Why so many portrait postcards exist
In the early 1900s, photo studios across the country offered portraits printed on postcard paper, and they were inexpensive enough that families ordered them for every occasion: a new baby, a graduation, a wedding, a visit from relatives. People mailed them to family far away, and recipients pasted or slotted them into albums. Traveling photographers and amateurs added millions more. As a result, portrait postcards are the most common real photo postcards in almost any collection.
What makes a people postcard interesting to collectors
Collectors rarely buy a portrait for its own sake. They buy what the picture shows about the time.
Work and trades. A blacksmith at the anvil, a crew of miners with lamps, a baker in an apron with loaves, a mail carrier with a wagon, telephone operators at a switchboard. These are occupational cards, and they are among the most wanted. See occupational postcards.
Vehicles and machines. People posed with early automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, steam tractors or wagons. Transportation collectors look for these.
Uniforms and costumes. Soldiers, sailors, nurses, firefighters, band members, sports teams, lodge members in regalia, and people in theatrical or holiday costumes.
Animals. Families with dogs, cats, horses or unusual pets are popular with a wide range of collectors.
Interiors and storefronts. People inside a shop, office, classroom or parlor, especially with readable signs or merchandise.
Events. Picnics, reunions, parades, weddings in front of a church, crowds at a fair.
Identification. A name, a town or a date written on the card makes it far more useful to collectors and genealogists alike.
What keeps a portrait common
- Plain studio poses against a painted backdrop.
- No identification of person or place.
- Faded, blurry or heavily silvered images.
- Damage to the picture.
These still have some value in quantity, and they matter a great deal to families, but individually they sell for little.
Studio stamps and photographers
Many studio portraits carry the photographer's name and town, stamped or embossed on the front or back. That identifies the place even when the people are unknown, which adds a little interest for collectors of that town. It can also help families date and place unidentified relatives.
Portrait postcards and family history
For families, portrait postcards can be precious: they may be the only photographs of great-grandparents or of relatives who emigrated. Before a collection is sold, it is worth looking through the people pictures with older family members who might recognize faces, and scanning or photographing any you want to keep a copy of. The scanning guide explains how.
If the family decides to sell, the collection should still be kept together until it is valued; my quotes cover complete collections as they are, portraits included.
How I count portraits in a quote
When I look at a collection, studio portraits are counted as a group at modest value, while people pictures that show work, vehicles, uniforms, events or identified places are looked at individually. In many family albums, a handful of those stand out among dozens of plain portraits.
Reading the backgrounds
With portrait postcards, the most valuable details are often in the background, not the faces. Look for:
- Signs on buildings or in windows that name a business or town.
- Vehicles, from wagons and buggies to early cars, trucks and motorcycles.
- Tools and equipment that show a trade.
- Storefronts and interiors with merchandise on display.
- Landmarks such as a church, depot or courthouse.
A plain studio portrait of a couple is common. The same couple standing in front of their general store with the name painted across the window is a different card entirely, and one a local collector may be delighted to find.
Group photographs
School classes, sports teams, church groups, lodge members, work crews and family reunions were all photographed as postcards. Large outdoor groups with an identified place or organization are more interesting than small studio groups, and team and school photos with a year or name visible draw collectors of that town or institution.
Questions people ask
Are old photo postcards of people worth anything?
Most studio portraits are worth a little. People at work, with vehicles or animals, in uniforms, or identified by name and place are worth more.
Are postcards of unknown people collected?
Yes, mostly for what they show rather than who is in them. Unusual poses, settings and props draw interest.
Should I write the names on the back if I know them?
Not on the card itself. Write names on a separate note kept with the card, and mention them when you describe the collection.
Are baby and child portraits valuable?
Usually not, unless they show unusual toys, carriages, costumes or settings.
What about pictures of houses with families in front?
Interesting if the house or town is identified; collectors of that place may want them.
Telling a portrait real photo from a printed card
Portrait postcards are almost always real photographs, but it is worth confirming: look for smooth continuous tone with no printing dots under a magnifier, and check the back for a photo paper maker's mark in the stamp box. See dating real photos by the stamp box.
A note on respect
Every portrait postcard was someone's family. Collectors who buy them often do so because they find these faces moving: ordinary people dressed in their best, looking out from a century ago. Whether a portrait is sold or kept, it deserves to be handled with care and passed on to someone who will preserve it.
Sources and further reading
- Playle's: how to identify and date real photo postcards
- Library of Congress: care, handling and storage of photographs
Ready to sell? Compare where to sell old postcards, or see how to sell old postcards step by step.