Postcards

In 1869 someone sent the first postcard, in Austria. Though it was initially considered improper and insecure, the postcard quickly grew in popularity, and was embraced as an inexpensive, casual way to stay connected to others in an increasingly fast-moving world. Trains and steamships fueled both the movement of and market for postcards.

In 1893 the World Columbian Exposition, which hosted over 25 million people in Chicago, Illinois, presented the first souvenir postcards. By the early 1900s, new technology, like the No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodak Camera, made printing photographs directly onto greeting cards possible, making photographic postcards an accessible way to stay connected to those far away.