Sam Mudd & Betsy Linhares
P.O. Box 833, Inverness, Fl.
34451-0833
Phone: 352-341-1619
~ We are always buying and selling interesting postcards
so keep and eye on our auctions. ~
and
historicviewpostcards.com
As an important adjunct to the study of history, POSTCARDS can be helpful in genealogical research. Check postcards for YOUR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, TOWNS, connected to your Family History! You may find that through research YOUR NAME may knitted amongst the early development and history of America, perhaps your families ancestors were successful merchants, gold miners, villains, politicians, or historians…
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SOME SAY... the French invented the postcard at the back-end of the 19th Century. `The postcard was not invented, it evolved and with its creation the writing habits of the civilised world changed `, so said expert Frank W. Staff. Yet as with the hand written letter before it, the postcard has been naturally surpassed by the internet and emailing, as the most convenient means of keeping in touch with people. Some say, `An Austrian economics professor invented the postcard-at first a plain slice of buff cardboard-in 1869. In 1889 the French invented the picture postcard and erected the archetypal postcard subject, the Eiffel Tower, to put on it.When the world`s first postcard appeared in Austria in 1869, it triggered off a craze for postcard collecting and caught the public`s imagination, so much so in fact that in their heyday between 1890-1920, they even took the place of traditional family photo albums. Picture cards became status symbols and would reflect a person`s position in society. BRAGGING RIGHTS: Who invented the postcard? The Guardian (UK) 02/19/02 Until this week, "the world had laboured under the impression that the greeting card was a German or Austrian innovation, although the Americans had also claimed to be first. But the postal historian Edward Proud has finally proved conclusively that the postcard bears the stamp of British genius."
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE POSTCARD IN THE UNITED STATES
By John McClintock
PIONEER ERA(1893-1898) Although there were earlier scattered issues, most pioneer cards in today's collections begin with the cards placed on sale at the Colombian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois on May 1, 1893. These were illustrations on government printed postal cards and on privately printed souvenir cards. The government postal card had the imprinted 1 cent stamp while the souvenir cards required a 2-cent adhesive postage stamp to be applied to it. Writing was not permitted on the address side of the card.
PRIVATE MAILING CARD ERA (1898-1901) On May 19, 1898, private printers were granted permission, by an act of congress, to print and sell cards that bore the inscription "Private Mailing Card". Today we call these cards "PMC's". Postage required was now a 1-cent adhesive stamp. A dozen or more American printers began to take postcards seriously. Writing was still not permitted on the address side, however many publishers often left a wider border on the side or bottom of the view side so a short message could be added.
POSTCARD ERA (1901-1907) The use of the word 'POST CARD' was granted by the government to private printers on December 4, 1901. In this era, private citizens began to take black and white photographs and have them printed on paper with post card backs. Writing was still not permitted on the address side.
UNDIVIDED BACK ERA (1893-1907) The above three eras can also be grouped into the general heading of 'undivided back'.
DIVIDED BACK ERA (1907-1914) Post cards with a divided back, that is, with a printed vertical line down the middle, were permitted starting March 1, 1907. The address to be written on the right side and written messages to be on the left. Many millions of cards were published in this period. Up to this point most cards were printed in Germany who was far ahead of this country in the lithographic processes. With the advent of World War I, the supply of post cards had to come from England to the United States.
WHITE BORDER ERA (1915-1930) Most of our post cards were printed in the USA during this period. To save ink, a border was left around the view thus we classify them as "White Border Cards". High cost of labor, inexperience and public taste caused production of poor quality cards. High competition in a narrowing market caused many publishers to go out of business.
LINEN ERA (1930-1944) New printing processes allowed printing on post cards with a high rag content that caused a "linen like" finish. These cheap cards allowed the use of gaudy dyes for coloring. The firm of Curt Teich flourished with their line of linen postcards. Many important events in history were recorded on these cards.
PHOTOCHROME ERA (1945 to present) The "chrome" post cards started to dominate the scene soon after they were launched by the Union Oil Company in their western service stations in 1939. Mike Roberts pioneered with his "WESCO" cards soon after World War II. Three-dimensional post cards also appeared in this era.
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PIONEER ERA(1893-1898) Although there were earlier scattered issues, most pioneer cards in today's collections begin with the cards placed on sale at the Colombian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois on May 1, 1893. These were illustrations on government printed postal cards and on privately printed souvenir cards. The government postal card had the imprinted 1 cent stamp while the souvenir cards required a 2-cent adhesive postage stamp to be applied to it. Writing was not permitted on the address side of the card.
