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The Return from the Wreck, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, circa 1910

Card type
Printed photo

About this postcard

A halftone photograph shows a crew of men in heavy coats and hats standing in a wooden surfboat pulled up on a sandy beach, with a wrecked vessel's masts faintly visible offshore at right. The printed caption names the scene "The Return from the Wreck, Cape Cod," evoking the surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, whose stations along the Outer Cape went out in such boats to rescue crews from stranded ships. Cape Cod's shoals and storms made wrecks common, and lifesaving crews were celebrated locally for their rescues.

Postcard Details

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PostmarkedProvincetown, MA
Stamp
Addressed to
Charlotte S Huestt

44 Sparhawk St, Amesbury, MA

Postcard record

PostmarkedProvincetown, MA
PublisherC. O. Tucker
ConditionGood
Place addressedCharlotte S Huestt, 44 Sparhawk St, Amesbury, MA
Place depictedCape Cod, MA, MA
PublisherC. O. Tucker, Boston, MA
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, issued 1902
NotesBlack-and-white halftone reproduction with visible dot screen; narrow white margin at bottom carrying the caption; light corner and edge wear. Postmark: [PRO]VINCET[OWN] MASS 19[?] 5 A โ€” cancellation partly hidden by the ornate "Post Card" heading. Undivided back ("This side is for the address"), 1ยข green Franklin stamp, coarse halftone print with white border; light wear and toning at edges.

Cite this card

The Return from the Wreck, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, circa 1910, postcard, c. 1902. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/the-return-from-the-wreck-cape-cod-massachusetts-circa-1910. Accessed October 24, 2026.