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Slide 1: Images of War: The Picture Postcard as a Reflection of War and Patriotism in Popular Culture Sara Anne Hook, M.B.A., J.D. IU School of Informatics, IUPUI Great Lakes History Conference October 20, 2006
Slide 2: Brief History of Postcards Although the picture postcard seems like an ordinary and ubiquitous item in 2006, it was a revolutionary concept when it was first introduced in the 1860s. Most sources confirm that the world’s first government postal card was successfully introduced in Austria on October 1, 1869, by Dr. Emanuel Herrmann, although there were many attempts to develop such an item before that time. In 1861, a copyright was issued to John P. Charlton of Pennsylvania for a private mailing card. The demand for an easy and inexpensive means to communicate became clear, with nearly 3,000,000 cards sold in Austria-Hungary during the first three months after they were made available. England adopted the postcard in October 1870. The U.S. rejected the idea in 1870, but embraced it in May 1873 – 60 million cards were sold in the last six months of 1873.
Slide 3: History, cont. These postcards were plain – the regulations dictated that one side was for the address only and the other side was for the message. In the 1890s, small pictures began to encroach more and more into the message area, often with multiple views of a place and the words “Gruss aus” (Greetings from). In January 1902, the British Post Office made a major modification to postcards, splitting one side in half to allow the address and message to be on the same side, thus leaving one whole side for images. Other countries adopted this new format – the U.S. was a latecomer again, approving the format in 1907. The postage required to mail a postcard was 1 cent.
Slide 4: History, cont. The golden age of postcards is considered to be the time period from 1898 to 1918, although postcards continue to be produced and used today. There “real photo” postcards that depicted actual people, places and events. The more interesting and meaningful postcards from a popular culture standpoint are those that are hand-drawn or hand-painted. These postcards are beautifully rendered and feature designs that are melancholy to comical. Postcards have filled a variety of roles during the 20th century – their use, subject matter, personal messages and production methods provide an interesting and often poignant source of information on society and culture. In the early 1900s, everyone had a postcard album handy and on display for visitors – postcards were used as souvenirs and remembrances and were often sold as sets. They were also used to send quick messages about daily plans and events. Yet many sources indicate that postcards remain an underutilized resource for historical research.
Slide 5: War and Patriotism Postcards of soldiers marching and in battle and of their loved ones left behind engender a variety of responses from sadness to pride. Often these postcards use animals in place of humans in a way that softens the reality of difficult themes such as danger and loneliness. The colorful and detailed images on these postcards provide a unique window into a country’s perceptions of war and patriotism throughout the 20th century. This presentation will consider how postcards, particularly postcards from the early 1900s, can offer fresh perspectives on war and patriotism in American society. The presenter is a postcard collector – a deltiologist. Deltiology has been characterized as the third largest collectable hobby in the world. The presentation includes examples of postcards from her collection as well as postcards from dealers and collectors and postcards featured in journal articles and the Indianapolis Postcard Club Newsletter, Summer 2006.
Slide 6: Here is an example of a “real photo” postcard. Military parade through downtown Indianapolis
Slide 7: Another “real photo” postcard. In recognition of Marion County’s (Indiana) $6,000,000 war savings subscription a 7,000 ton ship will be named Indianapolis by U.S. Shipping Board. July 4, 1918. Taken on Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis.
Slide 8: Collectors also divide postcards into two categories: – Views, which are depictions of actual people, places and events and could be either real photo or hand-painted or hand-drawn Postcard used in 1913
Slide 9: Sent to Miss Pauline Commerford, Marietta, Georgia. Postmark 1912. “Met Nancy Reynolds in front of Treasury the other day. Had quite a chat with her. Went by your old hanging out place on E Street.” Leon Soldiers’ Home, Washington, D.C. There was also an element of civic pride and community booster-ism in postcards from the early 1900s.
Slide 10: To Miss Roseanna Dane, Park Street, Palmer, Mass. Postmark 1917. “Again I want to thank for the things you kindly sent to me. It is great to feel that others besides your own folks think of you.” Leslie Post Hospital, Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont Notice the beautiful building and grounds.
Slide 11: And Topics postcards, such as holidays, advertising or political or organized by publisher. This National Art Company series by Samuel L. Schmucker (1879-1921) depicts a soldier’s enthusiasm for letters from home. These postcards were some of Schmucker’s last work before his death in 1921. (Nicholson, page 185)
Slide 12: Another Schmucker card. Schmucker worked under contract for Detroit Publishing Company, which published color postcards from about 1900 to 1930. His oneof-a-kind paintings are the artwork from which the postcards were reproduced. Recent auction figures: Circa 1900 image of a nude and satyr: sold for $12,925. Others brought between $3,395 and $5,170.
Slide 13: Here is one of my favorite postcards – soldiers longing for home and family – sharing a moment of fellowship with music, a pipe and a warm fire. Note the message on the front.
