Using Postcards as Historical Evidence
Postcards as Evidence: Economic History
Local history sources provide the ability to study the economic history of a particular town or region. Over the years local historians tended to select such events as the founding of the first bank or gristmill, the coming of the railroad, etc. as being related to a local community’s economic history. Many postcards feature the image of particular businesses, restaurants, hotels, and other cultural icons. Although postcards were not created to feature every business or attraction, they do provide a snapshot of the economic picture of a community and what businesses utilized postcards to promote themselves.
Postcards of businesses, especially Main Street, provide a beautified image of place. In Downtown America, historian Alison Isenberg devotes an entire chapter to how postcards created a distinct image of Main Street. Postcards provided an opportunity to promote business and create an image of place that the “city beautiful” movements of the early 1900s sought to promote. Postcard images removed the “pole and wire evil” from a majority of the views that were published.
Another important thing to keep in mind when looking at postcards, especially those of business districts and a town’s Main Street was that they employed a linear corridor perspective when framing an image, showing an elongated view of Main Street and all of the businesses. The postcard on the left is of Lisle's Main Street, while that on the left is of Downers Grove.
Discussion Questions
- What are the similarities and differences between the four postcards of Adams Memorial Library?
- Why are multiple postcards and views of the same building or streetscape a valuable resource?
