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You've got questions about discovering, preserving and celebrating your family history; our experts have the answers.
Photo Postcards
A: In the late 19th century, the picture postcard became an
inexpensive way to mail images to friends and relatives.
You could purchase postcard views of locations sold by the Detroit
Photographic Company and others or you could request to have your portrait
as a postcard at a local photography studio. The first photo
postcards just had a small strip along the bottom front edge for messages, but
later evolved into the split-back version we are familiar with today
with space for a message and an address. For additional information on
the history of picture postcards, try to locate a copy of George and
Dorothy Ryan's Picture Postcards in the United States, 1893-1918 (Crown,
1976).
—Maureen Taylor
Maureen A. Taylor, owner of Taylor & Strong, combines her background in history, genealogy, photography and library science to assist individuals and institutions with research and project management. She is the author of several genealogical books and articles including Preserving Your Family Photographs and Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs. She also is project manager for BostonFamilyHistory.com, a site that lets visitors plan a genealogical research trip to the Boston area. Pose your questions to our family history experts.
Q. Were some personal photographs printed with a postcard-like back? I am just now going through old photos belonging to my cousin. Many are unidentifiable black-and-white postcards. One postcard, however, my cousin identified as being people he could recognize. This makes me wonder if some of the other unlabeled postcards aren't photographs taken by a relative.
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