April 16: Sara Duke of Library of Congress on postcards

I'm sending you a lemon from... Published by Edward H. Mitchell, 1910. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.67979

Finding Pictures: Postcards – Wish You Were Here!

April 9, 2025

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2025/04/finding-pictures-postcards-wish-you-were-here/

Join Sara Duke, Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art, on Wednesday, April 16th at 3pm EDT for a whirlwind tour of postcards in the Prints & Photographs Division collections. From fanciful to serious, these small mementos appeal to everyone, whether the most dedicated collector, the novice historian, or anyone interested in eye-catching imagery.

As Sara notes, "The Library is at the start of a multi-year project to process, digitize and make accessible online nearly 100,000 postcards in our collection. As someone who dabbled in collecting postcards as a teenager, I find them an excellent window into our past – whether it's the built environment, people, or humor.

My goal in this presentation is not to provide an exhaustive history of postcards, but rather to provide an introduction to the types of postcards in the collection, how to access those that already appear online, and how to make an appointment to make use of unprocessed collections in person."

This post features a sampling of the fantastic images that will be shown in the webinar. We hope you will join us to see more!

Rena, Mildred, and Tijke(?) at the Statue of Liberty, New York. Photo postcard, May 5, 1928. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.11404Cherry Blossom's Time, Washington, D.C. Image by Theodor Horydczak, between 1905 and 1969. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2025664638/World War I soldier with American flag in background. Photo postcard, between 1914 and 1918. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.11404New Jewish market on the East Side, New York. Postcard, between 1901 and 1907. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19044Petrogradʺ – T︠S︡erkovʹ – pami︠a︡tnikʺ pogibshimʺ mori︠a︡tnik.ʺ Photo postcard, 1916. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.33688

Learn More:

• Register to attend the virtual presentation Finding Pictures: Postcards – Wish You Were Here! which will take place live on Wednesday, April 16 from 3:00-4:00pm EDT.
• Read more Picture This blog posts about postcards.
• Watch recordings of past Finding Pictures talks.