Category: Vintage Postcards

Please Post, ASAP!

Did you know? October 1 is World Postcard Day! The celebration started in 2019, based on the grand old global pastime of simply staying in touch.

World Postcard Day was designated by Postcrossing as the first of October starting in 2019, including a new postcard design each year. We share a simple mission to keep postcards circulating, and their way of doing it is elegant and efficient. A wonderful illustrated history of the postcard is available to enjoy, as well. To celebrate the day, I’ll be requesting my first address and then happily duty-bound to get a postcard in the mail quickly. Maybe you will, too!

Featured Postcard~ MatToon Memories

Another mention of Mattoon, Illinois. This time, it is 1912, with a typical friendly update, winter weather commiserations, and gifts exchanged.

Dear Carrie, How is this for winter? I’m good and tired of it. Tell the folks I got a basket last Wed that tickled me mightily. Tell Stella, I will redeem my promise this week if this weather continues. I’ll look them up this P.M. & send at once. I’ve been too busy to do anything extra. Hope U are better. I weigh 154 and you will have to hurry or I’ll be way ahead of U. Mayme, March 11.

Front of the card: A delicate bouquet bursts from a pink gathered vase. Pink hyacinths and white lily of the valley dominate the arrangement. The flowers cascade naturally, their stems tied with fabric and matching bow. The text “A Note to you” appears in a blue decorative font at bottom right. Embossed rosettes frame the card in an ornate lace-like border.

Back details: Handwritten script fills the left side. A one-cent green Benjamin Franklin stamp sits in the upper right corner. The postmark reads “Mattoon, IL” with partial date visible, March 11, 1912, and a flag cancellation. The address shows “Mrs. Carrie Fulmer, St. Mary’s, Ind.”

Condition: The card shows minimal wear—crisp embossing, slight foxing, faded cancellation marks, minor corner softening. Colors remain vibrant. No tears or creases mar either side, though there is a minor cancellation mark on the front upper right. Very good condition for its age.

Rarity: This embossed, die-cut postcard represents German lithography’s golden age. Publishers used chromolithography to achieve the rich colors. The deep embossing required specialized presses. Early 1900s embossed postcards survive in quantity, but this example’s condition elevates its value. The Mattoon, IL postmark and readable message add historical context. Not museum-rare, but better than average.

Appeal: Collectors of Victorian and Edwardian ephemera may treasure this piece. Design enthusiasts might enjoy the embossed example. Genealogists ought to enjoy our meanderings through Mattoon and Mayme and Carrie’s perspectives. Botanical art lovers appreciate the detailed floral illustration and coded meanings. Stamp collectors note the Franklin one-cent issue and period-specific cancellations. Vintage greeting card dealers would display this prominently.

Would anyone cut it up to make an art card? Oh, the creative tension between past and future!

art card gallery

The gallery features Landscapes by Larry L’Ecuyer, and the World’s Smallest Artist Retreat (our P.O. Box) is awaiting your art card submission. Details here!

IN STORE! nEW POSTCARD DESIGN!

If you are nearby, come visit our very first postcard display at Tempe Yarn & Fiber. Grateful for the chance to get them out in the world. New designs and online sales coming soon!

In Remembrance

The Posted Past found its merry mission (and so much more) among the postcard albums that lined the office walls of Robert L’Ecuyer.

Postcards often stand in when more elaborate words fail. A passionate love that could barely tumble off the lips, makes itself clear in the symbol of a deep red rose. We are filled with pride, and a giant cheer bursts out of the mailbox just to say congratulations and hurrah! Also, when the sorrow is so deep, a sympathy card avoids the risks of intrusion and protects the sacred quiet that helps us heal.

It’s one of those days here at The Posted Past as we lay to rest Robert L’Ecuyer, our father. His love of travel, passion for genealogy, excellent listening skills, and long memory — combined with a truly epic postcard collection — were the makings of an extraordinary experience over the past few years.

I will write more about his wit and wisdom in the weeks ahead. For tonight, a selection of cards just to hold a space for all the gifts of his life.

A Streetcar Back in Time

Room enough for all of us to go from here to there, and back again.

