Author: Ray Hahn

  • Charles Dana Gibson and His All-American Girl

    Charles Dana Gibson and His All-American Girl

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    The world’s most celebrated pen-and-ink artist was Charles Gibson. He first achieved fame with a drawing he sold to Life magazine when he was 19 years old – The Gibson Girl. Not surprisingly he did other things too. Postcard History tells the whole story.

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  • Three Famous Hermits

    Three Famous Hermits

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    Analytical studies have examined the psychological condition known as Schizoid Personality Disorder. Most people who choose to live as hermits are perfect examples. The individuals who suffer SPD are not immune from having their persona appear on postcards.

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  • A Day in Early January 1793

    A Day in Early January 1793

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    The biography of a painting may conjure clouds of dust, but there is much to learn from the J. W. Dunsmore painting featured in this history lesson. People and Words make history – here’s some you may not know.

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  • The Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument

    The Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument

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    William Randolph Hearst, the world-famous newspaper publisher, built Hearst Castle as a vacation destination. But, at his time, you needed an invitation. Today, you pay an admission. The castle blends history, architecture, and stunning landscapes. From La Casa Grande you can see for miles and experience the same view that Hearst saw about 100 years…

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  • They Called Him the DaVinci of Detroit

    They Called Him the DaVinci of Detroit

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    Many Americans get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and hurry off without a single thought of the person who designed the car they’re driving to work. But perhaps someday you will be thankful to the man who pioneered dependable transportation. Thank you, Mr. Earl.

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  • The Saint Charles Hotel and Twelve New Orleans Watercolors

    The Saint Charles Hotel and Twelve New Orleans Watercolors

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    To borrow from an old advertising jingle, “No body doesn’t like New Orleans” is a quaint notion, yet have you ever met someone who didn’t like The Big Easy? Even the postcards are easy to find!

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  • Radio City Music Hall & the Rockettes

    Radio City Music Hall & the Rockettes

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    An annual trip to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall is a family- tradition for millions. It is not a cheap vacation, but spending the family fortune is much more fun than watching television.

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  • A Fact, a Legend, a Dream, a Puzzleand“OMG, This Can’t Be True”

    A Fact, a Legend, a Dream, a Puzzle
    and
    “OMG, This Can’t Be True”

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    History is a puzzle, and its pieces are often at odds with facts. Postcards in many ways help solve historical enigma faster than could be done without them. These cards bring to mind how unfair it is when attempts are made to change history.

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  • California Raisin Day: April 30th

    California Raisin Day: April 30th

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    This short history of raisins may be more than you ever wanted to know, but there are some neat postcards and lots of fun memories that reflect American raisin history. Celebrate raisins! What else could you do that would be better?

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  • The Biggest Jigsaw Puzzle In History

    The Biggest Jigsaw Puzzle In History

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    It’s a universal problem. Any idea that becomes a project, from concept to the period at the end of the last paragraph in the review, everything takes twice the amount of time originally allotted. This three-year idea took nearly 30 years.

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Past Article

Don Preziosi
6 Comments
Advertising icons, like The Campbell Kids and so many others wormed their way into the nation’s subconscious before we realized what was happening. All at once we knew who Reddy Kilowatt and Mr. Peanut were and what they wanted to sell us. We found them in magazines, newspapers, and even on postcards. Advertise on postcards? What a brilliant idea!

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