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Arnold's Boat House on Charles River, Waltham, MA, 1912

Subjects
Boating & CanoeingRivers & Streams
Card type
Lithograph
Date
c. 1912 (Golden Age)
Front of Arnold's Boat House on Charles River, Waltham, MA, 1912, c. 1912 lithograph postcard
Front
Back of Arnold's Boat House on Charles River, Waltham, MA, 1912, c. 1912 lithograph postcard
Back

About this postcard

Arnold's Boat House stands on the bank of the Charles River in Waltham, a green boathouse with a red roof fronting the water. A crowd gathers along the shore and in boats, while two green canoes paddle in the foreground; a lone canoeist and a white launch are also visible. The scene suggests a busy summer outing at a riverside boathouse. In the early 1900s, canoeing was a popular pastime, and boat houses along the Charles rented craft and drew weekend crowds. The message on the back ties the view to that kind of trip: the writer had been on the Charles River the night before and paddled a canoe home.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pencil

Dear Mable: - In Waltham now. Been to beach + am [illegible] Visited Harvard yesterday, great! Also Concord + Lex. This is view of Chas. river. Was on it last night with Helen (cousin) + her boy friend. Lovely. Paddled a canoe home myself closely wooded + winding. Have been out on ocean in row boat. Go to N.Y. next week + then to Xenia Send me a card first. [illegible] to you, Virginia

PublisherValentine & Sons' Publishing Co.
Arnold's Boat House, Waltham, Mass.
PostmarkedWorcester, MA, August 26, 1912, 14:30
Addressed to
Mable Brown

Yellow Springs, OH

Postcard record

Postmarked, Worcester, MA
PublisherValentine & Sons' Publishing Co.
Series211.964 J.V.
ConditionGood
Place addressedMable Brown, Yellow Springs, OH
Place depictedArnold's Boat House, Waltham, MA
PublisherValentine & Sons' Publishing Co., 225 Fifth Ave, New York, NY
NotesThin white border around the image; diagonal crease/scratch across the sky; light surface wear and spotting. Series number '211.964 J.V.' printed at lower left. Postmark: WORCESTER, MASS. AUG 26 2:30 PM 1912. Divided-back card with faint pencil message; stamp removed (empty stamp box, no stamp to catalog). Card lightly soiled and toned; printed Valentine & Sons' 'Famous Throughout the World' globe logo at top. Front (context only) is a white-bordered litho view of Arnold's Boat House, Waltham, Mass.

Cite this card

Arnold's Boat House on Charles River, Waltham, MA, 1912, postcard, c. 1912. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/arnolds-boat-house-on-charles-river-waltham-ma-1912. Accessed November 2, 2026.