Need Advice before I post on a photo collection I have

[ryanc11]

I have and "attic find" of a postcard and photogtaph collection. 90% of the cards are form a youg woman to the owner of a collection (a young man in his late teens to early 20's), and are primarily love letters. I would say the entire collection there are 450-475 cards, and 35 or so pictures...(Some postcards are picture postcards as well) and date from 1909-1919. The remarkeable thing about this collection is that the timeline of correspondance is absolutely fascinating. There is discussion on the Titanic disaster, The Eastland sinking in Chicago, the fascination with a new thing called the automobile. A whole diary and pictures of a vaction from Chicago to Southern Wisconsin. There are several that discuss the trepidation about being drafted and serving in France in WW I, and an amazing series of correspondance (including photos) between the young man and a friend who was serving in the expedition to capture Pancho Villa in Durango Mexico - just amazing (Edit : I originally called this the Mexican War, woops). Some very historical pictures of Chicago and vicinity, not repros but actual photographs. Just an absolutely fascinating collection that I would like to share via a website and I also have some that I need advice from on TN.

Im reluctant because of the very personal nature of the correspondance - although almost 100 years old. You may ask why show the correspondance, why not just the cards and photos - but the correspondance along with the photos is what makes this whole collection special. Does anyone have any opinion or know any unwritten (or written for that matter) law about displaying personal photos and or correspondance like this even though it is close to a century old ? Is it just bad taste, or is it OK if displayed publicly in a respectful manner for all to appreciate?

Thanks for your time...

 

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[Gypsy Heart]

Maybe you could just show the corrrespondence from the ones that depicted talk about the Titantic or of Historical reference.
I am all about love letters.....but I would not publish the contents unless I knew both parties ended up together and its not going to be any suprise to their relatives.....Sounds like a fascinating collection with a ton of History.

 

[ryanc11]

Maybe you could just show the corrrespondence from the ones that depicted talk about the Titantic or of Historical reference.
I am all about love letters.....but I would not publish the contents unless I knew both parties ended up together and its not going to be any suprise to their relatives.....Sounds like a fascinating collection with a ton of History.

Agree on that, actually the love letters are pretty benign in nature ... and through the correspondance towards the end you can tell they went thier seperate ways amicably...The collection was purchased by my wifes grandfather at a flea market in Chicago 60 years ago. I forgot to mention I have been researching them for 3 years off and on and can find no living relatives to either party (Various geneology webistes, census records, etc..), which really was the original goal when I took n the project.

From a love letter standpoint a very intersting detail is that she was a secretary for a company in Chicago and she left little shorthand messages on the side areas of many of the postcards that he could never figure out what they said.... I still havent found anyone to decipher them either yet...

 

[TreasureTales]

Hello ryanc, welcome to TNet. Your collection sounds fascinating. Personally, and that's all this is--my PERSONAL OPINION and not worth the bandwidth to post it--is that the romantic or personal parts of the letters were not meant for public display, even after all these years. Give the deceased some respect. The photos and postcards would be quite interesting if you chose to post a few here. All in all, you may have some great clues to treasure. Clues that might need a little reading between the lines. Do the letters or photos mention picnic grounds or homesites or anything that might lead you to a forgotten spot for some treasure hunting?

 

[ryanc11]

Hello ryanc, welcome to TNet. Your collection sounds fascinating. Personally, and that's all this is--my PERSONAL OPINION and not worth the bandwidth to post it--is that the romantic or personal parts of the letters were not meant for public display, even after all these years. Give the deceased some respect. The photos and postcards would be quite interesting if you chose to post a few here. All in all, you may have some great clues to treasure. Clues that might need a little reading between the lines. Do the letters or photos mention picnic grounds or homesites or anything that might lead you to a forgotten spot for some treasure hunting?

Yea I think your both right, I will do my best to display them without any reference to things of a personal nature... And yes there are definate clues on locations for MD'ing / relic hunting. The correspondance and photos of the trip from Chicago to Lake Delavyn Wisconsin show lake front cottages and recreation areas that no longer exist at the locations specified in the photos and letter ( I know this because I am very familiar with the places they traveled to although from a 1980's to present timeframe). Thats one example that comes to mind... For the most part they are just pieces of history through the eyes of everday turn of the century folks, which to me is has been the "Treasure" per se.

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

Scan them all. Pack them all away. Use an image editor to block out the names of the innocent. Proceed with plan to publish......should make for a greeeeeat read!!

Laater...

 

[OutBack Duo]

I think you should keep the parties names a secret, make copies of the coorespondence and black out names or addresses so no one will ever know who the parties were. I have done reasearch on properties to MD and part of my research I cam across a big pile of love letters that told of every day life during the civil war. I found it very interesting and very informative. I think these should be published and kept forever to show what life was like and what people thought and felt. I would be very interested in reading them and seeing the pictures as long as it was done tastefully and there was no way to identify the people in them.

Just my thoughts.

Don

 

[Gypsy Heart]

I think I could decipher the shorthand for you....if you need help