Friday, April 15, 2011

Frank W. Swallow - Man of Many Talents

Many of the postcards that you will find in this collection were printed by Frank W. Swallow. A businessman from Exeter, New Hampshire, Swallow was involved in multiple projects in the area including selling wholesale crockery for Mitchell Woodbury and Company, partnering with Herbert F. Dunn in a real estate development firm called Exeter Park Land Company, and working as an automobile salesman. Printing local postcards was the last enterprise he was involved with. It enabled him to combine his love of travel, autos, and sales.

Swallow traveled throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont and took all his own photographs for the postcards. Then, he started a small business colorizing them. For this, he hired women aptly called the "Swallow Girls" to colorize the images he took. The business,located at 40 Lincoln Street in Exeter, counted Eva and Christine Button along with Lucy Boswell among the painters.

Source: Merrill, Nancy Carnegie. (1988) Exeter New Hampshire 1888-1988. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Peter E. Randall Publisher. Derry Public Library Historical Collection. HIST COLL 974.26 men