Skip to main content

Exploring Chicago History with Vintage Postcards





Welcome to my blog that examines Chicago history by viewing vintage postcards. I am a journalist, amateur philatelist and postcard collector. Deltiology is the study of postcards. My blog posts dive into the history of deltiology with a focus on Chicago. Most of the postcards featured here are from my personal collection. My wife, a professional book editor, also edits these posts. One of my first loves was to view vintage postcards of this amazing city and read about its unique history. I now want to share these beautiful images and stories with you. Please feel free to share your comments and stories. You can also email me at josephruzich@gmail.com.


Published by Curt Teich & Co., Inc.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 25, 2020 at 9:24 PM

    These postcards and their accompanying explanations are incredibly interesting. The website has a clean design, crisp photos, and the write ups are first rate. Well done! Looking forward to the next cards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Forgotten Chicago: Examining Vintage PostcardsMarch 29, 2020 at 8:40 PM

      Thank you very much! Please click on the "follow me" button on the website and also include your email in the subscribe area if you can. I am having trouble getting readers so please share the website with others. Thank You, Joe Ruzich.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marshall Field's at Christmas

  The aisle on the first floor of the State Street store is 358 feet long. Postcard publisher is unknown.  Many Chicagoans continue to miss visiting Marshall Field’s during the holiday season. Just talking about the famed Christmas windows and holiday decorations brings about memories of the department store’s glory days. Many of us can recall the strong smell of perfume that would greet visitors upon entering the flagship State Street store, along with the huge white Romanesque columns decorated with Christmas fare on the first floor. The real fun, however, was taking the elevator to the 7 th floor to get a glimpse of the giant Christmas tree inside the Walnut Room restaurant. The best place to view the tree was one floor up on a balcony area. Christmas decorations on the first floor. Postcard publisher is unknown.  Frango mint chocolates were piled high in various areas throughout the store, and many visitors couldn’t resist buying a box. Frango chocolates were once made in a kitc
2 comments
Read more

Postcard Spotlight: Marina City in 3-D

A 3-D image of the Marina City towers on State Street and the Chicago River at night. The back of the postcard indicates that the towers are 60 stories tall and boast 896 apartments. The buildings also have 20 floors of auto parking and a 600-boat parking area. At the time of the printing of this postcard in the 1960s, Marina City also had a movie theater, shops, restaurants, a swimming pool, a skating rink, and a 3-acre park. The total cost of construction was $36 million.  Postcard published by Aero Distributing Co., Inc., of Chicago. Photo by Bill Engdahl with Hedrich Blessing Photographers.  The postcard is a Curteichcolor 3-D natural color reproduction.
Post a Comment
Read more

Chicago's Christmas Characters

Marshall Field & Company's State Street store decorated for the Christmas Holiday. Postcard publisher is unknown.           The Christmas characters known as the Cinnamon Bear, Uncle Mistletoe, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can all be traced back to Chicago department stores.  The Cinnamon Bear radio program first aired in the weeks leading up to Christmas in 1937. The program was produced in Hollywood and aired around the country but was sponsored by Wieboldt’s department store in Chicago and the Oregon-based department store Lipman-Wolfe and Co. Wieboldt’s sold stuffed Cinnamon Bear toys for $2.98 a piece and gave out Cinnamon Bear buttons to children who visited the store to see Santa Claus.                Cinnamon Bear’s official name was Paddy O’Cinnamon, and he spoke with an Irish brogue. The show consisted of 26 15-minutes episodes and told the story of how the bear helps lead a pair of twins to Maybe Land to search for a silver star. Cinnamon Bear also had a shor
1 comment
Read more