Slide 14: This is a particularly poignant postcard – depicting both wartime and the tender sentiments of missing someone. “I miss you” and “The days are lonely without you.” “Patriotism during World War I was on everybody’s mind. Sometimes a picture postcard can also express many aspects of patriotism and when combined make for a rather nice item of postal usage as well.” Fricke
Slide 15: Tartan or “clan” postcards are very popular. Here are two proud Gordon Highlanders in full regalia – with drum and trombone. I always enjoy meeting other deltiologists and hearing about their collecting interests. There are two big farmers who come to postcard shows dressed in bib overalls. They collect clan postcards. Like me, they are looking for a card for Clan Wilson, so I have to get there early!
Slide 16: Postmark 1909. Cats, dogs and other animals engaged in human activities are very common. Often, these scenes are less disturbing when depicted using animals. This postcard features two dogs firing a cannon.
Slide 17: Here we have postcard depicting an army of animals of all kinds going into battle. It seems to soften, and even make comical, the idea of war. Notice the brightly colored flag, costumes and weapons, with someone’s hat on a tall pole.
Slide 18: Here is another postcard of cats engaged in furious fighting- choking, punching, flailing with a riding crop – a grim rooftop scene with chimneys and black smoke. Postcard used 1911 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Slide 19: Unfortunately, in actual battles, animals suffer as well – here is a heart-wrenching scene of a soldier comforting his dying horse as his comrades urge him to follow them. The caption reads “Good Bye, Old Man.”
Slide 20: A happier scene, with children enjoying a Thanksgiving feast with an eagle in a fine jacket and a flower on his lapel. The eagle is preparing to carve the turkey. The children have a sword and a rifle. An interesting mix of patriotism with another holiday.1908
Slide 21: Postcards with musical notation and lyrics are very popular, especially those with military themes. Note the marching regiment, bugle, sword, flag, trumpet and drum. Song is Marching through Georgia. Postmark 1912.
Slide 22: Another patriotic postcard with sheet music and lyrics to the song Yankee Doodle. Fife and drum with flag and liberty bell. Vague images of regiment in background. Postmarked 1911, To Florence Donahue, New York: “I thought that I would write you a few lines telling you that we are all well and hope you all are the same. Well, goodby from Pearl Hinman (or Hinmam). Answer soon”
Slide 23: The reverse is marked “XmasSanta Claus series.” Postmarked December 21, 1911, it made its way from one Pennsylvania town to another, finding “Master Dean Shenton” as the recipient. According to Wiggens, “numerous American cards wrapped patriotism and Christmas sentiment into one tidy greeting.”
Slide 24: “A loving Christmas and a happy New year in the Loving wish of your Auntie.” Sent to Robert May. This postcard also mixes the theme of patriotism with the Christmas holiday. Note the dog’s flag, sword and hat with the holly decoration.
Slide 25: There is a whole series of postcards depicting military personnel with Christmas themes. The soldier gazes longingly at the image of home framed in the wreath flanked by shields of red, white and blue and ribbons. The caption evokes a patriotic theme – “Instead of golden gifts I send Emblems fair – red, white and blue.”
Slide 26: Another postcard – the peaceful, snow-covered town bordered by wreaths on each side – a soldier writes to his son to wish him a Merry Christmas.
Slide 27: Another interesting type of postcard in the theme of war and patriotism are those that depict America’s military might – in terms of its power in the air
Slide 28: U.S. Air Corps – this is a particularly interesting postcard because of the variety of airplanes shown on the airfield as well as in flight and the detail and colors. Part of the base and the airmen can be seen in the center.
Slide 29: Its troops – here in this postcard, a large group of airmen, mechanics and officers are checking and servicing military plane. Caption is “Learning the Ropes.”
Slide 30: Taking the shores. Signed Rosenberg, 1917. Published by Stockinger, New York City.
Slide 31: And its power at sea. U.S. Armored Cruiser Maryland
Slide 32: U.S.S. Battleship Kansas
Slide 33: "The Marine of U.S.A." In New York harbor. The detail in this postcard is noteworthy. Notice the beautiful flags, the smokestacks and the officers with binoculars, with the Statute of Liberty in the background. Published by Kunzli Brothers, Zurich, Switzerland, circa 1898.
Slide 34: Comical postcards abound, making light of the danger of war as well as requesting letters from home.
Slide 35: These postcards also make fun of the realities of military life, whether discipline, routine, food, accommodations, boredom or dissatisfaction with the officers.
Slide 36: A comical postcard showing officers attempting to deal with homesickness. Here a solder’s bed is surrounded by images of home, including a banner from Yale.
Slide 37: Early 20th century postcards manufactured for the Fourth of July were very popular. Thousands of colorful cards featured such themes as Uncle Sam, the Goddess of Liberty, eagles, cannons, flags, liberty bells, fireworks, the Statue of Liberty, Native Americans, Revolutionary War figures, nautical subjects and the nation’s founders. Heinz.
Slide 38: Here is a lovely postcard with a fife and drum with soldiers carrying swords and rifles. The caption reads “The Spirit of ’76.” Used 1908 “I began to specialize in pre-1920 patriotic postcards that celebrated Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, Memorial Day and the Fourth.” Ginsberg
Slide 39: A bold and stylized design on this postcard – an eagle on a shield with red, white and blue ribbons and a border of stars. The caption reads “Liberty and Union Now and forever.” Used 1911 The Hoover Institution Archives has a collection of 12,000 World War I era postcards.
