I had a vague image of postcards of this style, but didn't remember when or where I saw them. When I searched on the internet, I guessed they were from the 1940s or 1950s. I pictured the big letters and the "greetings from . . ." I was excited to find plenty on ebay, and this one is my favorite. I love its colors and the "Rhode Island" font.Turns out this particular postcard was made in 1939. The company that made them, Curt Teich & Co., put an alphanumeric sequence on the lower right-hand corner that indicates (among other things) the production date. If you click on the image to make it larger, you'll see 9A-H1914. The first two characters indicate the year the postcard was made. The A is for the decade (A is for the 1930s, B is for the 1940s, etc.) and the 9 is for the year in that decade.
Some of you may recognize the landmarks in the letters. Interestingly, the bridge pictured is the Mount Hope Bridge, since the more impressive and better-known Newport Bridge wasn't built until the 196os. RI's State House is pictured in the "R" and The Breakers in Newport is pictured in the "E". Inside the "A" is purgatory chasm, which I visited for the first time just a few weeks ago.
I'm using this image not only here, but also elsewhere as part of a larger project I've undertaken. That project is, in turn, part of an even bigger project. Hopefully I will have the whole project done mid-May. Then I'll find out the results about a month or so after that. Don't worry--you'll get more specifics and be kept up-to-date by this blog or otherwise!
Someone drew or painted this beautiful image almost 70 years ago. It was put on numerous postcards that were saved as souvenirs or sent through the mail to friends and loved ones. Now, my using it here and elsewhere gives it renewed life. There are infinite possibilities for something special to find new purposes and directions. I'm wishing (and working on) the same for myself.
