The History of Postcards

Before text messages, emails, or even phone calls, people sent their thoughts on open cards for anyone along the way to read. The postcard began as a curious idea — a public, efficient, and inexpensive way to communicate — and grew into an art form, a collectible, and a record of human connection.

The Beginning

The first known postcard was mailed in 1840 by Theodore Hook, a London writer and humorist. His card — featuring a hand-drawn caricature and addressed to himself — was meant as a joke, a parody of the postal service. But Hook’s prank captured something deeper: a message that could be seen by everyone, a conversation shared in the open.

The Birth of the Postcard Era

Official postcards were introduced in Austria-Hungary in 1869. The idea spread quickly across Europe and to the United States, where the first American government-issued postal cards appeared in 1873. They cost just one cent to mail — half the cost of a regular letter — and were intended for quick notes, announcements, and greetings.

In the early years, the back of the card was reserved only for the address. Any personal message had to be squeezed onto the image side, often written around mountains, buildings, or faces.

When Pictures Arrived

It wasn’t until the 1890s that postcards in the United States began to feature printed pictures. The very first “pioneer” picture postcards were privately printed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. These cards showed fairgrounds, buildings, and exhibits — and marked the beginning of the illustrated postcard era in America.

Soon after, local photographers and publishers began producing their own scenic and souvenir cards, featuring everything from city streets to natural landmarks. By 1901, private publishers were officially allowed to print the word “Post Card” on the back, and the medium exploded in popularity.

The divided back, introduced in 1907, allowed both a message and address on the same side — freeing the entire front for a photograph or illustration. This innovation launched the Golden Age of Postcards.

The Golden Age (1901–1915)

Between 1901 and World War I, billions of postcards were mailed around the world. Every town had a favorite photographer. Every shop sold cards of landmarks, parades, train stations, and fairs. Collectors filled albums, trading scenes from distant places.

In this era, postcards weren’t just messages — they were souvenirs, social media, and news. A flood in a neighboring town, a parade in the next city, a new building downtown — all captured and mailed the same week.

The Changing Face of the Postcard

After World War I, photographic postcards became more common, eventually giving rise to the linen and chrome cards of the mid-20th century — brightly colored and mass-produced, often with captions in bold script. By the 1950s, postcards were firmly part of American vacation culture: “Wish you were here” became the refrain of summer.

Postcards Today

Even in a world of instant communication, postcards endure. They travel slower but mean more. Each bears the mark of a place and a moment — a postmark, a stamp, a wrinkle from a long journey.

Collecting old postcards connects us to history: the handwriting of someone long gone, the skyline before the highway, the humor and warmth of another time. And sending new ones continues a tradition that’s over 150 years old — a way to say, simply, I was here, and I thought of you.