Atlanta
Atlanta rebuilt rapidly after the Civil War and became the commercial capital of the region, a railroad hub with a growing skyline. The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition showcased the city, and while it predates the main postcard boom, souvenir cards and views associated with it are collected. Early twentieth-century views of Atlanta's streets, streetcars, Five Points, railroad stations and neighborhoods are common in printed form; real photos with activity are more interesting.
Savannah and the coast
Savannah's squares, waterfront, cotton exchange and shipping appear on many cards. The coast from Savannah to St. Marys includes Tybee Island, Brunswick, St. Simons and Jekyll Island, once a private club for wealthy families, and their resort and fishing scenes were photographed throughout the postcard era.
Cotton and market towns
Cotton shaped much of Georgia's economy, and market towns with courthouse squares, warehouses, gins and depots were busy on market days. Real photo cards of cotton wagons lining the streets, gins and warehouses are prized by collectors of Southern agriculture and of those towns.
Mills and mill villages
Textile mills spread across Georgia in the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially in the Piedmont and along rivers such as the Chattahoochee. Columbus, Augusta and many smaller towns had mills with surrounding villages of company houses. Real photos of mills, workers and mill villages are collected.
Naval stores and timber
South Georgia's pine forests supported a large naval stores industry, producing turpentine and rosin, along with sawmills and logging railroads. Real photo cards of turpentine camps, stills and workers are scarce and historically significant.
Peaches and farms
Georgia's peach orchards, pecan groves and farms appear on cards from the central part of the state, along with packing sheds and shipping scenes.
Places and subjects to look for
- Atlanta: streets, streetcars, railroad stations and neighborhoods.
- Savannah: squares, the waterfront, cotton exchange and shipping.
- The Golden Isles: St. Simons, Jekyll and Brunswick.
- Mill towns: Columbus, Augusta, and Piedmont mill villages.
- South Georgia: turpentine camps, sawmills and railroad towns.
- The mountains: North Georgia towns, resorts and early gold-mining history around Dahlonega.
- Courthouse squares in county seats across the state.
Railroads
Georgia's railroads made Atlanta, and depots in towns large and small were central to community life. Depot real photos with trains and people are popular with town and railroad collectors.
Real photos versus printed views
Atlanta and Savannah landmarks, Stone Mountain and resort views were printed in quantity. Real photos of small towns, mills and working scenes carry most of the value.
What is common
Printed views of Atlanta's buildings, Savannah's squares and later chrome resort and highway cards are plentiful.
Colleges and institutions
Georgia's colleges and universities, from Athens to Atlanta, along with academies, state institutions and hospitals, were photographed for postcards. Major campus views are common, but real photos of smaller schools, students and campus life interest local collectors.
Floods, fires and events
The great Atlanta fire of 1917 destroyed a large part of the city, and real photo postcards of the ruins were made and sold. Floods along Georgia's rivers, tornado damage, parades, fairs and political rallies were also photographed. Event real photos from identified Georgia towns are among the more collectible cards from the state, because each one records a specific moment that few other photographs captured.
Questions about Georgia postcards
Are old Atlanta postcards valuable? Common printed views are modest; real photos of streets, neighborhoods and events are more collectible.
Are turpentine camp postcards collectible? Yes, they are scarce and historically significant.
Are Georgia mill village postcards worth anything? Real photos of mills and villages are collected, especially identified ones.
Do you buy Georgia collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.
Why small Georgia towns matter most
Most of Georgia's 159 counties had only a few photographers working at any one time, and many small towns were photographed for postcards just a handful of times. A single real photo of a main street, a gin or a depot in a small county seat can be the only early image of that place that survives. That is why collectors of Georgia towns watch for plain, unlabeled real photo cards in mixed collections, and why it is worth describing every Georgia card in a collection, not only the familiar Atlanta and Savannah views.