Silvery and still, this graphite-toned photogravure postcard captures a quintessential Venetian canal scene: a lone gondolier poles beneath a graceful stone bridge while a moored vessel rests at a mossy quay in the foreground, and the ornate Gothic windows and columned loggias of palazzo facades rise on either bank, their reflections shimmering in the dark water. The restrained monochrome palette gives the scene an almost pencil-sketch quality, elegant and timeless. Postmarked Dixon, Illinois on September 9, 1914 — just weeks into the opening of the First World War — this card was mailed by someone whose note begins with cheerful domestic detail: "Well, I got here about 5:30 last night. We were in Bradford from 11 AM til 4 PM. Missed the train. Within 5 minutes was up at Christine's over dinner the afternoon and haven't seen the moon. A little [better?]..." It was addressed to a Mr. Fred Frey in Elizabeth, Illinois, and published by the Chicago firm Gartner & Bender.