Featured Postcard~
New Orleans French Market A CENTURY AGO

An early 20th century scenic postcard showcases the iconic French Market in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Front of the card: The photograph shows the vestibule of the historic French Market, featuring tall, weathered French/Creole Colonial columns supporting a slatted roof. Perspective draws the eye down the long corridor, emphasizing the market’s impressive scale. The covered walkway displays produce, baskets, and merchandise on tables and in crates. The image captures a rare moment when the hallway of vendors face the camera. Hand-colored rose tones reflect the market’s timeless atmosphere with pops of green and blue artfully applied. Caption: Vestibule, French Market, New Orleans, La.

Back details: The left panel explains the market’s history:

This card shows the interesting old columns erected, 1822. While the roof of the market has been repaired many times, the old columns have stood as originally put, without fire aid to the injured.

Published by Lipsher Specialty Co., 320 Magazine St., New Orleans. Standard divided back format with decorative script and postage rates listed: Domestic One Cent, Foreign Two Cents.

Historical significance: The postcard documents the French Market’s appearance in the early 20th century. Established in the 1790s, the market served as a vital commercial hub where vendors sold fresh produce and handcrafted goods. Instructions to “Take French Market car from Canal St.” reflects the streetcar system and emphasis on tourism. This postcard dates to 1922-1925, based on combined evidence of one-cent postage, the specific streetcar reference, and hybrid halftone-collotype printing (Aquatone process was patented in 1922).

Condition and Appeal: The card displays excellent color saturation, with clear and interesting details and minimal defects. Tiny nicks on two corners, with yellowing on the reverse typical of age. Image and text provide valuable historical context, appealing to collectors of New Orleans memorabilia, architectural history enthusiasts, and those interested in early 20th century American commerce. The French Market remains active today, making this postcard a fascinating glimpse into its enduring legacy as a cornerstone of New Orleans culture.

Today’s Art Card & Gallery

The gallery features Landscapes by Larry L’Ecuyer, and here is a fun art card from Anne this week. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!


open call for art cards!

The World’s Smallest Artist Retreat (our P.O. Box) is awaiting your art card submission. Details here!

Art card kits ~ gift or fun for you!

Our Art Card Kits are perfectly-packaged as a fun, creative activity for you and a friend to complete in as little as an hour or made into a lovely afternoon.

Something from Nothing

In her latest essay, Anne explains what we’re doing here 🙂

Still in the Ring

Here we go! The Posted Past heads into the fall season with rare cards, a new gallery, and a social mission to trade loneliness for connection.

featured postcard~
rare novelty card still holds a mystery

An early 20th century novelty postcard featuring humorous photography and personal correspondence from Missouri.

Front of the card: The photograph shows a young Black man in white shirt, suspenders, and dark trousers, grinning while holding a large broken umbrella overhead in a playful pose. Below reads the humorous caption “A little disfigured, but still in the ring”—typical novelty humor from the postcard craze era. A black border frames the photograph on cream cardstock.

Back details: The reverse bears “Carbon Photo Series No. 513” identifying the commercial publisher’s series. Addressed to Miss Grace Skillman in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, with a green 1-cent Franklin stamp and clear 1908 postmark. The handwritten message describes an exhausting early morning wait in Lee’s Summit for “Brother and Frank,” and promising a longer letter that evening.

“Still in L.S. haven’t slept but about ten minutes. My eyes looks like two burnt holes in a blanket. Brother and Frank hasn’t come yet. I will wait till 7.30 and then go home. Will write tonight. Just finished my breakfast. I will eat if not sleep. I got here ten till five.

Condition and Appeal: The sepia-toned image displays characteristic early photography with some age spots, and a nicked corner. The image and reverse side remain in good condition with clear photography and legible handwriting. The “Carbon Photo Series” indicates premium production using carbon-based printing methods prized for superior image quality and archival stability. Grace Andre Skillman was born in Pleasant Hill in 1889, making her nineteen when she received this card. The message and the lack of formal salutation and signature suggest this is casual ongoing family correspondence. As a result, the author of the postcard remains a mystery.

Vintage novelty postcards are increasingly collectible, especially numbered commercial series with documented recipients. Collectors of African-Americana may find the image appealing and relatively rare. The combination of carbon printing technology, humorous subject matter, and personal correspondence is of interest to collectors of vintage photography, postcard enthusiasts, genealogy researchers, and those focused on early 20th century American social history and communication.

