Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Real Photo Postcards of Children

The two vintage postcard images I'm sharing with you today are my favorite subjects, children.  These type of postcards are known as "real photo" postcards as they are actual photographs.  Sometimes you may see them referred to as rppc.  In the era of these postcards early 1900's and up, they didn't have digital cameras, weren't able to upload them to Walmart and pick them up in an hour.  The process was much slower and done by hand.  They were produced in small quantities, making them more valuable than mass produced postcards.  Often the negatives were glass.  


The subject matter of this type of postcard is what determines the value.  Children holding a doll or teddy bear are more valuable than a child sitting alone.  Hand colored images are sometimes more valuable.  I have a pretty good sized collection of real photo postcards of children.  My collection is personal to me, the cards I added to it were not based on monetary value, but images I was drawn to.  These two sweet images in this post, are from my collection, and free for you.  


I like to examine my images closely, often with a magnifying glass, looking for clues as to what their little lives may have been like.  The wrinkled tights, shoes, wicker chair, expressions, jewelry, hair bows, anything I can grasp from the image.  Sometimes the writing on the back of the postcards give some clues about them, but often there is nothing written, and the front of the card needs to tell the story. 

I hope you enjoy these images.  Have a blessed day dear ones.


4 comments:

  1. Hi Abby! So nice to hear you had a lovely Easter. Your church sounds beautiful and charming! These photos you're sharing are adorable!! Thank you and have a great day!

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  2. I also love this type of postcard. I always pick them up when I see them for a good price but wish I would use them more instead of tucking them away.

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  3. these little ones are so precious! One good way to display these is those silverplate stands with display clips in a fanned out shape. These sell on etsy sometimes and are usually snapped up pretty quickly.

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  4. Hi Abby,

    I loved hearing why this collection hobby is so much fun for you. I enjoyed hearing about how you look for clues in the photo postcards. I used to shop for antique jewelry, and I loved to hear the stories of the people who used to wear the piece...it is exciting to find out, isn't it?

    Thank you for sharing! And, yes, I did watch the Royal Wedding...probably several times. Isn't Westminster Abby beautiful? It is shaped like a cross. I found it interesting that
    "Mr. Evolution" -aka-Darwin is buried there of all places. He didn't believe in God! I wonder if he chose to be buried there or someone else? Isn't that interesting? I guess it's true, we never know what will happen in someone's heart...even at the last breath.

    He IS Able,
    Traci S.

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