PRIVATE MAILING CARD ERA (1898-1901) On May 19, 1898, private printers were granted permission, by an act of congress, to print and sell cards that bore the inscription "Private Mailing Card". Today we call these cards "PMC's". Postage required was now a 1-cent adhesive stamp. A dozen or more American printers began to take postcards seriously. Writing was still not permitted on the address side, however many publishers often left a wider border on the side or bottom of the view side so a short message could be added.
POSTCARD ERA (1901-1907) The use of the word 'POST CARD' was granted by the government to private printers on December 4, 1901. In this era, private citizens began to take black and white photographs and have them printed on paper with post card backs. Writing was still not permitted on the address side.
UNDIVIDED BACK ERA (1893-1907) The above three eras can also be grouped into the general heading of 'undivided back'.
DIVIDED BACK ERA (1907-1914) Post cards with a divided back, that is, with a printed vertical line down the middle, were permitted starting March 1, 1907. The address to be written on the right side and written messages to be on the left. Many millions of cards were published in this period. Up to this point most cards were printed in Germany who was far ahead of this country in the lithographic processes. With the advent of World War I, the supply of post cards had to come from England to the United States.
WHITE BORDER ERA (1915-1930) Most of our post cards were printed in the USA during this period. To save ink, a border was left around the view thus we classify them as "White Border Cards". High cost of labor, inexperience and public taste caused production of poor quality cards. High competition in a narrowing market caused many publishers to go out of business.
LINEN ERA (1930-1944) New printing processes allowed printing on post cards with a high rag content that caused a "linen like" finish. These cheap cards allowed the use of gaudy dyes for coloring. The firm of Curt Teich flourished with their line of linen postcards. Many important events in history were recorded on these cards.
PHOTOCHROME ERA (1945 to present) The "chrome" post cards started to dominate the scene soon after they were launched by the Union Oil Company in their western service stations in 1939. Mike Roberts pioneered with his "WESCO" cards soon after World War II. Three-dimensional post cards also appeared in this era.
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The Golden Age of Picture Postcards
Picture postcards in the United States began with the souvenir issues sold at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The hobby of postcard collecting began soon after and continued unabated until the First World War. With that event, the postcard album, a book second in importance only to the family Bible, suddenly vanished from the parlor.
The Columbian Exposition cards proved to be so successful, that publishers in other parts of the country were emboldened to issue views featuring large cities, historic landmarks, and popular vacation resorts. Like the exposition cards, these were also well received, despite the fact that the federal government subjected them to the full-letter postage rate of two cents (government issued postals could be mailed at one cent). Public demand to use privately printed postcards became so great by 1898, however, that Congress granted a concession and lowered the postage rate to a penny. After 1898, the postcard industry was off and running, and so was the hobby.
Postcard collecting had become widespread in Europe by the turn of the century. By 1905 it had reached comparable proportions in the United States. The enormous growth of the postcard craze in this country, within so few years, can be attributed to many factors, among them: a shift in tastes of the American public from sentiment to modern art; the development of a sales and distribution network of jobbers and importers that linked German printers with small town merchants (who wanted to immortalize Main Street on viewcards) and retail outlets, such as drugstores, bookshops, newsstands, and department stores, which strongly promoted the sale of postcards, since they required small amounts of display space and bore a good profit. The initial souvenir cards of vacation resorts and big cities, gradually evolved into diverse lines, which included viewcards, comics, holiday greetings, and advertising issues. This diversity placed postcards within the means and interests of almost everyone.
The decade between 1905-1915 -- the Golden Age of Postcards -- saw postcard collecting reach a zenith in staggering proportions. Literally millions of postcards were printed, imported, sold, and mailed by the tons. Official U.S. Post Office figures for year ending 30 June 1908 revealed that approximately seven hundred million postcards were mailed in this country. By 1913 the total number mailed had increased to over nine hundred million, and by this date, the craze was reportedly on the decline.
During the heyday of the postcard craze people bought them for the simple pleasure of owning them. They preserved the cards carefully in their albums or posted them to friends and relatives, with the expectation of receiving many in return. In essence, postcards served as an inexpensive form of entertainment in almost every American home, like radio and television in later eras. Visitors often viewed with delight the heavily padded postcard album adorning parlors, living rooms, and sun porches. Postcards were so ubiquitous that a person could not visit any sizable town, without seeing them in almost every store window -- either for sale, or for the shear delight of sharing a view. In turn, postcard publishers endeavored not only to sell cards embracing a variety of subjects, but also tried to provide for the public a postcard of charm and originality, often superbly colored and even embossed.
