Seasons Greetings!
In honor of the season, Peeling Back the Bark would like to feature a small selection of just a few of the holiday cards and greetings found in various Forest History Society archival collections. The following selected materials represent just a fraction of the many collections available in the FHS Archives. Below each image can be found some brief caption information and the collection name. Happy holidays!

Smokey Bear Christmas card, from Rudolph Wendelin Papers.

1935 U.S. Forest Service North Central Region holiday card, from Rudolph Wendelin Papers.

Wooden Christmas card, from Milton K. Lockwood Collection.

Society of American Foresters holiday card, circa 1970, from Society of American Foresters Records.

Christmas card sent to Wilson Compton in 1932 from employees of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association, from Wilson Martindale Compton Papers.

Invitation to the 1966 Forest Service family Christmas party, from Rudolph Wendelin Papers.
Thank you. What a lovely way to celebrate the season and share some of the items in the archives.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year.
These are beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
i wept when i realized he died at a certain point in my life, while I was so close to where he died, and serving at Military art school, DINFOS, Fort Meade, MD.. I could not believe he died where I lived a great part of my life..
Rudolph Wendelin… what amazing work you did!
Denise
USDA, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Asheville NC..
It was heartwarming to read Denise’s comment about my father, Rudolph Wendelin. To me, Dad gave Smokey his “soul” when he drew and painted him. Whatever media he used, pencil, ink, paint, charcoal, he put emotion into Smokey, his face, body language and gestures. He used his talents well, a gift he was always willing to share.
Elizabeth Wendelin
Paper Conservator