A tiered ornamental fountain erupts in arching jets above a circular basin ringed with manicured lawn, its white figurative statue catching the summer light — this linen-era view of the Memorial Fountain in Cairo, nestled in the Catskill Mountains of New York, radiates the unhurried charm of mid-century resort life. The ivy-draped building behind, draped in wisteria and climbing roses, speaks to Cairo's genteel reputation as a Catskills day-trip destination. A sender named simply by signature — a looping, affectionate hand — dashed off a note on July 26 to a woman named Marjorie at a Washington, D.C. address: "To day here it is wonderful. Wish you could see it." The 1-cent George Washington stamp and East Durham machine cancel date this correspondence to the early 1940s, a moment when Catskills tourism was thriving before wartime rationing changed vacation habits across America.