This article features a Chicago Mandolin Club corner card with its original letter. The piece is not as decorative as many of the covers that I write about, but it does have the name and address of the Chicago Mandolin Club. It is a piece that comes from the mandolin craze, an era from the 1890s until the early 1920s when mandolins were all the rage. During that period, there were clubs and orchestras made up entirely of mandolins formed across the country. Most were amateur ensembles, probably more about the social aspect of playing together than about the music. You can read another of my articles about a Gibson Mandolin and Guitar Manufacturing cover that is a part of this same phenomenon.
The Cover
The cover is simple. Of course, there is the return address in the upper right corner. Then, on the left is a carmine, two-cent Washington stamp. A black oval cancellation ties it to the envelope. Next to that there is a faint cancellation from Chicago from February of 1898. The letter is for a Mr. Edw. J. Morten of Adrian, Michigan. The original address, for 480 St. Lawrence Avenue has been crossed out, and the words “try34 Toledo Street” are written to the left.
Luckily, there are two easier to read postmarks on the reverse of the envelope. One indicates that this piece was mailed from Chicago on February 9, 1898. The second, shows it was received in Adrian, Michigan, the following day.
The Letter
Inside the envelope is a single piece of paper with a handwritten letter from C. P. Richardson (secretary of the Mandolin Club) to Edw. J. Morden. It regards the formation of a special mandolin “octet,” an obviously elite ensemble. Below is an image of an excerpt of the letter, and a transcription of the entire text.
Feb. 3rd 1898
Mr. Edw. J. Morden
4801 St. Lawrence Av.
Dear Sir,
Regarding the “octet” which we have formed within the Chicago Mandolin Club, how would you feel about setting aside one evening each week (say Thursday) for rehearsal & devoting the whole evening to it. We can get a studio in Standie Hall for 50 cents per evening which would be nothing when divided among eight of us. We could then practice in a business-like way- undisturbed & by ten oclock, would have accomplished more than a dozen evenings at Steinway Hall.
By the way, we have accepted another invitation – this time something dead swell, a musicale given in the large Steinway Hall. This is something to work for. Come down to the Club next Monday & we will explain it. By devoting one whole evening to practice we can bring ourselves up to a high standard & produce a good reputation. Think it over & decide whether you can be with us regularlyl. Let me know next Monday night definitely or if you find you cannot come to (over) the club please drop me a line so we can make our plans. This show I spoke of comes off on the 23rd inst.
If you come to our rehearsal next Thursday please bring those pieces I spoke of in my card a few days ago, – I don’t know the names – one was that march we tried one evening.
Yours truly,
C. P. Richardson
Address P. O. Box 664 Chicago
P.S. On account of holding the rehearsals on some other evening there will be no need of coming down so early to the Chicago Mandolin Club as we have been getting there.
The Players
The letter raises many interesting issues. First, is the discussion of playing in Steinway Hall. The Steinway company built concert halls in cities across the country (and world) in which to present great musical acts, using their instruments. It was a publicity gold mine and in Chicago, the hall was in a famous building that housed many architects – including the young Frank Lloyd Wright.
The mandolin club seems to have used the hall for many of its performances. Unfortunately, the secretary and author of the letter, C. P. Richardson, thus far has been difficult to identify, in part because the last name is so common.
However, what is tremendously interesting, is that there are several documents about a musician by the name of Edwin (or Edward) Morden in Adrian, Michigan. For example, in 1901, there is an Edward Morden listed as teaching violin and mandolin at the Adrian college.
Then, in 1907, there is an Edwin J. Morden, musician, in the business directory for Adrian at the address of 34 Toledo Avenue (the same address as the above envelope). So there can be no doubt that Edwin Morden was a talented musician, someone that Richardson wanted to recruit for his elite mandolin “octet.”
However, there is a significant question that stumps me. Adrian is 233 miles from Chicago by car. On the modern Interstate 90 that would take about four hours (depending on traffic). In 1898, there would not have been a modern interstate. The fastest way to make the journey would have been by train. Was Morden actually commuting at least one day a week from Adrian to Chicago to participate in the Chicago Mandolin Club? Would he have been willing to travel a second day to be in this octet? We will probably never know, but it is an interesting question from this fascinating piece of musical history.