Introducing~
The Posted Past Art Card Gallery

A selection of Larry L’Ecuyer’s watercolor landscapes are on display in our Online Art Card Gallery. Fitting as our first show. Enjoy!

Watercolor postcard showing a serene lake scene with mountains in the background and tall grasses in the foreground
Countdown to a Lakeside Getaway, 2025, Larry L’Ecuyer, watercolor on postcard

NEWS & UPDATES~
art card call for submissions is open

The World’s Smallest Artist Retreat (our P.O. Box) is awaiting your art card submission. Follow one rule to join the next open show. Details here!

Art card kits now in stock

Our Art Card Kits are perfectly-packaged as a fun, creative activity for you and a friend to complete in as little as an hour or made into a lovely afternoon.

The kit includes two postcard blanks, six vintage finds curated to the chosen theme, and a bundle of collage goodies for your whimsy. There is a free gift inside, too!

Once you’re done, surprise someone with an original art card in their mailbox. Or, send it back to us to include in the next online show. Either way, you’ll have cultivated a little joy in your garden.

Order your kit here 🙂

All of the Above

Words to heed and repeat, and a life’s work to regard.

George Washington Carver Educational Postcard

This vintage educational postcard (likely printed in the mid-1960s) features quotations from agricultural scientist George Washington Carver (1864-1943), displayed on an exhibit at George Washington Carver National Monument. The card presents Carver’s thoughts on success, preparation, and nature alongside his portrait. Carver, born into slavery, became a prominent botanist and inventor who developed hundreds of uses for crops like peanuts and sweet potatoes while teaching at Tuskegee Institute for 47 years.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. — George Washington Carver

The George Washington Carver National Monument, established in 1943 near Diamond, Missouri, was the first U.S. national monument dedicated to an African American. Located at Carver’s birthplace, it preserves his legacy and the 1881 Moses Carver house where he lived as a child. The National Park Service now manages the 240-acre nature preserve and historic site.

To Read More:

• National Park Service – George Washington Carver National Monument: https://www.nps.gov/gwca/

• Tuskegee University Archives – George Washington Carver Collection: https://www.tuskegee.edu/

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History – George Washington Carver: https://americanhistory.si.edu/

• Library of Congress – George Washington Carver: https://www.loc.gov/

• Iowa State University – George Washington Carver Papers: https://www.library.iastate.edu/

Sneak Peek:
Art Card Gallery Launches Next Week

Call for Submissions Open Now!

The summer slow-down is coming to a close, and The Posted Past is launching into a new phase as a social enterprise. On Wednesdays, you’ll still receive a weekly wander through postcard history, along with a new focus on rare cards, and a regular review of the art cards we receive at the World’s Smallest Artist Retreat (our P.O. Box). More inspiration as our circle expands. Wisdom, wisecracks, and butterfly wings. See you in September… next week!

Both/And

Sweet readers, this is your pre-preview of something very fresh, and a long time coming…

Hold a vintage postcard in your hand and flip it front to back.

On the front, usually an idealized world. Sun-drenched beaches, pristine mountain vistas, city streets captured at their most photogenic moments. Designed to say, “Wish you were here!”

Flip it over, and you find something entirely different. The back reveals the personal, the quixotic, sometimes the magically mundane.

“Weather awful, hotel terrible, a bit bothered by a smelly seatmate on the plane, but having a wonderful time anyway.”

Postcards fascinate me precisely because they embody all of life. They’re both public and personal, both idealized and achingly real. They bring the past forward in time, making unexpected connections with family, friends, and special places—revealing who we have been along the way.

On a very old postcard, the handwriting of someone long gone comes alive again right before our eyes. A jotted note gives us a new view into their private world. Their words leap over the decades to reach us. There is a lush creative commons between now and then, a liminal green lawn to lounge on and take in the cool air.

I have lived happily in those in-between spaces for the last few years. Somewhere in the middle of my life and career and enjoying myself in the meantime. Not where I was before, and both curious and terrified about what comes next.

Well friends, like the best summer novel, the plot thickens.

