1908 APRIL ??th anna klara auguste dawson nee grutz to kathleen anne dawson

menton, alpes martimes, france to kidderminster, worcestershire

1023 miles

the message

"Grand Hotel

Menton ????????

Dear Kathleen

Here is a similar card to one I sent Rose. We saw a valley the other day covered with sweet violets. The flowers are beautiful here. We had rain yesterday for the 1st time in a month.

I hope you are all well. Wish you were here with us.

Love from Auntie A"

the sender

Anna Klara Auguste Dawson nee Grutz (1862-1912) was the daughter of Friedrich August Grutz (1835-?) and Juliane Dorothee Elisabeth Runge (1844-?). She was born in Luxembourg. In 1889 she married William Harbutt Dawson (1860-1948), a noted journalist and expert on German affairs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Harbutt_Dawson). He went on to marry a German, Else Munsterberg in 1913 following Anna's death.

the recipient

Kathleen Anne Dawson (1894-1992) was the daughter of Robert Barkas Dawson (1863-?) and Bessie Lord (1859-1923). Robert was an art teacher and headmaster and the brother of William Harbutt Dawson.

Kathleen studied art and became a watercolourist. In 1919 she married Ronald Nesbitt Hawes (1895-1969). Ronald served in the army in both world wars, reaching the rank of Brigadier. He also served as a diplomat in Burma and in 1948 he was knighted for his service. And somewhere along the line added a hyphen.

Kathleen died in Australia.

the tree

the places

Menton, Alpes Martimes, France

Kidderminster, Worcestershire

what the card says to us

The picture is entitled "La Cuiellette des Violettes" - The Picking of the Violets. Violets are mentioned in the message.

The Rose mentioned in the message is Kathleen's elder sister Rose Dawson (1891-?).

There is an assumption about the identity of the sender. The apparent joining together of words in the handwriting hints that English is not the writer's first language. Also, William Harbutt Dawson appears to have a cosmopolitan lifestyle. It does have to be said that it is an educated guess, especially as the initial associated with the word Auntie is not clear, but it could well be an "A".

The comment about there having been the first rain for a month suggests that whoever sent the card has spent some considerable time on the French Riviera. Unfortunately the date on the postmark is not clear. It is 1908 and it is April, but the date is not included in the french stamp.

The fact that Kathleen died in Australia presents a mystery as to how this card has survived somewhere for over 100 years.