. 

 G.078.01 - Christmas Greetings from Lyon

48. LYON - La Cathedrale St-Jean et vue panoramique sur la Saóne - T.T.

Lyon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon. It was begun in 1180 on the ruins of an even older church, and completed in 1476. In our own time it has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. (1998) [Wikipedia]

Katedralen i Lyon är en romersk-katolsk katedral tillägnad Johannes Döparen, och säte för ärkebiskopen i Lyon. Den började byggas 1180 ovanpå ruinerna av en ännu äldre kyrka, och avslutades 1476. Numera finns den med på UNESCOs världsarvslista. 

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sverige)
From: Gerda (sent from Lyon, France, 12.12 1915)

Lyon d. 12.12.15
Käre bror! Sände dig ett litet paket om du fått det. Jag önskar dig en God jul och ett gott nytt år! Kära hälsningar, Gerda

Lyon 12.12 1915
Dear brother, I sent you a small package, if you have received it. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Love, Gerda

This is one the few photos of Gerda with a date attached to it. This photo was in a frame; but when I took it out, I found that it had been printed as postcard and was sent from Lyon 26 October 1915, from Gerda to her half-sister Sally; i.e. my grandmother, who was 15 years old in 1915. Gerda was born 15 October 1881.  I suppose the photo may have been taken for her 34th birthday.

Dettta är ett av få foton på Gerda som är daterat. Det var insatt i en ram, men när jag tog ut det upptäckte jag att det var tryckt som vykort, och hade skickats 26 oktober 1915 från Gerda i Lyon, till hennes halvsyster Sally (min farmor, 15 år gammal år 1915). Gerda var född 15 oktober 1881. Fotot kan ha tagits till hennes 34-årsdag. 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 604

G.047.02 - Changing My Theory About a Photo

 G.047.02

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, Pa
From: Gerda (no date, no postmark)

Detta är alla mina kamrater här på plotten. Kära hälsningar från syster Gerda.
These are all my friends here at the plot. Best wishes from sister Gerda.

***

Among the last pages of postcards that Gustaf received while living in America, a photo turns up which I have come across before among the "family photos". The other copy of it that I have is large, with a cardboard frame. My recent theory (until now) was that it was from Gerda's stay Minnesota in the summer of 1906; assuming that she might have been working temporarily at some kind of summer hotel or guest house there. 

Cf. posts A View from Minnesota (April 2021) and The Maids of the Lake (Nov 2012)

My new theory is that the photo is from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1908.

What makes me change my mind now is that this postcard copy of the photo is addressed to Gustaf at Box 342 in Galeton - a box number he did not have until 1908.

In 1906, Gustaf's post box number in Galeton was 113. In 1907, he went away to stay (probably work) for a while in North Carolina (cf. card 034.03). At Christmas 1907, he was back in Galeton, and for a while had box 297. In June 1908, his box number had changed to 342, and remained so until he went back to Sweden in 1911.

In November 1908  Gerda writes on a postcard (card 039.03, posted in Chicago, but with a view from Lake Geneva) that she is sending him (obviously separately) a photo, and apologises for not sending it sooner. (See Greetings from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 1908). If this is the photo she is referring to, a few months' delay seems more likely than two whole years.

From what I've since learned about the property at Lake Geneva, owned by Mrs Seipp - mother of Gerda's employer Mrs Schmidt - the large number of maids also makes sense. As there were two big houses on the property, Mrs Seipp probably had several servants employed herself; but for a long stay in the summer, the Schmidt family probably also brought more than one of their own servants from Chicago as well (and from the 1910 US population census, I know they had at least four female servants). 

This also means that the other photo, with only six of them by the lake (below), does not necessarily have to be from the same summer. It could be 1907, or 1909.  I might need the help of a hairstyle expert to determine that! ;-)

***

På en av de sista sidorna av "Amerika-åren" i Gustafs vykortsalbum dyker ett foto-vykort upp av en gruppbild jag känner igen från familjefotona. Den andra kopian jag har av det är större och med en pappram; denna är tryckt på vykortspapper. 

Min tidigare teori var att fotot var från sommaren 1906, när Gerda tillbringade en tid i Minnesota, mellan två andra anställningar. Min gissning var att hon kanske över sommaren arbetade tillfälligt på något pensionat eller turisthotell. 

Min nya teori är att fotot är från Lake Geneva, sommaren 1908.

Det här kortet är dock adresserat till Gustaf med adressen "Box 342" i Galeton, vilket betyder att det inte kan ha skickats tidigare än sommaren 1908. På ett annat kort skickat i november 1908 skriver också Gerda om ett fotografi som hon då ska ha sänt till Gustaf ungefär samtidigt (men separat). Det är troligt att detta är det kort hon syftar på. 

Det har också framgått av andra vykort från Lake Geneva, att Gerda var där flera perioder med familjen Schmidt, som hon arbetade för. Via internetsökningar har jag också fått fram att de troligen vistades på en egendom ägd av Mrs Schmidts mor, Mrs Seipp. Där fanns två stora hus, så fler släktingar kan också ha varit där samtidigt. Detta förklarar också att det kan ha behövts en stor stab av tjänstefolk. Om hela familjen Schmidt (med tre barn) vistades där en stor del av sommaren, så tog de troligen också med sig inte bara Gerda, utan flertalet av sitt eget tjänstefolk från Chicago. 

Om det stora gruppfotot är från Lake Geneva, så behöver inte heller det mindre gruppfotot (de sex flickorna vid sjön) vara från samma år - det kan lika gärna vara från 1907 eller 1909 (eller t.o.m. 1910). Kanske en frisyr-expert skulle kunna avgöra vad som är mest troligt! ;-)