Picture this: the time is the late 1870’s, Europe’s middle class was awash in riches from the New World. This Victorian-era leisure class had an affinity for art, communication and travel. The relatively new photographic technology provided a way to show off their wealth and experiences to friends and family far and near. Whole families would have their picture taken and lithographed copies made. They would write all over the front and for a few pennies, bring far flung relatives up to date on their local happenings. Postcards were deemed to be letters and traveled with letter postage. The undivided back of the postcard could only contain the address, no message was allowed.

At the same time, the French, Dutch, Belgian, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires liked the idea of showcasing their history and progress in a format that was interesting to look at and easily sent to anywhere. Postcards were the new marketing medium, and everyone wanted their own. The sudden demand had publishers scrambling to produce better and more interesting cards. German publishers were at the forefront technologically - their chrome litho process produced millions of cards depicting every aspect of life at the time. For sharing photos inexpensively with a broad audience, postcards were the Instagram, the Facebook of the era.

The first privately made postcard requiring postage was created in Austria in 1869, and postcards rapidly gained world-wide popularity. Postcards of the Eiffel Tower produced in 1889 and 1890 kicked the postcard craze into high gear. By 1901, postcard production was said to be doubling every 6 months. The official figures from the U.S. Post Office for their fiscal year ending June 30, 1908, cite 677,777,798 postcards mailed. At that time the total population of the United States was only 88,700,000.

The “Golden Age” of postcards was from 1890 to 1911 - a time that roughly mirrors Winnipeg’s own period of dramatic growth. Twenty years after becoming a province, Winnipeg had grown from a backwater HBC post into a large town. With the arrival of the CPR came land speculators, settlers, entrepreneurs, professionals and others from of all walks of life seeking fame, fortune or simply a place to put down roots. Winnipeg rapidly became the largest city between Toronto and the Yukon, and the numbers projected for the city's growth were staggering.

The City attempted to do its part to keep up with the growth. Streets were paved, running water and electrical services were expanded. A street railway was added and the wholesale distribution district was expanded. The watchful eye of the ever-present photographers captured all - they produced thousands of images documenting the transformation of the city. The photos were quickly lithographed for a ready market, eager to show the world Winnipeg’s new look.  

Changes to the postcard rules around 1906 allowed for a divided back where messages could be written and this further enhanced their popularity. So many high quality cards were produced and in such variety that it became popular to collect and trade them. For many this was the only connection they had with Western Canada or the rest of the world.

In the 1950’s I remember a TV program called “You Are There”. The series featured re-created glimpses of historical events and it was narrated by renowned broadcaster Walter Cronkite. He always closed the program with the words, "What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times... all things are as they were then, and you were there.”

Just like postcards, the show made history accessible for millions of people. The show is long gone but fortunately, we still have postcards to connect us to our history in a personal way. Many of these postcards were saved in family photo albums and so they survived to be enjoyed by future generations. Postcards provide beautiful snapshots of life around the world at an instant of time. Many also feature personal notes that give us a first person link to events of the past – near and far, historic and mundane. Almost like you were there.

Ken Kristjanson
October 2013