Arts & Culture

Vintage Southern Postcards

Long before smart phones and even before color photography became commonplace, “linen” postcards were the original social media. Printed on textured paper with bright inks, they cost a penny a piece and became so popular in the 1930s ’40s that American travelers snapped up nearly a billion of them. For the first time, they could easily share an image of moss-draped oaks in North Carolina, a dark passage in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave, or a sweeping vista from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee with friends and family back home. A new book, Postcard America, by collector and University of Texas professor Jeffrey L. Meikle, showcases more than 200 of these iconic souvenirs—in all their colorful nostalgia.

February 19, 2016

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Greetings from Texas, 1938.

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Greetings from Texas, 1938.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina, no date.

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Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina, no date.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Moccasin Bend and Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Lookout Mountain, no date.

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Moccasin Bend and Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Lookout Mountain, no date.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Sunset on a Florida Lake, 1935.

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Sunset on a Florida Lake, 1935.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

The Oaks Tourist Court, Atlanta, Georgia, 1936.

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The Oaks Tourist Court, Atlanta, Georgia, 1936.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Qualla Park Shop, Cherokee, North Carolina, no date.

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Qualla Park Shop, Cherokee, North Carolina, no date.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Buckhorn Curio Store, San Antonio, Texas, 1935.

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Buckhorn Curio Store, San Antonio, Texas, 1935.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Shuffleboard Courts in Mirror Lake Park, St. Petersburg, Florida, no date.

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Shuffleboard Courts in Mirror Lake Park, St. Petersburg, Florida, no date.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Orton Plantation, near Wilmington, North Carolina, 1940.

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Orton Plantation, near Wilmington, North Carolina, 1940.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Have a Swim With Us at Miami Beach, Florida, 1935.

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Have a Swim With Us at Miami Beach, Florida, 1935.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Unloading Bananas From Ship Side, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1937.

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Unloading Bananas From Ship Side, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1937.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

New Viaduct and Skyline, Baltimore, Maryland, 1936.

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New Viaduct and Skyline, Baltimore, Maryland, 1936.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Medical Arts Building, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, 1935.

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Medical Arts Building, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, 1935.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Granby Street at Night, Norfolk, Virginia, no date.

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Granby Street at Night, Norfolk, Virginia, no date.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Canal Street at Night, New Orleans, Louisiana, no date.

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Canal Street at Night, New Orleans, Louisiana, no date.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Adams Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1941.

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Adams Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1941.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

The Lotus, Washington, DC, 1936.

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The Lotus, Washington, DC, 1936.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Tramor Cafeteria, The Finest Cafeteria in the South, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1939.

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Tramor Cafeteria, The Finest Cafeteria in the South, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1939.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Echo River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, 1940.

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Echo River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, 1940.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

A Breaker on Atlantic Ocean, 1933.

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A Breaker on Atlantic Ocean, 1933.

From Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

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Postcard America: Curt Teich and the Imaging of a Nation, 1931-1950

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