The Postcard
A postcard that was published in 1907 by M. T. Sheahan. The artwork was by F. Fradkin.
The card was posted in Cambridge, Mass. using a one cent stamp on Thursday the 13th. October 1910 to:
Mr. Russell Miller,
Epping,
New Hampshire.
The message on the divided back was as follows:
"Dear Brother,
Gee, but ain't this a
lonesome town -
nothing to do but
hang around.
C.H.C."
M. T. Sheahan
M. T. Sheahan of 297, Congress Street, Boston, Mass., who operated between 1903 and 1910, was a fine art printer and publisher, who in addition to producing prints created many postcards on themes of animals, humor, greetings, and mottos.
New Railroad Regulations
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, on the 13th. October 1910, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued the first regulations requiring ladders, sill steps and hand brakes on all railroad cars in the United States.
Stephen King
In Stephen King's short story "1408", the 13th. October 1910 was the date that Kevin O'Malley leaped to his death from Room 1408 of the New York's Hotel Dolphin, becoming the first of 42 fatalities associated with the haunted room.
Art Tatum
The day also marked the birth in Toledo, Ohio of the American jazz pianist Art Tatum.
Arthur Tatum Jr. is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field.
From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraordinary. Many pianists attempted to copy him; others questioned their own skills after encountering him, and some even switched instruments in response.
In addition to being acclaimed for his virtuoso technique, Tatum extended the vocabulary and boundaries of jazz piano far beyond his initial stride influences, and established new ground in jazz through innovative use of reharmonization, voicing, and bitonality.
Art Tatum - The Early Years
Tatum grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he began playing piano professionally and had his own radio program, rebroadcast nationwide, while still in his teens.
Art left Toledo in 1932 and had residencies as a solo pianist at clubs in major urban centers including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In that decade, he settled into a pattern that he followed for most of his career - paid performances followed by long after-hours playing, all accompanied by prodigious amounts of alcohol.
Art was said to be more spontaneous and creative in these after-hours venues, and although the drinking did not negatively affect his playing, it did damage his health.
Art Tatum - The Later Years
In the 1940's, Tatum led a commercially successful trio for a short time, and began playing in more formal jazz concert settings, including performances at Norman Granz-produced 'Jazz at the Philharmonic' events.
However Art's popularity diminished towards the end of the decade, as he continued to play in his own style, ignoring the rise of bebop.
Granz recorded Tatum extensively in solo and small group formats in the mid-1950's, with the last session occurring only two months before the pianist's death from uremia on the 5th. November 1956 at the young age of 47.
Uremia
Uremia is the term for high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, in the blood that would be normally excreted in the urine. Uremic syndrome can be defined as the terminal clinical manifestation of kidney failure.
The symptoms, such as fatigue, can be very vague, making the diagnosis of impaired kidney function difficult. Treatment can be by dialysis or a kidney transplant, though some patients choose to pursue symptom control and conservative care instead.
