Yellowstone History

The Golden Age of Postcards began when Congress authorized Private Mailing Cards (PMCs) on May 19, 1898, effective July 1, 1898. This followed the establishment of Rural Free Delivery (RFD) on October 1, 1896. PMCs were introduced as an experiment to raise revenue for the government. The RFD made it possible to send a postal to almost anyone anywhere in the country. Postcards, also known as postals, soon became the main form of communication and they were sent around the country and the world. The experiment to raise revenue was very successful, and publishing companies began producing postals in large numbers. The introduction of postcards, along with RFD, had an impact on communication similar in many respects to the internet almost 100 years later.

I asked a senior postcard dealer at a show why there were more postcards published of certain places than others. His answer was that more postcards were produced for locations where people took vacations. I had not thought about it from that perspective and it made perfect sense. Yellowstone Park was a perfect example of this. Frank Jay (F. J.) Haynes established a series of 15 Haynes Photo Shops throughout the park in the 1890s. The shops were located in the lobbies of the hotels and at popular tourist locations. Haynes Photo Shops offered an assortment of items for sale, including photographs, books and guidebooks, and various sundry items. Haynes Photo Shops also dominated the sale of postcards during the Golden Age.

The history of Yellowstone Park postcards closely follows the history of postcards in general. We were very active in the postcard hobby from circa 1985 through 2020, a period of 35 years. The three locations with the most postcards published in the United States in the Golden Age, before WWI, were Yellowstone National Park, Washington D.C., and New York City. Other locations with high numbers of postcards were Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Niagara Falls. Postcard production increased annually from 1898 through 1909. The beginning of the end of the Golden Age was the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act, passed on October 2, 1909. This tariff set a rate of about 40% on postcards and other printed items. Postcards previously sold for a penny and were known as “Penny Postcards.” These increased in price from 2 1/2 cents to 5 cents each. The end of the Golden Age of Postcards came with WWI. The Golden Age ended by 1915 and postcards went out of favor as the most popular means of communication.

Yellowstone postcards were produced in large numbers by companies throughout the world. Many of the finest and highest quality postcards from the Golden Age were printed in Germany. The Germans were highly trained technicians who perfected the printing process of chromolithography. These postcards were known as chromos. The printing process used hand carved stones from Bavaria. A separate stone was used for each full color, and the registration on the stones had to be precise. The chromos from the Golden Age are among some of the finest prints ever published. They were labor intensive and expensive to produce. I will discuss chromolithography in more detail in a separate article.

Yellowstone postcards from the 20th century are becoming harder to find. Many of the rarest and highest quality postcards have gone into private collections or institutions. There are several factors that can affect the value and collectibility of postcards. Like other paper ephemera, condition is very important. Many of the postcards from the 20th century have some wear and tear, especially if they were written on and sent through the mail. Other factors that can affect value are rarity, postal history, and the image on the front. The collectibility and value of any postcard is based on the interests and desirability of the collector. Ultimately the value is the price someone is willing to pay for a particular item.

Our experience has proven that one way to increase the value of an item is to give information about that item. There are many ways to achieve this. A in-depth description would include a general description, the provenance, and other pertinent information. This is an educational exercise to put the item into context. Postcards contain a wide range of information that can be discusses. These include the photographer or artist, the publisher, the era of publication, the caption, and other information pertaining to that postcard. The more information that is provided the better chance of increasing the value. The postcard becomes more interesting and the collectibility can be enhanced. Information, including the provenance, are important to creating value.

Susan and I have spent countless hours looking at Yellowstone postcards. We have attended postcard shows throughout the country. The larger shows from the 1990s had numerous dealers. Dealers organized their postcards by location and subject. This is a time consuming process. We would carefully peruse the boxes to search for Yellowstone cards. Our focus was on cards we did not have and cards in better condition that those that we did have. We upgraded the condition of cards we had at every opportunity. Dealers began to know what our interests were and would bring those cards to the shows. We bought several collections that contained Yellowstone-related material. I estimate that we looked at more than 100,000 Yellowstone Park postcards over the years. The Haynes auction had about 7,500 Yellowstone postcards, including some very rare cards. We attended numerous postcard, paper and paper shows and visited countless antique shops. We sponsored 6 national park antique and postcard shows from 1993-1998 and acquired a large number of Yellowstone postcards at those shows.

