Private Mailing Cards and the Evolution of Fredericksburg Souvenirs

One of our most recognizable tourist souvenirs is the postcard. Practically anyplace where history minded travelers will congregate one can find a modest selection of picture postcards available for sale. Inexpensive, and easily dropped in a local mail box before leaving town, souvenir postcards have been around for more than a century in the United States.

Their origin is a bit of history in itself. Popularized during the “fin de siècle” era in France, the American roots derive from the May 19, 1898 Private Mailing Card Act. Prior to that date, the United States Post Office had been the only entity that could legally produce cards of this nature. Even after entrepreneurs entered the market, there were strict rules as to the design and use of these cards. During the first three years after the act, the government continued to retain the rights to the words “Post Card” and required privately produced cards carry the term “Private Mailing Card” on the non-illustrated, or backside, of the card. Until 1907, the backside was also strictly reserved for the intended mailing address.

With this in mind, early producers of the cards provided open space around the illustration, usually to one side or below. Some of the earliest examples placed the image as a vignette in the center of the card, providing a larger area for senders to express best wishes and a short note to their friends and loved ones back home. The brevity of space on most cards popularized the terse “having a nice time, wish you were here” greeting.

Relief for verbose travelers came in 1907 with the introduction of “divided back” cards, allowing for the right side to contain the address information and the left side for a more relaxed message space. Along with this change came an opportunity for a full front image.

 Picture postcards became extremely popular and a variety of publishers were more than willing to provide assorted images of the battlefield and other historic sites around the region to meet the demand.

Some of the earliest local publishers of picture postcards were Ferris T. Cassidy, a druggist and physician at 622 Caroline Street,  J. Willard Adams, a bookstore owner at various addresses, also on Caroline Street, and W. E. Lang who ran a home furnishings store. Following on their heels would be printer and stationer, Robert Kishpaugh, and druggist William L. Bond who came to Fredericksburg in 1907. Many of the later Bond postcards are easily recognizable because Bond had images produced with him standing on a corner or walking by the subject. As the postcard’s popularity grew exponentially, Kishpaugh and Bond both began to produce hand-colored cards. After World War I, both men dominated the local market.

Robert Kishpaugh, who started his fledgling printing business in 1894 at the age of 15, operated that enterprise and a popular stationery store in town for nearly seventy years. Besides postcards, he produced a large array of tourism oriented souvenir booklets and maps. He died at his home on April 20, 1965 at the age of 86.

Today, collectors of postcards can find a ready supply on the EBay auction site or at collectibles shows across the country. Fredericksburg material has a loyal, local collector base, which habitually scan the auction listings for uncommon views. The earliest images are always in demand and command the higher values.

John Cummings is a visual historian and the author of two books on the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania region, the newest due out June 27. He has also written for several national and local magazines and newspapers, and provided historical research and commentary for three documentary films. John has served on the former Spotsylvania Courthouse Tourism and Special Events Commission, and is the chairperson for the Friends of Fredericksburg Area Battlefields, (FoFAB). Visit his blog at: http://spotsylvaniacw.blogspot.com/