Description
Postcard with message from L.M. Montgomery addressed to "Miss Edith Russell" in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Edith May Russell (1877-1957) was hired to work in the newsroom of the Halifax, Nova Scotia newspaper 'The Daily Echo" in 1902, during the time L.M. Montgomery was employed there; notes in Montgomery's journals suggest the two kept in intermittent contact for some years thereafter, into the 1920s. The message on the card thanks Russell for her "quaint [?] pretty card and kind congratulations," but no further information is provided ('Anne of Green Gables' was not printed until April, 1908, and Montgomery did receive a copy herself until early June). Montgomery also asks for the address of a "Mr. McLellan"; research by the donor and the UPEI Library suggests that this refers to William Edward MacLellan (1855-1929), who was editor-in-chief of the Halifax 'Daily Echo' newspaper from 1900-1905, encompassing the time L.M. Montgomery worked there. The front of the card is a poor-quality coloured lithograph; Montgomery herself apologizes in her message for not having a "nicer" card to send.