This week on ‘picture postals’, two of Lovecraft’s favourite local places.

‘The Arcade’ which he had known since earliest youth, in a newly colourised stereo picture.

And a very nice scan, also new on eBay, of the driveway along the shore of the Seekonk in Providence. I’d seen this before, but usually as a poor CardCow scan. This scan is excellent.

In Lovecraft’s infant years the drive was then along the shore alongside Swan Point Cemetery. Local ‘calls for action’ confirm this, calling for it to become part of a longer drive. In time this longer drive came, and by Lovecraft’s middle childhood the ride also ran along the shoreline at Blackstone Park. Thus the location of the view is actually about a mile away from his later favourite spot in the wooded bluff above York Pond. But the picture still gives a flavour of the Seekonk, and doubtless he and his pals ventured this far up from Blackstone on occasions.

You’ll recall that it was the Seekonk which gave rise to horrible dreams of it being completely drained to mud and slime, and thus to “Dagon” and the Mythos.