Real Photo Postcards KwikGuide: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Real Photo Postcards of the 20th Century

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In 2013, Gary Clark, of PhotoTree.com, had a very busy year. He seemed to be on a one-man mission to provide every detail a genealogist will need to identify, date, and restore old photographs of virtually every type and in a way to make the process as easy as possible. This was a lot of ground to cover, but Gary seemed well on his way. Following are two other earlier books and three laminated guides he produced, as follows:

Following is a review that Ancdy Pomeroy wrote in 2013:

Gary has another easy to follow guide, Real Photo Postcards KwikGuide: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Real Photo Postcards of the 20th Century. This new guide looks into the rise and fall of the real photo postcard. Inside the reader will discover two main elements to helping them identify and date these cards. These postcards can be examined in terms of the structure and style  of the card itself, as well as applying all the normal techniques for dating and identifying photographs. Here are just some of the items the reader will learn to examine for clues:

  • Address format
  • Stamp boxes and artwork
  • Regular and commemorative stamps
  • Image styles and sizes
  • Manufacturing clues
  • and so much more…

Flipping through the pages, the first thing I noticed was how many clear and easy to read samples there are. I don’t think there is a page in the guide that doesn’t have a picture, some have many images. I feel like running out and buy old photo postcards of just anyone, so I can test what I have learned. Making this book even better, it offers my four favorite things in a guidebook:

  1. Easy to read
  2. Easy to follow and adapt
  3. Clear examples and images
  4. Inexpensive

About the Author
Gary Clark is a professional photographer, restorer, and genealogist who has merged these skills with his passion for collecting photographs. His 30 years of experience in digital imaging brings a unique and thorough understanding of photograph problems and how to solve them. Clark introduced PhotoTree.com to genealogists and collectors in 2000, and he continually expands the free information with a gallery of over 1,000 images, weekly case studies, and historical information about 19th century photographs.

 

This guide gives a lot of bang for your buck. Order Real Photo Postcards KwikGuide: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Real Photo Postcards of the 20th Century from Family Roots Publishing for only $9.75 a copy.

 

Contents

Introduction

Identifying People in Postcards

Introduction to Real Photo Postcards

Definition of Real Photo Postcards (RPPC)

Chapter 1 ~ Government Postcards

First U.S. Postal Postcards: 1873

Government Monopoly Until 1898

Chapter 2 ~ Private Mailing Cards

Private Mailing Cards – 1898

Chapter 3 ~ The Postcard Rage

New Postcard Name – 1902

RFD – Rural Free Delivery – 1902

Chapter 4 ~ The Modern Postcard

Divided Back: 1907 – A Lasting Change

Slow Transition to Messages on the Back

The Golden Era Begins

Chapter 5 ~ Stamp Boxes and Stamps

Clues From Postcard Manufacturers

Photographic Paper Changes

Stamp Box Gallery

U.S. Postal Stamps

Chapter 6 ~ Image Styles and sizes

Picture Masks

Use of Masks on Postcards

Postcard Image Sizes

Chapter 7 ~ Fashion and Style

20th Century Fashion Influence

Chapter 8 ~ Cars, Farms, and Gatherings

Postcards of America

Chapter 9 ~ The Demise of RPPCs

Pressures on Real Photo Cards

Appendix A ~ Early Kodak Cameras

Appendix B ~ Common Film Sizes

Appendix C ~ Postcard and Camera Influence

A Look at the Early 20th Century

Appendix D ~ Glossary

Notes

Index

About Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library, and speaks nationally, having given over 2000 lectures since 1983.

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