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This vintage mid-century linen-era postcard, published by Paradise of the Pacific in Honolulu, captures a quintessential moment of leisure at the Halekulani Hotel and Bungalows on Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. The front image, a colorized print exhibiting the characteristic dot matrix pattern of early chromolithograph processes, depicts Cocktail Hour on the Diamond Head Terrace. The scene shows well-dressed guests, the women in floral print dresses and the men in collared shirts, seated at tables under market umbrellas on a lush lawn, with a server attending to their refreshments. The composition is anchored by the formidable silhouette of Diamond Head, or Lēʻahi, rising in the background across the calm expanse of the mighty blue Pacific, a vista that was already world-famous by the 1950s. The verso provides a wealth of specific historical data. The printed caption describes the terrace as “setting almost on the mighty blue Pacific,” while the top-left imprint identifies the location explicitly. A small box to the right of the “POST CARD” designation bears the entreaty “GIVE + RED CROSS FUND,” a common fundraising appeal on mid-century stationery. The stamp, a 4-cent James Madison issue from the 1801-1809 Presidential series, is cancelled with a clear HONOLULU, HAWAII postmark dated MAR 16 / 7 PM / 54, precisely dating this artifact to March 16, 1954. The handwritten message, written vertically along the left side of the divided back, reads “Just leaving a wonderful trip. Say’s Card.” The cursive “S” in the signature is ambiguous, and could plausibly be interpreted as “Jay’s Card” or “Fay’s Card,” though “Say’s” is the most direct reading. The recipient address is Mr. and Mrs. Paul Shaffer of Medford Lakes, New Jersey. The card is in good vintage condition with minor, even color fading and intact edges, typical of a well-traveled souvenir from the dawn of the jet age when Hawaii was becoming an increasingly accessible paradise for American tourists.