At first postal regulations permitted only the name and address of the recipient on the back, so by necessity, messages defaced the illustrated side. In 1907, however, the Post Office Department relented: the back of the postcard could be split down the middle to provide space for both correspondence and address. This epochal decision saved the picture, unless, of course, someone chose to mark an "x" over a hotel window or whatever. Anyhow, the additional message space enhanced the use of postcards for communication at a time when people traveled less frequently, telephones were few, and the postal system was quite efficient. Greetings were often posted December 24 for Christmas and January 1 for New Years. Cards were frequently mailed ahead to announce a family visit or sent as an invitation to friends for parties. Much of the news conveyed was trivial and mundane, the exact sort of detail that makes up day-to-day life of humanity today. Progress or decline in the state of health of relatives was meticulously chronicled; cards were sent to convey news of death and birth as well. A general populace is evident from the number of inscriptions about purchases at the store, church activities, one's employment, and the place where one resides. In other words, to the general public postcards provided a convenient way to keep in touch with friends and relatives, without the burden of descriptive writing. The postcard industry promoted this point as much as literary critics decried it. To some the fine art of letter-writing appeared threatened with extinction.
Indeed, picture postcards were more than just a means of communication; for they provided a portrait of life in America during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Postcards were produced for every occasion. At a time when newspapers carried few if any photographs, especially in small towns, the postcard offered an incredibly inexpensive and convenient way to capture people, places, and events. Whenever America paraded or celebrated anything, the postcard photographer was there. He was also there when disasters occurred, such as fires, floods, earthquakes, and train wrecks. The political climate and figures of the time were also recorded, as were the prohibition and suffrage movements. Furthermore, the postcard reflected the attitudes, pastimes, sentiments, and tastes of the American people. They advertised the products available to the consumer and featured the current vogue in fashions. Heroes and celebrities of all kinds were portrayed on postcards, as was home, mother and the Flag. They also covered love and courtship, humor, racial attitudes, sports, and sexy girls. This does not even begin to speak of the almost infinite number of viewcards depicting America's main streets, civil buildings, schools, churches, businesses, factories, trolleys, railroads, amusement parks, lakes, rivers, mountains, and cemeteries.
To supply the insatiable demand for postcards, publishers sprang up like wildflowers. Frequently, they had their pictures printed in Germany, where lithographic techniques were superior, and painstaking workmanship very cheap. One of the most famous names in the postcard trade was the Detroit Publishing Company, with almost sixteen-thousand views taken by its photographers, who traveled all over the country. Most of their cards were models of color, composition, and meticulous detail. A firm which rivaled Detroit for quality during the height of the postcard craze was the Rotograph Company in New York City. The quality of its gravure style views was exceptionally high. The leading English firm, Raphael Tuck & Sons, exported many delightful cards for the American market. They usually issued their cards in sets of six, and were notorious for the extent to which they retouched photographs. Edward Mitchell, the largest western company, and other large publishers, such as L.J. Koehler (famous for its hold-to-light cards), American News Company, Hugh C. Leighton, Samuel Langsdorf, International Art Company, Illman, and Winch also marketed very attractive postcards. The German publisher, Stengel, and the Italian firm, Sborgi, set the picture postcard standard for reproductions of fine art.
The large publishers, however, did not always penetrate the small towns with their photographers. So the local druggist, stationer, department, or novelty store sent photographs or negatives to Germany to be printed as postcards. Hence the name of some obscure druggist appears frequently as the publisher. The German printers in fact retained agents in large cities to facilitate orders. A New York City firm advertised to "make postcards exclusively for you from any size photo or print you send us, deliver them in ten days' time, guarantee not to use your subjects for anyone else, and put your name on each one as the publisher." Prices were quoted at five hundred cards for four dollars and a thousand for six dollars.
German printers dominated the postcard manufacturing business until 1909, when the enactment of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff effectively cut off low-cost importation of postcards, along with many other goods. Although American printers and publishers had strongly promoted the tariff to protect and develop the postcard trade in this country, it ironically did just the opposite. The tariff and a combination of other factors, eventually contributed to the demise in the postcards popularity, and ultimately sounded the death knell for the postcard industry in America. The most noticeable effect of the tariff was the gradual deterioration in aesthetic quality of the pictures and art work. American printers did not possess the advanced technology to match the high quality of German lithography. There were a few exceptions, of course, like the Detroit Publishing Company. But in general, the standards had clearly declined after the tariff, and as a result, the people began to lose interest in postcards.
On the other hand, following the enactment of the Payne-Aldrich Act, firms such as the Cargill Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, began to issue cards. Jobbers and importers, however, anticipating the tariff, made a concerted effort to stockpile German cards. Every link in the chain was overloaded: importers overloaded jobbers, jobbers overloaded retailers, and according to Orville Walden, "every rack in the country was loaded." Most retailers were faced with a year's supply of cards. In an effort to move stock, price cutting began: cards which sold two for five cents became three for five, then a cent each, and even ten for five cents. Without fresh stock, dealers began to lose interest and turned to more profitable lines.
