American holiday postcards, 1905-1915: imagery and context

243 Pages·2013·42.218 MB·English

by  Gifford, Daniel

American Holiday
Postcards, 1905–1915
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American Holiday
Postcards, 1905–1915
Imagery and Context
D G
ANIEL IFFORD
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
All illustrations are from the author’s collection unless noted otherwise.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Gifford, Daniel, 1970–
American holiday postcards, 1905–1915 : imagery and context /
Daniel Gifford.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-7817-0
♾
softcover : acid free paper
1. Postcards—United States—History—20th century.
2. Greeting cards—United States—History—20th century.
3. United States—Social life and customs—20th century.
I. Title.
NC1878.7.U6G54 2013 395.4—dc23 2013025254
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2013 Daniel Gifford. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: Thanksgiving postcard (author’s collection);
title frame (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
For Steve
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Acknowledgments
This project began with family. It was a collection of hundreds of postcards sent by a
network of family and friends connected to my maternal great-grandmother that first made
me aware of postcards and the postcard phenomenon of the early twentieth century. I wish
to thank my grandparents for putting that collection in my hands, unknowingly planting
the seeds for this book. Thank you, too, to the friends and family, especially my parents,
who have been by my side every step of the way.
It was the outstanding faculty of the Department of History and Art History at George
Mason University who encouraged me to take popular culture seriously. From the very
beginning of my studies in American history, I was able to explore world’s fairs, dime novels,
holiday ephemera, and of course, postcards. Thank you to Rosemarie Zagarri, Michael
O’Malley, Matthew Karush, Paula Petrik, and Dina Copelman for their guidance and expert-
ise. I am also deeply indebted to the late Roy Rosenzweig, who helped put me on my
doctoral path. His devotion to interesting, thought-provoking, and just plain fun scholarship
continues to inspire. But there were two preeminent scholars who fundamentally shaped
my forays into popular and visual culture. When it came time to find a dissertation com-
mittee, I could not imagine tackling the project without the guidance and support of Alison
Landsberg and Ellen Todd. Thankfully for me, they accepted, and I owe them a debt of
gratitude for both their input and their willingness to match my breakneck pace. Alison
especially watched this project grow and take form over the years, and provided a steady
hand to guide me throughout. Thank you, too, to Paul Gorski for his keen eye and attention
to detail.
Throughout the writing process since, several key individuals have helped shape and
revise the contents of this book. Their insights and suggestions helped to shepherd it to its
present form. Thank you to Jane Griffith, especially, along with D.C. Jackson and Robert
Bogdan. Several scholars from the Smithsonian Institution have provided assistance and
encouragement including Larry Bird, Mary Savig, Eric Hintz, and Thomas Lera. The world
of postcard collectors has proven equally generous, especially Mary Martin, whose aston-
ishing inventory of postcards is a sight to behold. A summer of stimulating debate and
conversation on the postcard forum Postcardcollector.org also proved to be time well
spent. And I’m incredibly grateful to Gary and Louise Carpentier, whose generous dona-
tion of highly prized (and very expensive) Halloween postcard images allowed for the
study of beautiful witches. The archivists and librarians at several key collections deserve
recognition: Jeanne Solensky at the Winterthur Library; Paul McCutcheon at the National
vii
viii Acknowledgments
Postal Museum Library; and the staff at the Archives Center of the National Museum of
American History.
But the most important acknowledgment is to my husband, Steve, to whom this book
is dedicated. Without his support and understanding, this scholarship simply would not
exist. Thank you.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
ONE • We Gather Together: Finding Audiences Within the American
Postcard Fad 13
TWO • Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot: Revising the History of
the Postcard Phenomenon 36
THREE • Tidings of Comfort and Joy: The Functions and Uses of Postcards 74
Four • Field and Fountain, Moor and Mountain: The Rural Landscape
in Holiday Postcards 86
Between pages 114 and 115 are 8 color plates containing 17 photographs
FIVE • Love’s Redeeming Work Is Done: Images of Women and Courtship
in Holiday Postcards 115
SIX • O Beautiful for Pilgrim Feet: Patriotism and Race in Holiday
Postcards 144
SEVEN • And What Was on Those Ships All Three? Images of New
Technology in Holiday Postcards 171
Epilogue 188
Appendix 191
Chapter Notes 203
Bibliography 216
Index 223
ix