By Joan Wettingfeld
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their rounds.”
Though this quote is assumed to be the U.S. Postal Service's official motto, the statement can actually be attributed to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus in 430 B.C. The term “postal service,” such as Persian King Xerxes' mounted messengers, who Herodotus was describing, reminds us that some such service has been used since 2000 B.C.
The need for communication has existed since time immemorial, and people throughout the ages gradually expanded their skills in this area. In earlier civilizations, it was the purview of government officials, military leaders and the upper class. With the Industrial Revolution, however, came changes in mass communication and new means of relaying messages developed.
Up until the mid-19th century, messages were usually sent in sealed letters. In 1865, however, the idea of a postal card had its origin in Germany. Cards soon became useful to the general public, though many decried the lack of privacy the cards promoted. The cards became popular when people realized that they were far less costly than the normal letter rate.
In the United States, the Post Office issued the first “postal card” on May 13, 1873. The term alludes to cards printed and sold by a governmental body when the postage is preprinted on the card itself, whereas the term “postcard” refers to cards privately produced and requiring postage to be affixed.
One day, as I was rummaging through my files in preparation for this column, I came across a bundle of old postcards and paused to read through them. Most had been sent to my husband's mother in the early years of her life, and she obviously treasured them. Collectors today would say that she was wise, but her motive was not to collect. It was to preserve memories and, in a sense, history.
Local postcards appeared to be delivered the very next day. Cards were also received even with vague addresses with no other address other than “Bayside, New York,” for example.
Bayside was a rural village then and everyone knew one another. Cards varied from those sent from out of town to those sent as a short personal message or party invitation. The postage then was 1 cent. Telephones were rare or non-existent, though they had become commercially feasible by 1878.
In 1898, postcard service was initiated. The picture postcard began to be used in the 19th century, but it is difficult to pinpoint its history.
Though the first American picture postcard coincided with the opening of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago on May 1, 1893, John Charlton of Philadelphia is credited with creating the first “private mailing cards.” He later transferred the copyright to H. Lipman and “Lipman Postal Cards,” whose decorative borders with no pictures were popularly used for brief messages.
The “golden age” of the picture postcard was from 1907-15. Postcards were a fad by then and millions of cards flooded the English-speaking world. They were used as holiday greetings, and in addition to local views, covered a variety of subjects that intrigue collectors today. Postcards were also made from a variety of materials, including leather.
For a period of about 20 years, from 1930 on, linen postcards, textured to resemble cloth, dominated the American market. During World War II, many varieties of picture postcards appeared, including patriotic themes and fancy embroidered cards from France.
Postcards were also a form of advertising in the first 20 years of the 20th century. Much like fliers today, postcards could be passed out on the street, inserted in packages and handed to customers.
These early postcard images are still familiar to us today. Uneeda Biscuits, for example, were the first crackers to be packaged rather than sold from the barrel and the little boy in the sou'wester was used as a symbol to indicate that even weather could not affect the package.
Postcards, like other paper miscellany, we are often tempted to throw away, but they preserve for us personal memories. They are important historical documents, small fragments of the past and examples of long-ago lifestyles.
