1847 The United States issues its
first postage stamp.
1848-1860 The first known postcard in the United
States is mailed. There are no official regulations regarding cards in these
years and they are treated as letters. These cards are basically aberrations and
are now referred to as Mailed Cards.
1861 The U.S. Congress
authorizes privately printed cards under one ounce to be sent through the mail.
Postage rates vary by distance sent. John P. Charlton copyrights the first
postcard but none are known to be mailed.
1869 The world’s first
official postal correspondence card is issued by the Austrian Government and
quickly becomes popular.
1870 Hymen L. Lipman reissues Charlton’s card as the Lipman Postcard and it becomes the first privately authorized card known to be used in the United States.
NOTE: To view an illustrated slide presentation on Pioneer Postcards, click here.
1873 The United States issues
its first official Postal Card . One side
is reserved exclusively for the address, the other for a message, and it cost
only a penny to mail regardless of distance sent. Privately printed cards were
still allowed but they required two cents postage if they carried anything but
printed advertising. This was the same as letter rate, making these cards unpopular at
this time. They continue to be produced today in a different
format.
1874 The Universal Postal Union is formed to replace
individual treaties between nations with an agreed to set of consistent
regulations that will govern international mail. A standard postcard size of 3
1/2 by 5 1/2 inches is established.
1889 The first known color
postcard is printed in Austria.
1893 Exposition Postcards are issued on a large scale for the first time at Chicago’s Columbian
Exposition. They are produced for souvenirs rather than for advertising and
their success prompts many printers and publishers to produce view cards.
1893-1897
While a number of publishers begin to print exposition, mail, and souvenir cards, an
economic depression hits the United States forcing many printers out of
business. Most cards are imported from Europe in these years where a postcard
craze has already begun.
1897-1900 Postal regulations allow for a
large size Businessman's Cards to be used for advertising. Many are die cut into shapes or are made with moving
parts. These are forerunners to the novelty postcard.
1898-1901 The
U.S. Congress authorized the use of the Private Mailing Card, which now passes the production of most cards into private hands. The
postage rate for all messages is reduced to a penny, but it comes with many
size, color, and printing requirements. These restrictions cause many
established publishers to leave the market, but many others see an opportunity
and begin to publish cards to meet the public demand created by the lower
postage rate.
1899 The first Real Photo Postcard is sent through the U.S. mail.
1901 New postal regulations end many
of the restrictions required by Private Mailing Cards. In its place the
privately printed Post Card was
now authorized. This brought even more publishers into the postcard business.
The images on postcards now tended to become larger with only a small writing
tab left behind on its front to provided room for a message. The first photo
paper with a pre-printed postcard back is put on the market enabling real photo
postcards to be easily made.
1902 Rural Free Delivery service is
introduced bringing the convenience of mail to the majority of Americans who
live outside of cities. This greatly increased the market for postcards. The
world’s first divided back postcard is issued in Great
Britain.
1905-1911 The popularity of postcards grow into a craze as
they are produced and sold in record amounts. Perhaps up to half their number
are being purchased by collectors and many clubs are formed. Credit becomes
widely available and all sorts of businesses begin publishing postcards. With a
large number of publishers and printers now in the card business, postcards are
produced in a wide variety of forms using many different printing techniques.
This time is often referred to as postcard’s Golden Age.
1907
The United States issues its first Divided Back Postcard. This allows for the address and message to be placed on the same
side of a card, leaving the other side entirely available for an image. A severe
credit shortage forces many publishers speculating in postcards out of the
market.
1909 The U.S. Congress places a tariff on imported postcards
at the bequest of American printers. Since most cards sold in the U.S. were
manufactured in Germany, jobbers began to stock up on as many cards as they
could before the tariff went into effect. This produced a glut of postcards
depressing prices.
1912 As tariffs effectively cut off the supply of
most postcards from Germany, American printers failed to match their quality and
quantity and demand quickly diminished ending the craze. Postcards were now
dumped on the market depressing prices until they hit an all time low, forcing
25 percent of publishers out of business.
1913 The French folded
greeting card is introduced replacing postcards in
popularity.
1914-1918 The First World War restricts the use of
materials for postcards curtailing production in Europe and further limiting
imports to the United States. Cards are still produced to keep up morale and as
instruments of propaganda, but many printers close due to shortages or war
damage. The War also creates a worldwide shortage of printing ink as most
colorants are manufactured in Germany.
1917-1919 Restrictions are
placed on materials for postcard production in the United States as it enters
the war in Europe. A penny war tax is also added to postcard postage driving
down its use.
1920-1928 Post War material shortages initially plague
the printing industry but postcard production picks up as the economy begins to
grow. Many large publishers begin producing cards with a White Border and
it becomes a significant style.
1925-1928 The postage rate for
postcards is raised up to two cents. This dramatically cuts down on their use
but rate hike is eventually repealed due to its
unpopularity.
1928-1941 The Great Depression hits slowing postcard
production and sales. This time is dominated by cards that were the least
expensive to produce such as monochromes, hand colored cards, and the new
Linens.
1931 Curt Teich is the first publisher to begin producing postcards on Linen
textured stock
allowing cards to be printed with brighter dye based inks on high speed presses.
Many other publishers quickly follow his lead.
1939 The first Photochrome (nicknamed Chrome) card is published based on the first practical color film,
(Kodachrome) introduced just three years earlier. Color separations can
now be made photo-mechanically instead of being dependent on the retoucher’s
eye. Photochromes are initially seen as a fad and they are only produced in
limited numbers.
1941-1945 Material restrictions are once again
imposed on postcard production as the United States enters the Second World War,
but cards are still produced to keep up moral and for propaganda
purposes.
1946 Interest in older postcards start to rise as scholarly
writings on them begin to appear. A new generation of postcard clubs begins to
form, the first of which is the Metropolitan Post Card Collectors Club in
New York City.
1952 The Penny Postcard reached its final days
as the mailing rate is raised up to two cents once again. This time the price
would continue to go up.
1956 Photochromes, which had steadily grown
in number in the post War years, completely replace Linen postcards by this time
to become the dominant format. Postcards would now be produced in offset
lithography created wholly by photo-mechanical means without the need for
retouchers. This begins to give all cards a uniform look.
1970 While
4 by 6 inch Continental sized
cards could be found in Europe since the late 1920’s, they begin to become
popular in the United States at this time and grow to become stiff competition
with standard sized postcards.
1984 The first week of May in the
United States and the United Kingdom is officially declared National Postcard
Week.
1993 Email is introduced on the internet and e-Cards begin to replace
the traditional printed card. Coupled with growing cell phone use, printed
postcards will begin to be purchased almost exclusively as
souvenirs.
1995 Based on earlier forms of giveaway cards, the free Rack Card is introduced to promotes a variety of products and events.