Decoration Day postcard, 1907

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, inspired by the women of the South who began decorating the graves of their dead even before the end of the Civil War, which began 150 years ago this month. This Raphael Tuck postcard was sent to Miss Ella Kensinger in Leacock, Pa., not far from historic Civil War battlefields. It is not hard to imagine that Miss Kensinger lost a loved one in that war.   

Be sure to check out "Disunion," a special online presentation of the New York Times that follows the Civil War as it unfolded through contemporary newspaper accounts, diaries, images and historic assessments.