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BEATRICE LITZINGER POSTCARD COLLECTION,
1900-1990
#530
(8.5 DB; 2.75 cubic feet)
by: Ray Mellett, December, 1999
Introduction
Picture postcards were immensely popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. They were
a novelty at a time when large numbers of people of moderate means began to travel. They
became souvenirs of trips and an easy way for travelers to communicate with friends and
relatives left behind. At the same time, the low cost of stamps and postcards combined
with colorful and imaginative pictures and greetings made them a convenient way to send
greetings at holidays and for other special events such as birthdays.
Postal regulations did not allow private postcards until the 1890's. Though the dates varied from
country to country, in the United States these were first allowed in 1898. The period
1901-1907 is known as the undivided back era. Until 1907 the picture or design was on the front and
only the address was to appear on the back, forcing the message to be written on or around the
image. On March 1, 1907 postcards with divided backs for address and message were allowed in
the United States, though they had been permitted in England as early as 1902. This was the
beginning of the divided back era and the "golden age" of postcards which continued until 1915.
During this period, collecting postcards and other ephemera became a very popular pastime.
Often they were placed in scrapbooks and albums. The subject range of postcards is almost
limitless and various categories, such as view cards, greeting cards, humor or novelties, were
collected. Often the postcards were printed in sets or series and many were designed by famous
artists. Postcard collecting in the United States was given the name deltiology and is still a
popular hobby.
Most of the postcards during the "golden age" were printed in Europe, primarily in Germany, where
the printing technology was considered the best. The start of World War I ended this importation
and from 1915 printing was concentrated in England and the United States. White border cards
were developed at this time and they were popular until 1930, though greeting card publication
declined and only view cards remained popular. From 1930 until 1945 ( or, variously, 1955 or
1960) linen postcards were published, using a type of paper that had the look and uneven feel of
linen. Photochrome postcards, which tend to be slick and glossy, were introduced in 1939 and are
still in use today. During the entire period, starting around 1900, real
photographs, which could be
matte or glossy, color or black and white, or hand tinted, were used.
View cards have been the most popular type of card collected. In addition to being souvenirs of
places traveled, they offer historic references to buildings and places which have changed or may
no longer exist.
Biographical Note
This collection of postcards and other ephemera was assembled by Beatrice Litzinger who lived her entire life in and around
Baltimore,
Maryland. The collection is particularly rich in view cards from both
Baltimore and Maryland. The collection also has a large number of greeting cards
from the "golden age." It
was acquired by the Archives Center in February, 1997 from Joseph Litzinger, the widower of
Beatrice Litzinger who died in 1995. We know little about Mrs. Litzinger or how she acquired
her collection as it came to the Archives Center after she died by way of a nun with whom she
had become friendly and was returning to Ireland. Her husband was quite elderly and had moved
to California though he indicated that Mrs. Litzinger had wanted her collection to come to the
Smithsonian. The collection was donated by him to the Smithsonian in memory of his wife.
It is believed that Mrs. Litzinger started to collect postcards when she was young. She continued
to collect throughout her life. She purchased some of the postcards, and others were mailed to her or
given to her by friends. A large portion of the modern geographic postcards came by way of an
extended family of friends and neighbors who traveled extensively. Mrs. Litzinger was
deeply religious and a devout Catholic and the collection has a substantial number of religious
postcards including some sent to her by a writer we believe was her parish priest on trips to Rome.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of seven series, the largest, Series 1, being the postcards.
The largest categories in this series are the
geographic, both United States and foreign, and greeting cards. The most important and
probably the most interesting of the geographic cards are from Maryland as they give us an
historic view of the state. This is particularly true of the large number of cards depicting
Baltimore and its buildings, parks, schools, etc. There are several cards showing the Great Fire
of February 7, 1904 and postcards such as this are a valuable historic resource.
The greeting cards are primarily from the "golden age" of postcards and were sent or given on
many occasions. There are large numbers of Christmas, Easter and Valentines Day cards, but
there are also substantial numbers of cards for days that we no longer associate with card giving
such as Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day) and Washington's Birthday (though
these cards are included under political figures in Box 8).
There are a number of postcards depicting various Popes and other religious themes such as the
Lord's Prayer. Some of the postcards of Rome have cartouches of a Pope in the center of the
pictures and were sent by a monsignor to someone in Baltimore.
Many cards show various means of transportation such as airplanes, boats and
ships, and railroads and streetcars. Another interesting
category is "novelty" with a number of postcards with pictures of women with real
hair.
Throughout the collection there are other novelty cards on wood and leather.
The other series are smaller, though all consist of ephemera collected by Mrs. Litzinger. Series
2, Oversize Postcards, and Series 3, Greeting Cards are the largest and those most directly related
to the primary collection. These series are organized in the same manner as Series 1. Series 4
consists of paper dolls, another popular collectible in the early part of the century. Series 5
consists of scraps which were chromolithographed pictures which were either cut out of printed
sheets of pictures and designs or punched out of die cut sheets. The designs were then used to
make early greeting cards or were placed in albums called scrap books. Sometimes scraps and
postcards were included in the same album. Series 6 consists of trade cards which were used to
advertise various businesses. Sometimes these were in the form of postcards and sometimes the
designs were cut out to make scraps, so it is easy to see how these various types of ephemera
are inter-related. Series 7 consists of a small number of miscellaneous items such as metal
prints the size of postcards, religious cards, political birthday cards, magazine clippings, plastic
cards, invitations and bicentennial souvenirs.
Related Collections
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, ca. 1724-1977, #60
Victor A. Blenkle Postcards, 1880 - 1975, # 200
Susie Paige Afro-American Greeting Card Collection, 1918, 1960s, #263
Hoffman/Boaz African American Postcard Collection, 1900-1933, #281
Rocky Herosian Postcard Collection, 1910-1943, #295
Washington Postcards, ca. 1906, #413
Archives Center Scrapbook Collection, #468
Archives Center Postcard Collection, # 483
Miscellaneous Postcards, #497
Mattie Kell Reiner Postcard Collection, #629
Lou Newman Collection of Baseball Memorabilia, #696
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