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Old American color postcard depicting a steam train passing through an orange plantation in California, United States.
The scene shows an imposing steam locomotive bearing the number 3200, traveling on a railway line lined with trees laden with oranges.
On the left, a farm worker harvests fruit using a wooden ladder. Several boxes filled with oranges are placed at the foot of the trees. Other characters appear near the tracks.
Features :
Country: United States, California
Caption: “543 – Traveling Through the Orange Groves, number: 543
Print reference: 79930
Subject: steam train, agriculture and orange plantations
Type: American illustrated postcard in color
Circulation: April 28, 1932
Destination: Brienne-le-Château, Aube, France
On the back, handwritten correspondence in French in blue ink, addressed to Madame Marie Ribas, Saint-Pons district, Brienne-le-Château.
Presence of an American mechanical cancellation from California. Missing postage stamp, with traces of peeling in the upper right corner.
Condition: used condition. Slightly bumped corners, signs of handling and small marks on the edges. Significant trace of detachment of the stamp on the back, with alteration of the paper. Correspondence and illustration well preserved and legible. See photographs.
3. Dating / Historical interest
Dating: 1932, according to postmark.
This map illustrates two major economic sectors of California at the beginning of the 20th century: citrus growing and rail transportation.
Orange plantations then occupied an important place in the Californian agricultural economy. The railroad plays an essential role in transporting crops to major American cities.
The representation of a steam locomotive in the middle of the orange groves also evokes the development of rail tourism in California.
The illustration is characteristic of old American postcards, with a picturesque composition combining industrial modernity and agricultural landscapes.
Collectible interest:
American railway history and steam locomotives
Californian agriculture and orange groves
American postcards from the interwar period
United States–France transatlantic connection
California railway and advertising iconography
4. Keywords
California, California, USA, United States, 1932, Traveling Through the Orange Groves, steam train, steam locomotive, locomotive 3200, railway, railroad, railway, old train, orange groves, orange picking, orange harvest, citrus fruits, citrus, plantation, orchard, American agriculture, old postcard, CPA USA, vintage postcard, railway history, Brienne-le-Château, Aube, 1930s, American steam train.
Condition: used condition. Slightly bumped corners, signs of handling and small marks on the edges. Significant trace of detachment of the stamp on the back, with alteration of the paper. Correspondence and illustration well preserved and legible. See photographs. Orange plantations then occupied an important place in the Californian agricultural economy. The railroad plays an essential role in transporting crops to major American cities. California, California, USA, United States, 1932, Traveling Through the Orange Groves, steam train, steam locomotive, locomotive 3200, railway, railroad, railway, old train, orange groves, orange picking, orange harvest, citrus fruits, citrus, plantation, orchard, American agriculture, old postcard, CPA USA, vintage postcard, railway history, Brienne-le-C
