Real Photo Postcards

Beyond the messages on their backs, many postcards in this collection give a glimpse into the past through the images on their fronts. Some of the postcards in Answer Soon are Real Photo Postcards, or RPPCs, which are photographs printed directly on postcard paper.

RPPCs were produced by professional photographers, itinerant workers who moved from town to town taking pictures, or amateurs with their own cameras. In 1912, Ewald Wagner invited Clarence Martin to come up to see his camera, which can “take good pictures to[o] and post cards.” This was a small business for Ewald, age nine, who “only charge[s] 1 dollar a dozen.”

RPPCs in this collection depict scenes of everyday life. They show farm equipment, new houses and barns, moments of relaxation, or sites of tragedy. Some were sent to friends or family, but many were not. Here are a few of my favorite RPPCs.