Rising six proud brick stories at the junction of Hawthorne Boulevard and Washington Square, the Hotel Hawthorne anchors Salem's historic downtown in this crisply colorized white-border postcard from the 1920s — vintage automobiles lined up at the curb, the striped awning of the hotel entrance beckoning, and an American flag snapping from the rooftop. Named for Salem's most famous literary son, the Hawthorne was operated by the American Hotels Corporation under resident manager Herbert A. Brooks, and billed itself as "the finest tourist and commercial hotel between Boston and Portland." The reverse description, printed in teal ink by the Tichnor Art Co. of Boston, reads with the confident boosterism of the Roaring Twenties. The card is unused and in excellent condition, making it a fine addition to any Salem, Massachusetts, or New England hotel history collection.