William Slayton, UF Alumnus, was a collector of postcards. The collection includes postcards of the city of Gainesville and of the University of Florida campus throughout the twentieth century. The collection is a good representation of how the region changed over the years and also demonstrates how postcard styles have evolved. In addition to the postcards, the collection includes tourist brochures and attraction maps from across the state of Florida.
Smithsonian Institution Postcard History Website
Prairie Fires and Paper Moons, The American Photographic Postcard, 1900-1920, by Hal Morgan and Andreas Brown (David R Godine, Boston, 1981).
Picture Postcards in the United States, 1893-1918 by George and Dorothy Miller (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. New York, 1976).
Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931–1950, by Jeffrey L. Meikle, Austin, University of Texas Press, 2015
Post Office Order No. 1447 after 1901 changed postcards to have the term Postcard on the back from the phrase Private Mailing Card. In 1907, The Universal Postal Congress changed the format of postcards to have a Divided Back. The style of this postcard dates its production between 1901 and 1907.
The Divided Back style of this postcard along with the date on the postage stamp determines the production year as 1907. This style made room for the writer to have a message on the left side of the back, and to place the address on the right. This style spans between 1907 to 1915.
This is a later version of the Divided Back style. Some cards included information regarding the image on the front in the back as seen here.
This postcard of the University of Florida Stadium is a great example of the White Border Period. Postcards with a white border surrounding the image with limited information about the picture were produced between 1915 and 1930.
Between 1931 and to the 1950s, Linen postcards gained popularity. These mass produced postcards were appealing for their vibrant color. They also have a cloth-like textual feel that is unique to this postcard style.
Beginning in 1939, Modern Photochrom-Style Postcards began to gain popularity. This style is most common today.
|