In an attempt to correct unfair practices, price slaughtering, and stores filled with unsalable cards-- the National Postcard Association was formed to stabilize the industry. However, in 1912, F.W. Woolworth released for sale, through its chain of stores, millions of postcards to retail at ten cents a dozen. In the same year, trade papers announced the introduction of French-fold style greeting cards, with envelopes to retail at five cents each. By 1913 vast numbers of folded cards were being stocked in retail outlets, and postcards had to be unloaded to make space. One western publisher advertised two million views of the United States at half their production cost. Unsalable cards reached an all-time low price of five cents a dozen on retail racks. Fifteen American publishers ceased production during 1913, while several others had gone into the greeting card business. One last effort was made that year to recapture the market with unusual novelty items: wire tails, phonographic records, and mechanicals. But the fascination of postcards had passed. The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 shifted peoples minds away from fancies like postcards to more serious matters. The same year, the postcard manufacturers cancelled their annual conventions due to lack of interest. By 1915, trade journals omitted discussion of postcards entirely. The Golden Age of Postcards had passed.
Grading Postcards
When buying or selling postcards, everyone wants to know the condition of the postcard.
This rating system is used for older or antique postcards.
M - Mint : A perfect card just as it comes from the printing press. No marks, bends, or creases. No writing or postmarks. A clean and fresh card. Seldom seen.
NM - Near Mint : Like Mint but very light aging or very slight discoloration from being in an album for many years. Not as sharp or crisp.
EX - Excellent : Like mint in appearance with no bends or creases, or rounded or blunt corners. May be postally used or unused and with writing and postmark only on the address side. A clean, fresh card on the picture side.
VG - Very Good : Corners may be a bit blunt or rounded. Almost undetectable crease or bend that does not detract from overall appearance of the picture side. May have writing or postally used on address side.
G - Good : Corners may be noticeably blunt or rounded with noticeably slight bends or creases. May be postally used or have writing on the address side.
FR - Fair : Card is intact. Excess soil, stains, creases, writing, or cancellation may affect picture. Could be a scarce card that is difficult to find in any condition.
Source: J. L. Mashburn
and Postcard Collecting
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Preservation of Postcards
Collecting vintage paper creates some special concerns regarding its preservation. If you like to keep antique photo or postcard albums complete as they were originally assembled, you will have even more problems. The real disadvantage is that most early albums were made of inferior green or black construction paper that leaves a residue on the postcard corners. If a top quality album was used, this slick paper didn't move or breathe leaving heavy indents on the postcards called album marks. Cards should be removed from these old albums.
The major enemies of paper are fire, water or humidity, dirt, sunlight, mold, and bugs. If you are investing large sums of money in postcards for your collection or dealer's stock, fireproof file cabinets or a vault is advisable. Collections can be protected in a safety deposit box, which is cool, dry, dark, and theft proof.
Separate each item with acid-free paper, glassine, or Mylar to prevent ink transfer. Stand cards on edge when possible, stacking causes damage to embossing and mechanisms.
Keep humidity at 50-65%; too low and the paper becomes brittle; too high and microorganisms grow. The temperature should be under 75 degrees. Heat causes faster chemical deterioration.
Sunlight is a great destroyer of paper. If you wish to display your framed collection, do not place items in direct sunlight. Instead, display them on interior walls away from natural light. When having your items framed, be sure to request museum mounting. If the shop doesn't know what you are talking about, select another store.
Nothing should ever be done to paper that cannot be easily undone. If an inventory must be kept, do it in pencil. If the item needs to be secured to album pages use only stamp hinges, photo corners with clear Mylar tops, linen or paper tape. Never affix any kind of tape to the front of your postcards.
Dealers use plastic sleeves and album pages. Collectors should not, unless they are sleeves or pages of archival quality. A dealer's stock is constantly changing and cards are seldom in contact with this Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) storage system for long.
This PVC material will cause chemical damage to antique paper if left for long periods of time. In addition, postcards that are not in a humidity controlled environment risk water damage from condensation forming inside of the sleeves. This can be seen at outdoor flea markets. When items in plastic are exposed to the sun, they heat up creating condensation that can cause irreversible water damage.