Slide 40: Propaganda postcards were common – here Washington is depicted reading the Constitution to George the 3rd before blasting him into space tied to a rocket. 1908
Slide 41: The caption on this postcard reads “Uncle Sam’s Birthday – this delightful postcard depicts a joyful Uncle Sam dancing with a flag on top of a globe. There is a certain unflinching optimism in this postcard. “Of them all, I found the cards created in honor of Independence Day most full of inventive wit and lively color.” Ginsberg
Slide 42: This postcard is particularly lovely, with the capital building in the background and the wreaths and ribbons. Note the automobile. 1909 “The author uses two specific postcards to show how an artist’s patriotic sketch, once it is widely distributed in postcard format, becomes an icon of sorts, whose meaning is easily manipulated and even inverted in times of social upheaval.” Danielson
Slide 43: Postcards memorializing or celebrating important military and wartime events were also available. This postcard features the Liberty Lady with the coat of arms by the memorial for the USS Maine, sunk at the beginning of the Spanish-American War. Used 1898 Topeka, Kansas, with postage due.
Slide 44: U. S. Monitor “Terror” - 3990 Disp., 12 Knots. Published by E. C. Kropp, Milwaukee. On the left is an eagle, shield and flags with the caption “Remember the Maine!”
Slide 45: Conclusion “Antique postcards reflect the past; modern postcards contemporary times. Cards tell us of the social climate of whatever era with examine, whether it is the suffrage movement of the early 1900s or the Equal Rights Amendment of the 1980s. They tell us about a disappearing past, like houses decorated from gutter to ground for Flag Day, steam train travel, and farming with horse drawn plows. Collecting scenic postcards saves a piece of what existed before the flood, fire or wrecking ball took its toll.” Nicholson Postcards are a rich yet underutilized primary resource for historical research. The colorful and detailed images on postcards provide a unique window into a country’s perceptions of war and patriotism throughout the 20th century. Postcards, particularly postcards from the early 1900s, offer fresh perspectives on war and patriotism in American society.
Slide 46: Bibliography Adam, A. Urban histories: 3 for $0.25. Historic Preservation 29(3):28-31, 1977. Bailey, S.S. A brief history of postcard collecting. Piecework 6(6):14, November/December 1998. Ballon, M. Wish you were here: collecting postcards is a low-budget way to satisfy your collectomania. Forbes 154(12):220-221, November 21, 1994. Brady, T.J. Postcards and history. History Today [Great Britain] 19(12):848855, 1969. Brief History of Postcards, A. http://shilohpostcards.com/webdoc2.htm, accessed on October 4, 2006. Danielson, E.S. Patriotic and profitable: the World War I postcards in the Hoover Institution Archives. Popular Culture in Libraries 3(2):95-107, 1995.
Slide 47: Bibliography, cont. Finlay, I.F. Deltiology delights and disappointments. Historian [Great Britain] 3:15-18, 1984. Freyschlag, E.K. Picture postcards: organizing a collection. Special Libraries 71(5-6):258-264, 1980. Fricke, C.A. A picture postcard with patriotic reflections from World War I. Mekeel’s & Stamps Magazine 190(11):12, March 15, 2002. Fricke, C.A. The U.S.S. Dixie: a tale of two picture postcards. Mekeel’s & Stamps Magazine 192(20):16, May 16, 2003. Gibson, J.T. Story of postcards goes back a century. Smithsonian 5(1):66-72, 1974. Ginsberg, H. Siss! boom! bah! Postcards from a patriotic past. Smithsonian 25(4):34-37, July 1994. Heintze, J.R. Fourth of July Postcards. http:// gurukul.american.edu/heintze/postcards.htm
Slide 48: Bibliography, cont. Hook, S.A. Preserving the history of musical instruments through deltiology. Newsletter of the American Musical Instrument Society 33(1):9-10, Spring 2004. Hook, S.A. You’ve got mail: hospital postcards as a reflection of health care in the early twentieth century. Journal of the Medical Library Association 93(3):383-393, July 2005. Keetz, F. Nostalgia, history and postcards. Social Education 40(1):19-25, 1976. Morgan, H. Prairie Fires and Paper Moons: The American Photographic Postcard, 1900-1920. Boston: D.R. Godine, 1981. Nicholson, S.B. The Encyclopedia of Antique Postcards. Radnor, PA: Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 1994. Postcards remain popular collecting category due to nostalgia factor. Antique Week, August 7, 2006, p. 20. Ruby, J. Images of rural America: view photographs and picture postcards. History of Photography 12(4):327-343, October-December 1988.
Slide 49: Bibliography, cont. Staff, F. The Picture Postcard and Its Origins. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1966. Verbeten, S. Jackson’s stuns again with postcard sale. Antique Week, September 18, 2006, pp. 26-27. Wiggens, P. Santa postcards deliver the magic of Christmas. Antiques & Collecting Magazine 106(10):32-37, December 2001.