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 “Postcards are a unique way to study history,” Baker
said. Postcards not only contain messages, but the cards themselves
tell a story.
Postcards began as a popular way to advertise goods in the
nineteenth century. They were called trade cards, and were a popular
publicity method beginning around the 1870’s. “These cards are
highly collectible,” she said.
It wasn’t until the 1890’s that postcards began to take on the
character that we associate them with today, a way of communication
between family and friends. They became so popular that Congress
passed the postcard act in May of 1898 to create a special part of
the postal service for them. The original cards in the first decade
of the 20th century cost one cent to send. There is still a special
rate today for postcards of $.35 cents.
A card with a
personal note scribbled in the upper right corner. Many of the early
postcards did not have a space for a note on the back. Senders were
only allowed to put the address of the recipient.
Cheryl told a story about how postcards were used in
central Illinois during the early 20th century. She has records of
young residents of Emden taking the passenger train to Green Valley
for work. They would stay for several days. On Friday, they would
send a postcard to their parents in Emden telling them to meet the
train as they were coming home. The card would arrive for the early
mail delivery on Saturday. This was a time before telephones were
common in rural areas. And this was a time when the USPS was much
different from today. “The delivery from Green Valley took one day,
and there were usually two deliveries a day back then,” she said.
Holiday cards were very popular 100 years ago. According to Cheryl
Baker, they are highly sought after by collectors.
The early postcards were much different than the ones
we are used to today. The cards from the 19th century did not have
space for a message. The sender could only print the address of the
recipient on the back of the card. This was common until 1907. Cards
were used to send holiday greetings with an image depicting the
holiday on the card. These were precursors of the fancy cards of
today that are sent in envelopes. “Many of the early holiday cards
are hard to find today and are very collectible, especially
Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day,” said Cheryl Baker.
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Early cards were not just made of paper. There were
aluminum cards, and cards made of wood. Leather was used to make
postcards. During World War I, there was a cottage industry in
Europe making silk cards. They were very popular with US troops as a
way to stay in touch with the relatives back home.
Grocery stores sold postcards in sets. Some of them had partial
lyrics of songs on them. When a set sold out, the next set had the
continuing lyrics on them. Card makers sometimes went door to door
taking photos of families and affixing them to the cards.
Cheryl Baker’s postcard collection continues to grow. She is always
on the lookout for postcard shops and collections that are for sale.
City of Lincoln postcards are high on her search list. “I have found
most of my Lincoln city cards at a shop in Ohio,” she said with a
laugh. Cards are very collectible. “I once found a card I had been
searching for. The price was $500. I just could not pay that,” she
said. A bit of negotiation brought the price within her range.
An early 20th century
postcard with Mr. Lincoln’s famous quote on it.
A humorous postcard
that probably could not be mailed today.
Another early 20th
century humorous card. Many were sold at grocery stores.
Historical documents can take many forms. Cheryl
Baker has found a colorful and fascinating way to document both
local and national history with her postcard collection.
The Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society meets the third
Monday of the month as their research center on Chicago Street in
Lincoln at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend and they always
have an interesting presentation.
[Curtis Fox]
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