Dan Ellis

Bay Postcards Dan Ellis

The U. S. Post Office held a monopoly on "Postcards" until May 19, 1898, when Congress passed an Act that allowed private publishers and printers to produce what was called "souvenir cards." It wasn't until 1901 that private companies could use the term "postcard." History can be tracked on postcards from historical buildings to people, art, holidays, and more. Postcards were not allowed to have a "divided back" and correspondents could only write on the front of the postcard. It was not until March 1, 1907 that private citizens were allowed to write on the address side of a postcard, which was termed a "divided back."