Photo Postcards and Their History

Do you know how to tell the difference between a Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) and a printed one? Chances are you may not be certain. Real Photo Postcards have photos actually developed onto special photographic paper that is the same size and weight as a postcard. It also has a postcard back to it. Many postcards use various printing methods, just like newspapers and magazines do, to print a picture, but it is, in all actuality, not the “real” photograph.

The best way to tell the difference between the two types of postcards, and a way that you will know for certain which is which, is to utilize a magnifying glass. With the magnifying glass, look closely and carefully at the image on the postcard. If you can see dots, similar to pixels, lots and lots of little tiny dots, the image is printed and NOT a real photo. If you do not see dots but instead are viewing a solid image, it is a REAL Photo Postcard.

Another way to tell a Real Photo Postcard from a normal printed postcard is to look for marks on the paper itself from the paper manufacturer. If there is a “stamp box” on the back of the postcard, in the upper right hand corner, there could be words or a mark of some kind, indicating what type of photographic paper was used in the making of that postcard.

In 1903, the Kodak No. 3A Folding Pocket camera was introduced to the general public. This camera was specifically designed for film that was the exact same size as a standard postcard at that time, which was 3 ½ x 5 ½ inches. This was known as a postcard format camera. This camera enabled photographs to be printed on postcard backs. Kodak was not the only manufacturer of this trendy brand of camera. Ansco, another American camera manufacturer, made postcard format cameras, as well as a few other camera companies.

Taking photographs, making postcards from them, and mailing them was an extremely popular past-time in early 20th Century America. In 1900, the postal service eased their restrictions on the types of mailing articles that were acceptable and allowed these postcards to be sent through the U.S. mail system. Postage was only a penny in the early 1900s and that was a price most could afford then. Many wonderful photos were captured of those early days thanks to this technology and the popularity of its use.

In 1907, Real Photo Postcards, a service created by Kodak, allowed the general public to make a postcard from any photo they took. This method of offering a pre-printed postcard back and the ability to directly transfer a photo negative onto it created quite a bit of excitement in the early 1900s.

What this technology brought was not only entertainment and the ability to share special moments with family and friends, but it also allowed journalists to have the ability to travel across the country and document the scenes of America. Many treasured moments were captured thanks to the capabilities made possible through Real Photo Postcards.

Real Photo Postcards were also used to document historic occasions as well as tragic events. From celebrations and parades, to floods and fires, this medium helped transport happenings of the day across the country, around the world, and into the future.

Alana Morgaine
Alana’s Books And Magazines
Our Postcards

Saturday Evening Post AA Article “Alcoholics Anonymous” by Jack Alexander.

In March of 1941, a young and famous writer by the name of Jack Alexander, wrote an article Called “Alcoholics Anonymous”.

It appeared in the March 1st, 1941 edition of the very popular Saturday Evening Post, with a cover by Norman Rockwell. When Alexander wrote it, he was only 19 years old, but his skill as an investigative reporter was already quite evident. Without revealing the names of the founders, he told their moving and inspirational story with the same depth and clarity that would win him a Pulitzer Prize for reporting, 31 years later.

March 1, 1941 Saturday Evening Post
And like a good investigative reporter, Alexander was not ready to buy all the claims that AA was making. In fact, he set out to debunk the whole operation. But he was fair minded enough to embark on long journey of research to uncover the truth.
Alexander’s first stop was AA headquarters in New York, where he met with founder “Bill W.” He liked Bill and found him sincere and convincing, but that wasn’t enough to quell Alexander’s doubts. Bill decided to take the writer to a few meetings to give him a better perspective. Later Alexander met with the families of AA members who shared their experience of how AA had changed everything for them.

At this point, Alexander told Bill W. that he thought he might have enough material to write the article, but was still not convinced that AA was as successful as it claimed in helping alcoholics. Bill suggested that Alexander do a little more research and check out what was going on in other cities.

Alexander’s first visit was Philadelphia. There, AA members took Alexander to the psychopathic ward of Philadelphia General Hospital and showed how members worked with the inmates suffering from alcoholism. From Pennsylvania he went to Akron, Ohio, where Alexander met “Doctor S,” who arranged meetings with more AA members, and accompanied him to other hospitals and AA meetings.
Traveling with Doc. S to Cleveland, Ohio, the writer discovered a different kind of AA member. While in Akron, Philadelphia and New York, he had met with and interviewed mostly blue-collar workers. In Cleveland Alexander heard these same stories of personal triumph from general laborers from all walks of life.

Next stop was Chicago, and again the story was the same, but the clincher that knocked every last ounce of skepticism out of him was a visit back to his hometown of St. Louis. Here Alexander bumped into some of his old pals, who were now members of AA. He never would have believed that these former hard-drinking buddies could have so transformed their lives! He wrote a glowing six-page tribute to the organization.

The effects were stunning. The March 1, 1941 issue of Saturday Evening Post was completely sold out and the article generated over 6000 reader inquiries! These were forwarded to AA headquarters, effectively tripling AA membership.

After the publication of this article, the reader mail was overwhelming. Letters came in from desperate drinkers, wives, mothers, fathers and friends. The post forwarded the letters to the headquarters office of AA in New York. The office in New York forwarded many of these letters out to various AA groups that live near the writers of the letters. There were well over 6,000 letters sent out by readers who wrote into The Saturday Evening Post about this article with many of them searching for help.
This was the turning point in the growth and success of Alcoholics Anonymous. AA had been, according to Bill W., “Put on the map.”

The Controversy!
Though a turning point for Alcoholics Anonymous, several of its groups felt concerned about anonymity and overwhelmed with requests for help. Decisions were made to limit publicity, which is another reason this article is so rare and sought after. Today the magazine is worth up to a thousand dollars.

Unique in our market-driven society, AA remains a dues-free, unadvertised society based on the premise that only an alcoholic who has come to terms with the disease, through AA’s 12-step program, can and must reach out to another who has not.

Alana Morgaine
Alana’s Books And Magazines
Our Saturday Evening Post Magazines