From 1908 to 1910, Charlie Burchfield sent postcards to his friend Arthur Thomas who had moved to Youngstown, Ohio. Most of the postcards depicted scenes of Salem, such as this one, which possibly influenced the composition of the oil painting, The Evening Star, painted around 18 years later. Both images share a buck hidden in the shadows. On the back, Charlie mentioned that he was just back to school and his four main classes were Latin II, German II, Math II, and English II. Always an excellent student, he shared, “I like German and English best. Geometry is all rules.” Three years later, in 1911, Burchfield graduated fromSalemHigh School as class valedictorian.--NW