Before you panic about the storage of your postcards, remember they have survived nearly 100 years in old deteriorating postcard albums. They probably will survive many more years with just a reasonable amount of care, but only archival protection will preserve them indefinitely.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Antique Postcards©
by Susan Brown Nicholson
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Photograph and Printed
Postcard Terms
Albumen Print - An image printed on paper using egg albumen (the white of an egg) mixed along with whey (derived from curdled milk). The albumen and whey is boiled, filtered, and then mixed with grains of iodide potassium. These prints usually show a brown, yellow, or purple tone. Almost all albumen prints are done on very thin paper and then mounted to cardboard. This process was very common in the last half of the 19th century and was used most on cabinet cards.
Album Marks - Discoloration or heavy indentations on the corners of the cards from the acid, leaching out of the antique album pages, or from weight.
Archival - Any museum quality material that will protect postcards for extended periods of time.
Artist Signed - Any postcard that has a printed signature of the illustrator. This does not mean that the postcard artist autographed the card, although examples do exist. If the publisher has printed a byline clearly identifying who did the work, the card is considered artist signed.
Cabinet Card - A simple term used to describe a print, usually an albumen print that is no more than 6inches, (unless it is an imperial cabinet card) that is mounted upon period cardboard. This was the most common way to display portraits in the 19th century.
Carte-De-Visite (cdv) - An albumen print upon a cardboard mount with dimensions no more than 5inches mostly used as a visiting card.
Collodin Prints & Gelatin Silver Printing Out Print - These are two different types of processes, but the finished product looks almost identical and is very difficult to tell apart. They look similar to albumen prints, but the paper isn't quite as thin as the paper used in a albumen printing and they do not need to be mounted as do albumen prints. These two processes were used widely in the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods. This process on most cards is simply stated as a Gelatin Silver Print.
Chrome - Any card after 1939 with a shiny paper surface. The term is derived from Kodachrome. These are modern glossy cards and are most prevalent among traders. They are the most common type of card you will find on postcard racks today. Chrome refers to a process used to make the cards. The chrome cards were first published in the 1950's and continue to be published today.
Composite - This is a photograph with two separate images printed on the same photo paper.
Condition - Refers to the physical condition of the postcard. Terms used are Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.
Crazing - These are the tiny cracks and fractures you many times see in the emulsion or the top layer of a card.
Deckled-Edge - A jagged edge designed around the photograph, most popular from the 1930s-1950s.
Deltiology - This is the study of postcards; the person doing the research, a deltiologist. Randall Rhodes of Ashland, Ohio, first used the term. It means (from the Greek) the science or study (logos) of small pictures or cards (deltion).
Die Cut - Any paper cut by the publisher into a shape other than a rectangle, such as the shape of an angel, Santa, or animal.
Die Cut Hold to Light - A hold to light (HTL) postcard that transforms from day to night when a bright light shows through the tiny holes cut on the surface of the card.
Divided Back - A postcard back with a center line to divide the address from the message. Divided backs appeared in 1902 in England, 1904 in France, 1905 in Germany, and 1907 in the US. This helps to date unused postcards. Cards before these dates have undivided backs.
Edwardian - The period during which King Edward VII reigned, from 1901 until his death in 1910.
Embossed - Postcards that have designs slightly raised above the card's surface. Heavily embossed postcards have almost a papier-mache style, that stands greatly above the surface.
Emulsion - The photosensitive coating, usually of silver halide grains in a thin gelatin layer, on photographic film, paper, or glass.
Ephemera - Any printed or hand written item normally discarded after its intended use such as calendars, postcards, tradecards, and valentines.
Foxing - Brown spots of mildew in the paper's surface that is actually a fungus. These spots of mildew, penetrating the paper, cannot be removed by erasing but may occasionally by removed by bleaching.
Gelatin - A card with a varnish-like coating producing a glossy surface. The surface usually cracks or shatters.
Gelatin Silver Developing Out (Silver Print) - This process is still in used today. It began to be used sometime in the 1870's. It is a common and visually appealing way to print images. With age, the silver in dark areas of the print is often visible at certain light angles, especially if the photograph recto has been in contact with paper. Silver prints that have been stored face to face (emulsion touching emulsion) will often show little or no signs of silvering.
Gelatin Silver Printing Out Print & Collodin Prints - These are two different types of processes, but the finished product looks almost identical and is very difficult to tell apart. They look similar to albumen prints, but the paper isn't quite as thin as the paper used in a albumen printing and they do not need to be mounted as do albumen prints. These two processes were used widely in the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods. This process on most cards is simply stated as a Gelatin Silver Print.
Golden Age of Postcards - From 1898 to 1918.
Government Postal - A postcard that has a preprinted stamp on the back. The government postal office issues these postcards and publishers use them to print designs and advertising messages. They were especially used before the Act of Congress 1898.
Hold to Light - Any postcard that creates a different image if held to the light. Some are as simple as day to night, others as complicated as Winter to Summer. There are die cut hold to lights and transparencies.
