19th Century Picture Postcards

Q. Were some personal photographs printed with a postcard-like back? I am just now going through old photos belonging to my cousin. Many are unidentifiable black-and-white postcards. One postcard, however, my cousin identified as being people he could recognize. This makes me wonder if some of the other unlabeled postcards aren’t photographs taken by a relative.

A. In the late 19th century, the picture postcard became an inexpensive way to mail images to friends and relatives. You could purchase postcard views of locations sold by the Detroit Photographic Co. and others, or you could request to have your portrait printed as a postcard by a local photography studio. (Crown, 1976).