Wish You Were Here: Some Brief Notes on the History of Postcards

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Title: Wish You Were Here: Some Brief Notes on the History of Postcards

Description: In the years before the telephone and then the Internet transformed our communication systems, postcards were an efficient and fun way to connect with friends and family. Postcards were not only encouraged while traveling away from home for work or leisure, it was a way to inexpensively send notes to people just to let them know you were thinking about them. Along the way, it became a very important means of communication throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st. This presentation shares the history of the postcard in the United States and beyond, while looking at many examples of the different types that were available to send. We will explore both the images on the front and the messages on the back - a fun way to take yourself back in time for the price of a stamp.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn about the history of postcards
- See examples of postcards through the years
- See examples of the different types of postcards that were produced as printing and photography production changed over the years.
- See the different subjects that adorned the front of postcards.
- See the use of postcards as a communication tool.
Format: In-person or virtual
Length: 60 minutes plus time for questions
Available Now

Program Information
- This Digital Image Program is available originally for libraries, but can be for any interested group (including historical groups, cultural organizations, camera clubs, camera stores, etc.)
- There will not be a charge for Michigan libraries or nonprofits. There may be a modest charge for other groups.
- Available for virtual presentations or in-person if close to Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan area.
- This program is updated regularly to reflect the continually changing landscape for photographic storage.
- If interested - please write Corey at coreyseeman@gmail.com or fill out the form on the Program Booking Information Page.

Please see the Program Calendar for upcoming and completed dates.

Marketing Information:

Brief Description: In the years before the telephone and then the Internet transformed our communication systems, postcards were an efficient and fun way to connect with friends and family. This presentation shares the history of the postcard in the United States and beyond, while looking at many examples of the different types that were available to send.

Resource Links

Postcard History

Wish You Were Here!: The Story of the Golden Age of Picture Postcards in the United States (New York State Library) - https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/qc16510ess
Greetings from the Smithsonian: A Postcard History - https://siarchives.si.edu/history/featured-topics/postcard/postcard-history
Postcards (Postal Museum - UK) - https://www.postalmuseum.org/collections/highlights/postcards/
Stamped Cards and Postcards (USPS) - https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/stamped-cards-and-postcards.pdf
Guide to Dating Curt Teich Postcards (Toronto Postcard Club) - https://torontopostcardclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/Teich-Postcard-Dating-Guide.pdf
Guide to Dating Curt Teich Postcards (Newberry Library) - https://www.newberry.org/uploads/files/Teich_Postcard_Dating_Guide_2016.pdf

Online Collections

Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection (Boston Public Library) - https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/collections/commonwealth:0p096w19r
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection (Boston Public Library) on flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/collections/72157604352556390/
New York Public Library Online Collection - https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/lane/postcards
David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography (includes many RPPC - Real Photo Postcards) - https://quod.lib.umich.edu/t/tinder
Library of Congress - Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division - https://guides.loc.gov/postcards/collections

Fun and Modern Uses

PostSecret - https://postsecret.com/ (From the Wikipedia - "PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren in 2004, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard. Selected secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website, or used for PostSecret's books or museum exhibits.")
Postcrossing - https://www.postcrossing.com/ (One of many postcard sending clubs - "It's a project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world.")
Boring Postcards (facebook group) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1160297384323617

Some Popular Culture Links

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar - The Picture Postcard Matter (October 1st-5th, 1956). These are 15 minute episodes that played on the CBS Radio Network every evening. Before and after these daily episodes, the episodes were 30 minutes and once a week. Johnny Dollar heads to the Alps, looking for a murderer and some lost diamonds. These links are from the Internet Archive.

How to Value & Collect Postcards

What are Picture Postcards Worth (UK) - From Postcard Pages
FAQ/Postcard Basics - From the Toronto Postcard Club
The Ephemera Society of America
Some books on collecting postcards (with links to MeLCat)
- A guide book of collectible postcards / Q. David Bowers and Mary L. Martin. Pelham, AL : Whitman Publishing, LLC, [2020] ISBN - 9780794847371 - Melcat link.
- Postcard collector : greetings from the way we were / Barbara Andrews. Iola, Wis. : Krause Publications, 2012 ISBN 9781440234989 (pbk.) - Melcat link.

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