We were able to accumulate the largest private Yellowstone Park collection that numbered more than 20,000 pieces. Postcards were the largest single category, numbering more than 10,000 different cards. The other 10,000 pieces were distributed into different categories; souvenirs, photographs, stereoviews, prints, posters, books, brochures, advertising, antiques, fine art, furniture, reports and various other items.

The Yellowstone postcards from our private collection now reside at the Heritage and Research Center in Gardiner, MT. We also have approximately 14,000 western national park and monument postcards with messages in the Stanford University special collections, including about 2,500 Yellowstone postcard with messages. These collections could not be replicated today. There are several reasons for this. Most of our postcards were acquired one at a time at shows and in shops. We also purchased several thousand at the Haynes family estate auction in 1993. The opportunity to acquire collections of postcards changed with the advent of the internet. Many collections were broken up and sold one piece at a time. Prior to the internet it was common to buy collections that were kept together and not broken up. The internet has fundamentally changed the way antiques and collectibles are bought and sold in the 21^st century. I will discuss this in more detail in a separate article.

Postcards were the most popular collectibles throughout the world during the Golden Age of Postcards. There are many reasons for their popularity. Postcards were not only popular collectibles but they were the main form of communication from the turn of the century through WWI. Postcards cost one cent and required one-cent postage. They were known as “Penny Postcards” and could be sent through the mail with a handwritten message via Rural Free Delivery (RFD) for one-cent postage. Postcard clubs were formed throughout the country and around the world. Postcards were exchanged among club members. The popularity of postcards was at the zenith during this period. The height of the Golden Age occurred in 1907 when divided backs were introduced. Congress allowed for the back of postcards to be divided so the message and address could be written on the back. This allowed the front of the card to be used for the image. Postcards became even more popular with this change in format.

The use of postcards as a primary form of communication declined with the increase in popularity of the telephone and radio after WWI. The economy went into recession in the early 1920s. The stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, and the Great Depression followed, This economic collapse lasted through the 1930s. Postcard use and collecting went out of favor after WWI. Postcard production shifted from Europe and Germany to America at that time. The quality of postcards printed in America was inferior to the high-quality chromolithographic postcards from Europe. Postcards published in America in the 1920s were collected more for their view and not the quality. These postcards were referred to as White Border Postcards because they had a white border around the edge of the card.

The Curt Teich Company in Chicago developed a postcard with a high rag content in 1930. These postcards were known as Linens. These postcards were on a heavier stock and used inks that were colorful and bright. Linen postcards were produced in the art deco period. A popular design on these postcards were called large letters. Large letter postcards were published for several of the national parks and monuments. These iconic designs were very popular with the public and continue to be used today. Unfortunately, this was the same decade as the Great Depression. However, visitation to national parks increased in the 1930s and postcard sales increased as a result. Linen postcards were hand colored and are collectible today. The hand coloring evokes a feeling of nostalgia and is popular among many of the postcard collectors today.

Curt Teich was one of the most prolific publishers of Yellowstone postcards from the early 20^th century through the 1950s. Yellowstone linen postcards by Curt Teich were sold in the Haynes Photo Shops around the park. We will discuss the Haynes family in more detail in a separate article. The Haynes family were important and influential photographers and concessionaires in Yellowstone. They operated 15 Haynes Photo Shops in the park and dominated sales of postcards and other souvenirs inside the park from 1883 to 1968. It is estimated that the Haynes family published as many as 55 million Yellowstone postcards from 1899–1966. They produced the box of postcards Susan acquired in 1967. This was the first Yellowstone collectible she acquired. We will discuss the history of our collecting in a separate article.

