As deltiologists we are interested in postcards throughout the world. Some favourite links are below. We’re happy to include others as we learn about them. For links to Canadian sites, click here!
POSTCARD CLUBS in other Countries
Australia & New Zealand
U.S.A. Clubs – from Postcard History, an online magazine including:
Capitol Beltway Postcard Club – An active club serving the D.C. area.
Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York – One of the original clubs.
Western New York Postcard Club – Several interesting postcard tidbits on their site.
Wichita Postcard Club YouTube channel – Highly recommended for its many excellent presentations.
Postcrossing – A contemporary postcard exchange association.
POSTCARD WEBSITES of TPC Members (click this link)
HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS
Bamforth & Co. – Britain’s beloved purveyor of cheeky seaside postcards is no longer but the successor owner is still licensing images.
Bamforth & Co. – A detailed account of James Bamforth’s company and its production of magic lantern slides, in particular. From a talk given in 1978, drawing on direct recollections of one of the company’s former child models. [NEW]
Curt Teich – All about the company that “invented” the “linen” postcard and gave mid-century U.S. cards their unmistakable appearance.
Curt Teich Postcard Dating Index and Geographical Index – From the Curt Teich Archives of the Newberry Library, Chicago.
Western New York Postcard Club and Will Hansen, Curator of Americana at The Newberry Library, Chicago presents The Curt Teich Story on YouTube
Detroit Publishing Company – The “How did they do it?” section is especially interesting.
Detroit Publishing Company – Nearly 6,000 images are available from the 14,000 Detroit Photo cards donated by Leonard Lauder to the New York Public Library in 1986.
Franz Huld – Publisher of “installment postcards”.
Rotograph Co. – A blog devoted to this iconic New York City publisher.
Raphael Tuck – Extensive database of the postcards of England’s most famous postcard manufacturer.
Tichnor Brothers – Database of approximately 25,000 U.S. linen cards produced between approximately 1930 and 1945 by this important Boston-based publisher. Unfortunately, Canadian cards do not appear to be included.
The most comprehensive list of postcard publishers can be found on the “Metropostcard” postcard history section (via Archive.org). For selected Canadian publishers, see the TPC’s in-depth publisher biographies. For U.K. publishers, see the “About Postcards” and “Postcard Pages” sites listed below.
GENERAL AND TOPICAL SITES
About Postcards – A terrific resource with articles about many important early English postcard publishers, plus a useful glossary of the unique language of deltiology, from “Advertising Postcard” to “Write Away”.
Australian Postcards 1905-1925 – From the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, N.S.W., over 250 early Australian postcards.
Miscellanea Deltiologia – a potpourri of interesting postcard topics.
Photographers’ Identities Catalog – New York Public Library’s meta-catalogue of information pertaining to photographers, including many in Canada.
The Postcard Album – A valuable site with vast amounts of information about German postcard printers and how to identify their work.
Postcard Pages – A U.K. site sponsored by the Postcard Traders Association with general information on the hobby, U.K. club listings and a U.K. postcard fair calendar.
Postcard Production 1920-1950 – A thorough review of postcard production methods following the ‘Golden Age’ as modern technologies were invented.
Postcard Views of Old New York – James Lileks’ commentary on postcard views of pre-Modernist New York City.
Postcards Ireland – Linen Hall Library’s collection of over 7,000 postcards with Irish scenes and themes (including Northern Ireland).
Postcards of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe – by the Rhodesian Study Circle, a philatelic group.
Sports Postcards (see under “Related Collecting Areas”).
Stereoscopic Views – A catalogue of stereoscopic views with information about their history and a guide to dating them.
POSTCARD ARTISTS
Postcard Artist biographies of notable, collectible postcard artists worldwide.
Ellen Clapsaddle Postcards – The iconic postcard images of U.S. artist Ellen Clapsaddle.
W. H. “Dad” Martin Exaggeration Postcards – The originator of postcards featuring giant tomatoes, rabbits and the like hailed from Ottawa, Kansas. Many of these views were sold in Canada, with Canadian captions, by the Canadian Post Card Co. of Toronto (which, despite its grand name, is little-known otherwise). This summary of his work comes from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC.
Donald McGill Museum – Featuring the works of the cartoonist whose name is synonymous with England’s seaside postcards.
MUSEUMS AND ARCHIVES of Postcards
Chicago Postcard Museum
Donald McGill Museum (see under “Postcard Artists”).
Metropolitan Museum, New York – Walker Evans and the Picture Postcard Exhibit, Spring 2009
Newberry Library, Chicago – Curt Teich Collection, Leonard Lauder Oilette Collection and others formerly housed at the Lake County Discovery Museum.
The Institute of American Deltiology, Myerstown, PA. A library, gallery and research center for the study of postcards. Containing over one million postcards, this collection also includes secondary resources such as a library of books, periodicals, slides, and news bulletins.
POSTCARD AND POSTAL HISTORY
History of the Postcard – A concise and useful guide to the stages in U.S. postcard history, from “Pioneer” to “Photochrom”.
Indian Postcards – Omar Khan, author of Paper Jewels: Postcards from the Raj, discusses the history of postcards in the subcontinent and his passion for collecting them.
The Very First Postcard (BBC)
Postcard History (Smithsonian Institution)
Postcard History (Posts about postcards from collectors)
The Story of the Golden Age of Picture Postcards in the United States (New York State Library)
A History of the U.S. Postal System (suggested by student Kelly of North Mountain Institute – thanks!)
BUYING AND SELLING POSTCARDS
International Federation of Postcard Dealers (IFPD) USA dealers
Postcard Traders Association (PTA) a UK based dealer association
Valuable and Rare Postcards – A blog with a monthly summary of high prices obtained for postcards.
RELATED COLLECTING AREAS
Pre-War Cards – An interesting site about collecting early sports cards, including some references to postcards.