Starting in September, The Posted Past officially launches a new phase as a social enterprise, inspired by the simple truth that we can trade loneliness for connection, one postcard at a time.

We have already done it, friends!

As one of my earliest subscribers, you have enjoyed (I hope!) an essay every Wednesday for the last year. Going forward, you’ll still get those delightful diversions that remind us we are more than we knew. I’ll also offer sneak peeks at rare postcard finds, each one a small treasure with its own story to tell.

Digitally altered watercolor sketch by Anne L'Ecuyer of a red mesa on the back of a postcard with the words 'Hello" and "Yes You!" evocatively placed. A small lemon is painted where a stamp would go. The website www.postedpast.com is printed in the corner.
Old or new, postcards have a job to do.

Along the way, I have fallen in love with making and receiving Art Cards. My brother started mailing the lovely landscape watercolors he does when insomnia strikes. A collage free-for-all at the local gallery had me re-inspired by the ‘ransom note’ style I used to do as a teenager. Blink-blink… I found myself dreaming up fabulous cards to make.

Art cards celebrate the artist in all of us. I particularly love collage and watercolor, but truly an art card can be made with scraps. Sometimes the most satisfying work comes from simple gestures, too. Slow down enough to make something with your hands, and then send it away to make someone’s day.

Coming this fall, The Posted Past will feature an online gallery where you can browse through handmade artwork that has traveled across time and space, carrying all the marks of love, adventure, and everyday life. Call for submissions now open, mail your art card to: The Posted Past, P.O. Box 24431, Tempe, AZ 85285.

Abundance can be overwhelming, and it’s not always easy. Right now, I feel both confident and queasy. But, I’m not alone. Here’s how you can help.

  • Become a paid subscriber—hit the button below to support the effort
  • Pre-order an Art Card Collage Kit (coming soon!) for your own creative fun
  • Make an art card and send it to us—be first in the online gallery show!

Though we revel in real life, the handmade, and the historic, The Posted Past is also meant to be super social. Excuse our dust, and help us get started!

  • Like us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily inspiration
  • Track our growth on LinkedIn as we build momentum
  • Browse the collection of vintage postcards on eBay and follow the store

Both/and. Past and future. Solitude and connection. Cardboard curiosities and some larger-than-life dreams. Thank you for being here together. Keep an eye on your inbox and mailbox—September is full of surprises!

Wise Eyes

Old Rufus Dale had seen a thing or two, and Irene had her suspicions.

An early 20th century real photo postcard (RPPC) showing a poignant intergenerational portrait.

Front of the card: The photograph captures an elderly man with a distinctive long white beard, dressed in a dark suit, seated on a dilapidated wooden loveseat or couch in front of a clapboard house. Beside him sits a young child in a white dress, perched on the arm of the furniture. Behind them a decorative lace curtain hangs outside the open window. The setting appears to be rural America.

Back details: The reverse shows the handwritten inscription in pencil, Uncle Rufus Dale, age 84 and Irene age 4. We can assume a family relationship, likely between grand-uncle and grand-niece.

Condition and Appeal: The real photo postcard is in excellent condition front and back, unposted with helpful writing, and an AZO indicia dating the item between 1904 and 1918. The subject matter and production method suggest this is a unique image and object, with no known duplicate.

RPPCs are quite collectible, especially those with interesting and clear photographic subjects. The rural American family setting, the age gap between subjects, and the excellent condition make this item more desirable, appealing to collectors of early photography, genealogy researchers, postcard collectors, and those interested in American family and social history from the early 1900s.

[Note: Summer focus is on detailed captions. Essays return in September!]

For the Birds

A little bird told me it was time to write…

A vibrant Buff-Bellied Hummingbird hovering near a red tubular flower, showcasing its iridescent green head and back, rusty-orange belly, and needle-like bill in a classic feeding pose.

Detailed illustration of a Ferruginous Hawk perched on a branch, displaying its characteristic rusty-brown and white plumage with distinctive feathered legs and robust build typical of North America’s largest hawk.

Depicts a Gray Jay (now called Canada Jay) perched on a snow-dusted branch with small green lichens, showing its fluffy gray and white plumage, black cap, and compact songbird form.

