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Hotel Somerset with awnings, Boston, MA, 1908

Subjects
Commercial BuildingsHotels & Inns
Card type
Lithograph
Date
c. 1908 (Golden Age)
Front of Hotel Somerset with awnings, Boston, MA, 1908, c. 1908 lithograph postcard
Front
Back of Hotel Somerset with awnings, Boston, MA, 1908, c. 1908 lithograph postcard
Back

About this postcard

The view shows the Hotel Somerset from across a stone wall and trees, its several stories of windows and striped awnings rising to red tile roofs. The printed caption names it plainly as the Hotel Somerset, Boston, Mass. Hotels of this scale went up in Boston around the turn of the century to serve commercial travelers and tourists alike, and the awnings and tile roofing were meant to read as resort comfort in the middle of the city. The card was mailed on New Year's Day, 1908, from Chelsea, just across the Mystic River from Boston, by a writer passing along family news and a plan to start out on Friday night.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pencil

Chelsea Jan 1 Dear Ruth Received your letter and was glad to hear from you all We are all well Mama is coming to play to day We are to start Friday night

PublisherIllustrated Post Card Co.
HOTEL SOMERSET, BOSTON, MASS.
PostmarkedBoston, MA, January 1, 1908, 14:30
Stamp
Addressed to
Miss Alta B. Steen

Appleton, NY

Postcard record

Postmarked, Boston, MA
PublisherIllustrated Post Card Co.
SeriesB-32
ConditionFair
Place addressedMiss Alta B. Steen, Appleton, NY
Place depictedHotel Somerset, Boston, MA
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, issued 1902, perforated vertical sides only
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, perforated on all sides
NotesWhite border; handwritten message in pencil across lower front; worn corners and edge creases. Postmark: BOSTON JAN 1 2-30P 1908 MASS. / CHELSEA STATION (flag cancel). Undivided back with printed "This Side for the Address Only."; 1¢ green Franklin stamp; light edge/corner wear and a few creases.

Cite this card

Hotel Somerset with awnings, Boston, MA, 1908, postcard, c. 1908. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/hotel-somerset-with-awnings-boston-ma-1908. Accessed November 2, 2026.