Forgotten Chicago: Examining Vintage Postcards

A busy person’s correspondence card was perfect for those in a hurry and others who just didn’t know what to write on the back of a postcard. By marking the little boxes, similar to filling out a survey, a message is created when read from start to finish. Some may mark the boxes in such a way that the end result is funny. Most of these postcards also include an image. This postcard features the Wrigley Building and the Chicago Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue. Maybe one day email services will offer a similar option to help those who don't like to write. This postcard is from the "linen era" from 1930 to 1945. While the colors in the images are brighter due to the high rag content in them, experts say the images are not as clear as they are in postcards from previous decades, and cheap dyes often make the quality of the images worse. This postcard was published by Cameo Greeting Card Co. of Chicago.

People walk and browse through items for sale on Maxwell Street. This postcard shows the market in the early 1900s. Published  by V.O. Hammon Publishing Co. of Chicago. Maxwell Street was more than just a street market. It was a melting pot of different cultures and a place where people came to sell and buy a variety of items from shoelaces to ethnic foods. European Jews established the open-air street market near Roosevelt Road and Halsted Streets in the late 19 th century. Other cultures soon started to come to the market, including the Irish, Italians, Greeks, Poles, and Russians. People also came to the market to enjoy music by street performers.  African Americans, who came to the neighborhood after World War I, brought with them a unique type of music: Mississippi-style Delta blues. It was later referred to as the “Chicago Blues,” after electric amplification was added.  “Each succeeding culture brought the comforts of home with them--their tra...