While spring begins its early bloom this week, the results are unlikely to be as dramatic as the plant seen in these photographs. This week's postcards were unsent, and may have been one-of-a-kind souvenirs produced by a personal postcard camera.

Earlier: Postcards of Des Plaines

The caption on the back reads, "Alma Dravis and friend in front of Dravis house, corner Pearson and Thacker Sts., Des Plaines, Ill. (Julius lived here before he married)"

Since Thacker meets Pearson at an angle, the Dravises had a large side yard to decorate. Evidently, they chose to use this space to make a focal point, with a large plant. Since Des Plaines was a city of many greenhouses, this may have been cultivated in one of those. It is hard to imagine a plant like this surviving through the winter. With few surviving greenhouses in Des Plaines, that may be why nothing like this is seen here today.

The large, oddly shaped corner lot proved enticing to developers. Today, the site is the Pearson House condominium, 1436 E Thacker. Close examination of the postcard reveals that the controversial bump-outs at the street crossing, built last year, actually existed in almost the same spot nearly 100 years ago.

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