A pair of Pine Warblers on coniferous branches, displaying their olive-yellow plumage with white wing bars and the subtle dimorphism between the brighter male and more subdued female.

A Cattle Egret in breeding plumage with golden-buff crest and back feathers, bright orange-red bill and legs, posed in the elegant stance typical of these large birds.

A set of five Reader’s Digest Association postcards from their Book of North American Birds series. High-quality illustrations and professional production from the 1970s-1980s era of educational materials. Particularly appealing to birders and natural history enthusiasts. Good condition, unposted with no marks. See photos for actual condition. Vintage items – writing, stains, color changes, and wear are part of charm and provenance.

[Note: Summer focus is on detailed captions. Essays return in September!]

Buy this Postcard!

Silent Stare from Last Century

The news these days deserves a long silent stare. Here is one from a horse. A century or more later… still no.

[Note: Summer focus is on detailed captions. New essays return in September!]

A vintage real photo postcard shows a dappled gray horse standing in a farmyard setting. The well-built animal is wearing a halter and is positioned in profile to show its conformation. A person in a hat and dark clothing stands beside the horse, likely the owner or handler. The American rural backdrop includes wooden farm buildings and bare winter trees. The ground is packed earth typical of a working farm. The photograph has the characteristic appearance of an early 20th century image, with some evidence of a stylized border in the exposure. The postcard is in excellent condition front and back, unposted with no writing, and an AZO indicia dating the item between 1904 and 1918. The subject matter and production method suggest this is a unique image and object, with no known duplicate.

Write to Me

This is my new front door. Think of it as a study, a garden, a music room, and a studio. My aim is to make it the world’s smallest artist’s retreat.

Box #24431 measures only 3 x 5.5 inches. But like the best spaces, it’s about what happens inside. This little metal door represents a vision I have kept tucked away for a very long time.

Make a place where people want to be and become creative.

A place where creative lives unfold slowly, where stories accumulate over time, where the daily practice of writing becomes a way of being present to the world. In other words, I want to make a place for you (and me).

Maybe you have a book in you. Maybe your life feels like a book being written right around you. Maybe what is calling isn’t a workshop or deadline, but simply the habit of putting words on paper and sending them to someone who will read them with care and respond. Sometimes the most important writing happens in the margins of our days, in postcards and texts, in the small mechanics of turning experience into language and expressing it.

I love that place between sending and receiving, writing and reading, and the exchange of thoughts among people. It’s about circulation. Our stories are the lifeblood feeding and fueling our times. Cultural movements are made through the messages exchanged between us, much more than the headlines would have us believe. Word-of-mouth, greeting cards that travel door-to-door, book reviews, weather reports, hotel recommendations, and the whispered news—crossing distances for us, even over generations and through the delicate spaces of relationships as they go.

Writing is a practice. Like meditation, walking, and tending a garden, it is one way we examine our lives unfolding, sentence by sentence, year by year. Every little missive you write becomes part of that practice—a way of paying attention to what matters, of noticing the small moments strung together. Meanings that can be folded up like origami and written in haiku.

What kind of spaces do writers need? Spots to sit comfortably for a while, suitable room temperature, good lighting, and forgiving technology. Writers also lean on insight, desire, intention, or motivation, and before that, a well-worn habit or behavior. The daily practice of showing up to the page, even when the page is just a postcard.

I say, let’s start there. You handle the writing setup and the ideal conditions—I don’t have that kind of room yet! I’m here for the correspondence. Both of us engaged in noticing, finding the words (or not), and reaching out every so often.

Send me a postcard—the older and odd, please! Your card will be added to my collection and I’ll keep your particulars on file. No digital list here, just a vintage recipe card box on my desk where handwriting lives.

And, if you plan to finish that book? Yes, I am prepared to serve as your humble first reader. Use a typewriter or your finest small script, and you may need more than one postcard. Your story (or any moment from it) is welcome here.

Write to me at: The Posted Past, P.O. Box 24431, Tempe, AZ, 85285.

Include your address and I will respond in kind.

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We’re not Luddites 🙂 You can also hit the SUBSCRIBE button on this page to receive The Posted Past every Wednesday in your inbox. Your generosity is the difference between the free and the $5/month options. Thank you! New essays begin in September.