LibGuides: Women & WWII Digital Exhibit: Payne Letter 59

Payne 59 Letter Images

1944 February 23 - envelope, John to Margaret

1944 February 23 - page 1, John to Margaret

1944 February 23 - page 2, John to Margaret

Related Materials

In order to rally Americans, propaganda needed to present a villain. Who better than Hitler to be shown as the central evil that Americans had to come together to defeat?

Propaganda encouraging Americans to stay strong in order to defeat the Nazis was extremely prevalent during the war.

Citations:

Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:INF3-306 Unity of Strength To Victory together!.jpg," Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:INF3-306_Unity_of_Strength_To_Victory_together!.jpg&oldid=707170530 (accessed May 24, 2023).

Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:Everytime you twist a nut think of Hitler - NARA - 534895.jpg," Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Everytime_you_twist_a_nut_think_of_Hitler_-_NARA_-_534895.jpg&oldid=722739764 (accessed May 24, 2023).

Transcription

Payne 59
Transcription for handwritten letter dated February 23, 1944 from John to Miss Margaret Payne.

Also at this Time - Historical Context

Anne Frank diary entry on Febrary 23, 1944
This diary entry from Anne Frank displays what she was going through at the time, and how she tried to keep a positive attitude, despite her extremely unfortunate situation.
There are not any notable battles or events also documented as having taken place on February 23, 1944, leaving Anne Frank's diary entry to be the most important piece of history from the day.

Object Description

The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.

Contributing Institution - Piedmont Historical Preservation Society
Collection Name - Margaret Payne Collection
Language - English
Rights - Copyright held by the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society; no reproduction without written consent from the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society.
Notes - Letter dated February 23, 1943. Postmarked February 24, 1943

Inferences and Additional Questions

John repeatedly hints at Margaret's mother having some sort of issue with their relationship and/or John himself. However, he also mentions that he cannot wait to have some of her home cooked meals. This leads me to wonder if there is actually an issue going on between the two of them or if John is just looking for attention.

Want to Dig Deeper?

John mentions wanting homemade liver pudding. While this may sound odd today, one should remember that times were vastly different during wartime.

Liver Pudding Recipe-

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21688/pork-liver-pudding/

Consisting of 1/2 pound of pork liver and 1/2 pound of ground pork with few other ingredients, liver pudding was a dish that could be made without taking too many supplies in a time where food rations were necessary for the war effort.