Why expositions matter in postcard history
The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago produced some of the first American picture postcards sold to the public as souvenirs, and they helped popularize the idea of the picture postcard itself. From then on, every major American fair produced cards in great quantity, often through official publishers who held the right to sell them on the grounds. Visitors mailed them home from the fair's own post office, and many survive with special fair postmarks.
The major American fairs
| Year | Fair | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1893 | World's Columbian Exposition | Chicago, Illinois |
| 1898 | Trans-Mississippi Exposition | Omaha, Nebraska |
| 1901 | Pan-American Exposition | Buffalo, New York |
| 1904 | Louisiana Purchase Exposition | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 1905 | Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition | Portland, Oregon |
| 1907 | Jamestown Exposition | Norfolk, Virginia |
| 1909 | Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition | Seattle, Washington |
| 1915 | Panama-Pacific International Exposition | San Francisco, California |
| 1915 | Panama-California Exposition | San Diego, California |
| 1926 | Sesquicentennial Exposition | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 1933 | Century of Progress | Chicago, Illinois |
| 1939 | New York World's Fair | New York, New York |
Many smaller regional fairs and expositions also issued cards, and these are often scarcer than cards from the famous fairs.
What collectors look for
Early fairs. Cards from 1893 and 1898 are early in postcard history and less common, and many are private mailing cards or undivided backs.
Official series and publishers. Each major fair had official card publishers, and collectors try to assemble complete series, often numbered.
Real photo views. Real photo cards of buildings, crowds, exhibits and midway attractions are scarcer than printed official views.
Unusual exhibits and midway scenes. Cards of particular state buildings, foreign pavilions, rides and novelties are often more interesting than general views of the main palaces.
Novelty cards. Some fairs produced hold-to-light, mechanical and other novelty cards. See hold-to-light postcards.
Fair postmarks. Cards mailed from a fair's on-site post office carry special cancels that exposition and postal history collectors seek.
Condition. Because many fair cards survive, collectors can be selective, and clean, bright examples are preferred.
Common fair cards
General views of the main exhibition buildings, printed in large quantities by official publishers, are the most common exposition cards. The 1904 St. Louis and 1915 San Francisco fairs, both very large and heavily visited, produced especially large numbers of cards. Individually most sell for modest amounts; complete sets and unusual views do better.
How to identify a fair card
Most fair cards name the exposition on the front or back, often with the official publisher's name and a series number. Pictures typically show grand white exhibition palaces, lagoons, towers and crowds. If a card mentions an exposition by name, it is an exposition card; a fair postmark confirms it was mailed from the grounds.
Exposition cards in a collection
Fair cards turn up in many family albums, because attending a world's fair was a major event and visitors mailed cards home. A run of cards from one fair, with messages describing the visit, is a pleasant find. I count them with the rest of the collection and look closely at early fairs, real photos and novelties.
Other fair souvenirs
Collections sometimes include other paper souvenirs from fairs: tickets, guidebooks, maps, booklets and stereoviews. Mention them when you describe a collection. Exposition collectors often want them alongside the postcards.
Building a fair collection
Exposition collectors often focus on a single fair and try to gather every official card, every publisher's series and every postmark variety. Others collect a theme across fairs: state buildings, transportation exhibits, or foreign pavilions. Because so many fair cards survive, a collector can build a large collection affordably, and the scarce cards, such as early fairs, real photos, novelties and unusual exhibits, become the prizes.
Fairs as a window on their time
World's fairs showcased the technology, architecture and ambitions of their era: electric lighting, automobiles, aircraft, new consumer products and visions of the future. Their postcards record buildings that were mostly temporary and torn down after the fair closed, so for many structures the cards are among the best surviving images.
Questions people ask
Are 1904 World's Fair postcards worth anything?
Most official views are common and modest in value; real photos, unusual subjects, hold-to-lights and cards with fair postmarks are worth more.
What is the oldest American exposition postcard?
Cards from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition are among the earliest American picture postcards sold as souvenirs.
Are 1939 New York World's Fair postcards valuable?
Most are common linens and chromes; unusual views and fine condition add interest.
Should I keep a set of fair cards together?
Yes. A complete or near-complete official series is worth more together.
Do you buy exposition postcard collections?
Yes, as complete collections, whether a single fair or many.
The fair post office
Large fairs operated their own post offices, and visitors used them heavily. A card bought, written and mailed on the grounds carries a postmark naming the exposition, which links it directly to the event. Exposition collectors value these used cards, sometimes more than unused examples, because the postmark proves where the card was sent from and when. If your collection has fair cards with exposition postmarks, mention them; they are one of the details that lift a common view.
Smaller regional fairs
Beyond the famous world's fairs, many states and cities held their own expositions, jubilees and centennials in the early twentieth century. Cards from these smaller events were printed in far smaller numbers, and some are quite scarce. A card from a regional exposition, a state centennial or a city's anniversary celebration can be more interesting to collectors than a common view of the 1904 fair, simply because fewer survive.
Were exposition postcards made in Germany? Many printed official views were, particularly for the earlier fairs, while real photo cards were made by local photographers.
Are exposition souvenir folders and booklets collectible? Some are, especially from early fairs. Mention them when you describe a collection; exposition collectors often want them with the postcards.
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