Antique Postcards
Lackawanna County, PAGenWeb
Postcards with pictures were
first allowed by the post office in the late 1800's, but started to be
printed in large number starting about 1905. A high percentage were
printed in Europe, mostly Germany. These images provide us with a
unique documentation of the towns of our ancestors. Many of the
earliest cards were produced using photographs from years earlier. To
make the
postcard views look more contemporary, cars were sometimes
added to the image. When presented with two images of the same
street, the presence or absence of utility poles can help date the
card. Originally most main streets had utility poles, but starting
typically after World War I they were moved or the lines buried.
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