Installment - A series of postcards designed to be sent one a day. The completed set forms one picture. Some installments are vertical, such as an Uncle Sam figure; others form horizontal, such as a running horse.
Linen - Postcards published in the late 20s through 50s, using a textured paper with a cross hatched surface. These are antique, non-glossy postcards. The surface resembles linen fabric. The paper they are printed on tends to yellow somewhat with age. The cards romaticized the images of gas stations, diners, hotels and other commercial buildings. Using the photographic image of an establishment, all undesirable features, such as telephone poles, junk yards, background clutter, and sometimes even cars and people were removed by air brushing. Most of these cards were printed in the US by the Asheville Postcard Co. and can only be found in a smaller regular size.
Mechanical - Postcards that have moving parts. It may be simple as a die cut top revealing a different idea of the previous image when opened. It could be as complicated as pulling a tab for a curtain to move and totally change pictures. Some mechanicals have wheels that change the faces on a body or dates on a calendar.
Miniature - Postcards done as a novelty during the Golden Age. They were about 1/2 the size of the standard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch postcards. They have stamp boxes and are often postally used. The most desirable are those by the Scandinavian artists or publisher John Winsch.
Novelty - These cards include mechanicals and cards that have item attached, such as bags of salt, real hair, metal medallions, paper applique, silk, or even pennies. Some novelty cards are die cut shapes or have holes in which fingers can be inserted to make the postcard figures appear to have real arms, legs, or even a nose.
Oilette - A term used by Raphael Tuck and Sons of England to refer to a particular style of postcard production. The oilettes often looked like oil painting, with noticeable brush strokes.
Over Sized - The standard postcard size during the Golden Age was 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches; the standard modern postcard size is 4 by 6 inches. Any card larger than these sizes is considered oversized. Modern postcards are often called continentals.
Pioneers - Postcards issued before the Act of Congress in 1898. They carry instructions on the back, such as, "Write the address only on this side - the message on the other, or Nothing but address can be placed on this side, or This side for address only".
Platinum Print - Invented in the 1870's it was used for its fine detail and soft gray tones. This process uses a combination of platinum and iron salts for printing. Many early 20th century artists' works were done using this process and is also found in photography. By the 1930's this process fell out of favor and even prints during its prime period of use are hard to find.
Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) - Poly Vinyl Chloride, polymers derived from vinyl chloride used to make plastic pages and sleeves. These can cause damage to postcards over time.
Postcard - A card specifically made with the intention that it could be used by itself as a mailed message or souvenir.
Private Postal - Postcards produced, not by the government, but by private business or publishers.
Puzzle Cards - A European term for installments. In America, it refers to hidden picture cards, jigsaw puzzle cards, rebus cards, or anything that is a puzzle to solve.
PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride - Poly Vinyl Chloride, polymers derived from vinyl chloride used to make plastic pages and sleeves. These can cause damage to postcards over time.
Real Photo Postcard - A term coined to distinguish between commercially printed photographic images and an actual photograph printed on photograph paper with a preprinted postcard back. Real photo cards are more desirable than commercially printed postcards. Most real photos are one of a kind, while commercially printed photographs were produced in large quantity.
Rebus - A puzzle postcard on which words, phrases, or sentences are represented by pictures of objects and signs, the names of which, when sounded in sequence afford the solution.
Recto - The front side or face of the photograph where the image appears.
Sepia - A dark brown color applied to photographs or other prints. Inky secretions of the cuttlefish produce this coloration.
Series - Groups of postcards that belong together in a collection. The individual cards may or may not have been printed at the same time. More than just a common topic, a series has a common artist and publisher.
Sets - Postcards published in a group of 4, 6, 7, 8, or 12. These were sold in packets or individually. Examples are: days of the week or months of the year.
Silk - Postcards where silk fabric is applied to the design, or the total image is printed on silk fabric, then attached to a postcard back.
Silvering - A degeneration in gelatin silver prints where the silver salts have come to the surface which is usually the result of paper contacting the emulsion.
Topics - Postcards that are not views, but are of subjects such as baseball, kites, cats, and golf.
Tradecards - Advertising cards issued before 1900. Store keepers gave then away in products or with the purchase of a product. They were very popular before the postcard and were often times glued into large scrap books with other die cut scrap.
Transparency - A type of Hold to Light postcard that creates its transformation with many thin layers of paper. A total change in image is caused by strong light behind the postcard. There are no die cut holes in the surface to achieve this transformation.
Undivided Back - A postcard back without a dividing line to separate the message from the address. Undivided backs on postcards help date the cards (see divided back).
