Souvenir Letter

Souvenir Letter, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minn. (cover)

Souvenir Letter, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minn. (inside front cover)

Souvenir Letter, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minn, two views

This souvenir letter, circa 1905, is possibly our earliest postcard-like item.

It is a saddle-stapled booklet with a linen finish cover, produced by The Douglas Publishing Company, Buffalo, New York. The back cover says that it is "Great Northern Railroad Series, B.H.U."

The front cover bears an imprint for the University Book Store at St. John's. Inside the front cover is the return address and partial date "190_."

The booklet includes eight views printed as halftones on enamel paper. The pages are larger than the standard postcard size of the day. Rather than folding to form an envelope, this booklet has gum visible along the edges of the inside of the back cover.