Tuesday, April 14, 2099

An Introduction to Historic Postcards

Picture postcards came into being at Chicago’s Colombian Exposition in May 1893 where they were printed and purchased by attendees as proof that they had actually been there. Following their success, on 19 May 1898 the government gave private printers permission to print and sell postcards. These are easily identified by the "Private Mailing Card" inscription on them.

On 24 December 1901, permission was given to use the wording "Post Card" on the backs of privately printed cards. These cards were to only have the address on the back and the message was to be on the picture side. By 1 March 1907, the back of the card was divided so that both the address and the message could occupy it. The front of these cards was filled with a color image with no white border.

The first World War ended imports from Germany of colorized postcards and US publishers began printing them. They are easily identified by a colorized image with a white border around them. Fortunately, American printing techniques improved and as a result,starting in 1930 so did the cards themselves.

These historic postcards of Derry, New Hampshire were provided in part by the Museum of Derry History's collection and the collection at the Derry Public Library.

(Source: Mashburn, J.L. (2001) The postcard price guide: a comprehensive reference. 4th ed. Enka, NC: Colonial House.)