Vernacular Photographs - Photographs taken by unknown and anonymous photographers without manipulation of the finished image whose happy accidents and successful failures resulted in surprising and tantalizing works of art.
Verso - The reverse side of the photograph.
Victorian - The period during which Queen Victoria I reigned, from 1837 until her death in 1901.
View Cards - Postcards that feature cities and places within cities, such as parks, main streets, depots, store fronts, bridges, and roads. They are not topics such as Halloween, cats, or Clapsaddle.
Vintage Photograph - A vintage photograph is a photograph that was made around the same time as the negative was made. Example: If a picture was taken in 1903 and the image was then printed in 1903, then that photograph would be a vintage one. If the same image was printed again in 1956, instead of 1903, that photograph would not be vintage, but would be marked as "printed later."
White Border Postcards - These cards were printed in the early 20th century before the linen postcards and were in regular size only. They were made up until the 1930's. White border cards are easily recognized due to the white border, unclear view and were not printed on linen like paper. Most of the time they will have a stamp box that reads "Place once cent stamp here". This type of card is becoming increasing rare and are almost always used.
Postcard Sizes and Types
Sizes
Continental size: 4X6 inches (15 cm X 10.5 cm) Many of the new cards you purchase today are of this size.
Regular (or Standard) size: 3 1/2 X 5 1/2 (9 cm X 14 cm) Many of the older cards are of this size.
Oversized: Anything larger than a continental size. Mostly 5X7 inches, but some can be found in larger sizes. Although this size of cards is popular with postcard companies and tourists, many collectors do not want them because they are more expensive, not easily filed, cost more to mail, and harder to trade with others. The advantage is of course the more detailed view of the scenes shown on the cards.
Modern size: These are about 6 1/2 X 4 3/4 inches. They are often classified as a smaller type of oversized card.
Postcard Types
View Cards
View cards have, since postcards began, been the mainstay of the collecting field. People have long collected and traded cards of their home towns and places they have visited. View cards offer historic reference to buildings, streets, and even towns which may no longer exist or that have changed significantly over time. Even views produced in the photochrome (chrome) era may no longer look the same. The earliest cards offer much in the social history of the times as we look at early forms of travel and the beginnings of telegraph, telephone and power lines. The messages written on the cards often give us insight as to the picture shown or the sentiments of the day.
Greeting Cards
The greeting card is almost as basic as the view card in the earlier eras, though as the time graph has shown, its popularity declined in later era's. Christmas, Easter, Birthdays and most other holidays and special occasions were well represented and are fairly common. However some greetings such as the "Labor Day" cards, are considered scarce. Today most collectors choose a topic within a specific holiday in order to limit their searches. For example some choose Christmas cards depicting Santa in green robes only. Early greeting cards are some of the most beautiful cards every printed. Publishers competing for sales, printed cards using intricate embossing techniques, high caliber art work, superior inks, expensive lithographic processes and even novelty additions such as glitter, ribbons, metal, silk and feathers.
Historical Cards
Historical cards are printed to commemorate events such as war, social problems, expositions, parades, coronations, politics and so on. These cards offer much to the serious collector in the way of increased value. This is a wide open field with much to offer anyone interested in twentieth century history. Often this type of card was made of a real photograph with few copies being offered for sale. This is especially true of disaster cards depicting floods, fires, wrecks, etc. Often the historical significance of a card comes form the message written by the sender.
Art Cards
The art card is probably the most important category in antique postcards. Unlike the view or greeting card, most art cards were special interest cards when they were printed and in most cases brought a much higher price. This rarity, combined with the skill of the artist of this period, make these cards very popular among collectors today. To better understand this popularity, think of these cards as 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" original high quality prints, which they are, instead of as postcards. No where in the world of art, does such quality material exist at such low prices. The postcard market, in the first decade of this century, was a very large business. Over $200,000,000 in pre-inflation dollars! This booming market drew the very best artists of the period, creating a wealth of quality material unmatched in the art world. Also at this time, some German publishers produced a series of "Old Master" art reproductions, the card's intensity and depth of color is without parallel as they spared no expense in printing the best.
Photographic Cards
Coming into their own recognition as art cards are the fantastic photographic art cards. These real photo art studies of beautiful women, children, lovers, etc., are often hand tinted in great detail and in colors which almost defy description. Also made popular were the photomontage techniques which allows photos to be altered into original art creations.
Sources: The Encyclopedia of Antique Postcards©
by Susan Brown Nicholson
Modern Photography
Postcard Collecting
Picture Postcards – an Introduction
by Sylvia Jones
At a time when live TV allows fans all over the world to see the World Cup as it happens, its worth considering how different life would be if the only way we could convey information was by written description. The introduction of picture postcards (1894 in Britain) suddenly allowing people to send a picture of their home town, holiday destination or local event, must have been an exciting development, so its not surprising that people wanted to keep a collection of postcards from the outset.