The popularity of collecting Yellowstone postcards mirrors the collecting of postcards in general to a certain extent. However, there was one specific event that brought Yellowstone national and international attention and increased the number of Yellowstone souvenir collectors. This event was the Fires of 1988. The Yellowstone fires that summer burned almost 1 million acres. The coverage of the fires was broadcast internationally. Images of the park on fire were graphic reminders of how something as precious as Yellowstone Park could be destroyed. The Old Faithful Inn was saved by firefighters on top of the roof fighting the fire with water hoses. This was an emotional time and Yellowstone became a precious commodity. Images of the park before the fires became much more collectible and the number of Yellowstone collectors increased. The hand colored images on linen postcards were in high demand. The Fires of 1988 was a turning point in the collecting of Yellowstone Park souvenirs and postcards.

We believe the fires of 1988 brought attention to the park and made souvenirs of the park more collectible. Those included postcards. There were 2 more events that increased the awareness and popularity of Yellowstone postcards. Myself and another dealer, Tom Mulvaney, gave a presentation in 1996 at the Wichita (KS) Postcard Club Show based on national park postcards, with a emphasis on Yellowstone. This show is influential in the postcard hobby. It is in the Midwest and dealers and collectors throughout the country meet there once a year the third weekend of October. Tom and I showed examples of rare and collectible postcards and discussed why we believed they were a good topic to collect. This made a favorable impression on dealers and collectors. National park postcards became one of the most well-liked categories in the postcard hobby.

The other event that had a positive impact on Yellowstone antiques and souvenirs was the Haynes family estate auction held in Bozeman, Montana, in 1993. Isabel Haynes was the last remaining heir to the Haynes family. She passed away April 1, 1993. Her estate auction was the largest in the history of Gallatin County. The auction contained several boxes of Yellowstone postcards and various other Yellowstone-related antiques and souvenirs. We focused on this category and were successful in acquiring a large percentage, including all of the postcards. Our Yellowstone and Haynes-related collections increased in size and importance. This was the most significant event in the 20^th century to raise awareness of Yellowstone antiques and souvenirs.

The market for antiques and collectibles underwent a fundamental change with the advent of the internet. eBay was founded in 1995. We began to realize a shift in selling and buying antiques and collectibles soon afterward. This trend increased throughout the country and had a negative impact on antique shows. Dealers did not have to attend shows to sell to collectors. Collectors no longer had to attend shows to buy antiques. The cost of attending shows resulted in more people doing business over the internet. We sponsored a national park antique and paper show beginning in 1993 and discontinued this show in 1998 in part because of the effect of the internet.

The first few years of selling and buying antiques on the internet resulted in many rare and unique items coming on the market. Dealers could offer items for sale to an international customer base and collectors could buy items without having to travel. Prior to the internet collectors were limited to buying items they could see in person. The other option was to buy on approval through the mail. This was expensive and time consuming. The internet created a marketplace where buyers could list items for sale with images and descriptions. Collectors could shop from the comfort of their home and have numerous items to choose from. Money previously spent on traveling to shows and shops could be spent on items being offered for sale.

The internet had an enormous impact on antique shows and shops. One consequence of doing business on the internet was the negative effect on personal interactions between dealers and customers. The exchange of information and the social connections were lost by doing business remotely. The dealers and collectors we met and got to know in person were invaluable sources of information. The exchange of knowledge and interpretation of the items bought and sold would have been lost otherwise. The provenance and historical background was critical to the value and importance of the antiques and collectibles. This information was passed down over time. This interaction and exchange of ideas was mostly lost doing business on the internet.

I am unable to write down all the conversations we have had with dealers and collectors over the years. That is the main reason we are developing this website. There have been so many interactions and exchanges of ideas and information that it is impossible to record each one. The story and history of the numerous pieces we have bought and sold over the years are unique. We remember where we acquired different pieces and the history behind them.

The enduring quality of postcards is their educational aspects. This is true of any postcard. There is much information that can be gleaned from a postcard. I will go into more detail about this in a separate article. This is also true of other souvenirs and antiques. They tell a story and are windows into the past. The most we can know and realize about the past the better we can understand and appreciate the present. Historical perspective in invaluable. Postcards offer glimpses into the past that are unique to that format. Postcards with hand-written messages are even more informative and interesting.

This is one of several articles we plan to post on this website. It is our goal to share what we have learned through our collecting.

Jack and Susan Davis