1848-1872 1873-1897 1898-1913 1914-1945 1946-1990 1991-2008
Souvenir Cards
1893
SOUVENIR CARDS
Almost all pioneer cards were dedicated to advertising until the larger production of exposition cards began in 1893 for the Chicago Columbian Exposition. While many saw the potential in producing other types of views as souvenirs for tourists few ventured into this field as our Nation’s economy soured and we fell into a depression. It would be in Europe where postcards took off and developed into a popular craze. Instead of producing cards many were content to import European view and greeting cards. But as imports flooded into a receptive American market it convinced some printers to take the risk. By 1895 a good many Souvenir cards were being printed in the U.S. depicting large cities and famous tourist attractions both of historic and natural interest. As publishing in these years was risky business the subjects chosen for cards relied on those areas that had already been attracting large numbers of tourists for decades. The words Souvenir Card were often printed on their back’s.
Although these Souvenir cards sold well it was not the booming sales item it could have been. This was partially the fault of Postal regulations. The standard mailing rate was one cent for both government and privately printed cards but there was a penny surcharge on private cards alone if a message was written on them. This created much confusion and outrage as the rate for a more private letter was also two cents, and in those days a penny was no small change. A good many cards were most likely sold only because they were purchased as souvenirs and not for mailing. The government was continuously lobbied to make reforms but no changes would come until the depression years ended in 1898. The pressure from all the new publishers waiting to enter the market finally tipped the balance. When new regulations took effect however many publishers found themselves with a stock of cards manufactured under looser size standards that were now too large to be mailed. Many Souvenir cards were subsequently trimmed down to regulation size.
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