Divided back or not? A history tip about vintage postcards

back1.jpg

Back of 1901 postcard

Exclusively for the address.

Postcards did not always have a space on the back for the message and the address. Before 1907, in the United States, the back of postcards could only be used for the address. That meant the message had to be written on the front along with the image. On most postcards, there was very little space to squeeze in a message. This led to pretty condensed messages and very little punctuation. This is one sure-fire way to know if a vintage postcard is from the era before 1907. The postcards below are examples of the front of the card used for the message and the back of the card used for the address. 

Click image to enlarge.

HistoryJana Garneraddress, message, historyComment