A Whistle in the Snow

To you, waiting in the snow,

A locomotive sounds its whistle in the snow; the sound travels through the pines and is swallowed by the drifts. This letter comes from a Central European railway in November 1913, in an ivory linen envelope. The title is engraved cursive. A blue-gray locomotive and snow-laden pines are etched down to the last needle. There is a burgundy luggage docket, a fine Jugendstil border, and a small green conductor's ticket.

That same year an Austrian poet wrote down a winter evening: "When snow falls against the window and the evening bell tolls long, for many the table is laid and the house is well kept." — Georg Trakl, "A Winter Evening" (1913)

A whistle means someone is ahead. Welcome; you have come at the right moment: the table is laid, and the lamp of the post office is lit. Please sit down, read slowly, and write when you have finished.

May a lamp be waiting for you

Storm Post Office

November 1913 · Central European Railway