1903 Postcard Cloister at Pensionnat Gand Belgium Nuns to Bristol Co RI For Sale

A postcard dated March 22, 1903, dispatched from Bristol, England, depicts the cloister at the Pensionnat des Soeurs de Notre-Dame in Nouveau Bois, Gand (Ghent, Belgium). The architectural photograph, credited to L. M., Brux, shows the arched passageway of the convent boarding school, an example of institutional religious architecture of the early twentieth century. The verso is bilingual, featuring the headings CARTE POSTALE and POSTKAART, and was used for international delivery to Miss Anna Case in Bristol, Rhode Island (Bristol County). The handwritten message from the sender, Harriet, acknowledges receipt of a previous card and requests an exchange of photographs—specifically, the note states, “I am so anxious to see you both.” The combination of a continental European view, transatlantic dispatch to a New England recipient, and a personal request for portraiture illustrates the communication practices of the period, linking American and European correspondents through both image and text.