In the days before stamp and postcard fairs, collectors were limited to buying cards locally and sending them to friends, who (hopefully) sent one back . A common message was “Another one for your collection”. Below is an early card, postally used in 1901, on which the correspondent lists contacts all over the world who will exchange postcards.
At that stage, the writing had to go on the front of the card so a smaller picture, called a vignette, was used. The back of the card was used only for the address, and is commonly called an ‘undivided back’. Around 1903-4, messages were allowed on the reverse so the backs became divided (message and address).
What to collect can be divided roughly into two categories.
a) Subject Cards - such as animals, children, comic, exhibitions, glamour, greetings, military, railways, royalty, shipping, sport, theatre and entertainment. However, collectors seem to be thinking up new topics all the time. There's nothing to stop you looking for and putting together a collection of postcards showing anything from aeroplanes to zoos, boating lakes to yacht racing. Below is a favourite fairy postcard by Thomas Maybank.
b) Topographic cards - views of places, buildings and events. These fall into 2 broad categories:
i) Real Photographic types - generally the most valuable. Those produced by small local publishers are scarcer and more expensive than the ones produced in greater numbers by the national publishers, such as Valentines, Judges and Walter Scott. They are usually glossy in appearance and black/white or sepia/white (coloured cards are normally printed).
ii) Printed types. Mass produced copies from a photographic original. These are usually matt in appearance, the image isn't as sharp, and they are more common.
For town views, the more 'animated', with people and vehicles and interesting things going on, the better. If the view is a tourist or seaside spot, it is likely to be common.
To illustrate this, I have used 4 'local' (to me) cards.
The first is a coloured printed card of Brierfield Centre 1905, published by Hartmann (a National publisher). Brierfield is not a tourist spot and this card would have been produced for the local inhabitants.
The second is the original photograph, by a local photographer, from which the first was printed, and is therefore much scarcer.
In the second group, the first is a nice animated street scene of Albert Road, Colne by a local publisher, but printed. The second is an RP of the Market place in Brierfield by a local photographer.
There is some overlap – a person collecting topo cards of a town would want postcards of its railway station, sports teams and post office, but these might equally be sought after by collectors of these things as subjects.
Further complication comes in the choice of what to collect – e.g. one person may prefer photographic cards of cats, another may prefer artist drawn, perhaps specialising in one artist such as Louis Wain (one of the most loved and collected of all artists).
Topographic views can also be artist drawn; a collector may decide to specialise in an artist such as A.R. Quinton who painted many scenic views.
Another choice is whether to collect used or unused. For topo collectors, a postmark helps date the view, and the message may give an interesting insight into life at that time, or an eye-witness account of a disaster shown. On the other hand, going through the postal system can cause defects – creases, heavy postmarks etc, and some collectors, particularly of artist drawn cards, like them to be in pristine condition.
Age of cards. Non collectors instinctively assume that older means rarer, but postcard production, and sending, reached its peak during the ‘Golden Age’ of postcards (approx 1902-14), and a collector may find it relatively easy to find cards from that era. There is a growing trend for topo collectors to want ‘All Periods’, so that they can follow changes, as a town has developed, right up to the present. Subject and artist collectors may be more confined by the period during which their sort of card was produced e.g. suffragette comics reached their sell-by date when women were granted the vote, and patriotic embroidered silks were largely only a feature of WWI; whereas some subjects, like hovercraft or Prince William, can clearly only be found on modern cards.
Tips for new collectors
Please don’t stick cards down with glue or sellotape, or put them in the photo albums with sticky pages. Invest in a album with pockets to slide cards in and out of, or put cards in individual plastic sleeves and file in a box.
Exposure to light causes fading. Older photographic cards, in particular, can be quickly ruined by sunlight, so framing cards to hang on the wall is not a good idea
Look out for free advertising cards to supplement a modern collection
Literature: An IPM Postcard catalogue for older cards is a good guide to price trends and also the terminology, but better cards are going up all the time. ‘Shop around’ to get a feel for the going rate for your chosen area/subject/artist
Tourist spots, like Shakespeare’s birthplace, cathedrals, stately homes and holiday resorts are still plentiful and may be found in ‘cheap boxes’
There is a Collect Moderns Catalogue which deals with cards from 50’s onwards
Picture Postcard Monthly is the best postcard magazine, covering old and modern. Its website is www.postcard.co.uk/ppm . The same people also produce an annual which lists dealers, shops and fairs.
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