Vintage Postcards . High
Quality . High Resolution Digital Images .
Low Prices
Welcome! If you want to skip the intro, you may go directly to the Post Card Index. I get frequent requests for high resolution scans of postcards for print media, magazine articles, books, and special presentations. I've also had a good many requests for vintage city views for "Save The Date" cards for destination weddings and other events. As time permits, I will be restoring and adding vintage postcard images to this site, so check back frequently! I have added a Site Map of all postcard groups and "how to" pages. ABOUT ME. I am a retired residential real estate agent in northeast metro Atlanta, and an avid genealogist and historian. I host a number of personal genealogy, history and vintage postcard web sites. I've been an active volunteer and County and State Coordinator with the USGenWeb Project since 1999. Years ago, I began collecting vintage postcards as a way to enhance my genealogy web sites, and have developed a great love and appreciation for the histories of the places, the architecture, and the exquisite art of the postcards themselves. Although most postcard images were based on photographs, many are printed from hand painted images, and they remind me of paintings or tapestries. This site was created several years ago, and I am trying to make it the main page a little more mobile friendly. As it stands, the interior pages will work OK for tablets, but not so well for mobile phones. ABOUT THE POST CARDS Most of the cards in my collection are around 100 years old, and they've seen a lot of wear and tear. Often, the original cards are scuffed, dirty, cracked and yellowed. Sometimes, the postmark has bled through to the front of the card and marred the image. It's not unusual for the sender to have written a message on the front of the card, directly across the image. Flaws are not always obvious to the naked eye, but appear in a high resolution scan (and, thus, would appear in an enlargement). Actually, my favorite cards are high quality hand colored images in poor condition. It's very satisfying to restore them to their original beauty. I scan the postcards at high resolution (usually 600 dpi on a good quality original), and use Paint Shop Pro to "clean" the high resolution digital images of most obvious scuffing, creases, and dirt, color correct if needed, and remove all handwriting from the front of the cards. Here are some examples of how digital scans of poor original cards were color corrected and restored. Restored Images appear on this site in .72 dpi (low) resolution for quick page downloads. They will appear darker than the large high resolution image. Normally, I do not remove the caption, the publisher's logo, or the series number, unless I believe it presents a serious distraction. If you love one of the stock images but do not want the caption, let me know. I may be able to remove it easily. These high resolution images will provide a crisp, clear copy in the original postcard size, and most will work well for enlargements suitable for framing. Here are a few examples of enlargements of high quality postcard images and some ideas for framing. Some original postcards are of higher quality than others, and enlargements will vary in quality. For the best results, I recommend not enlarging more than 4-5 times the size of the original postcard. HISTORIC ACCURACY Postcards were at their height of popularity from about 1905 through the 1950s. Many of the early view cards were based on a photograph and printed from a hand colored master original. In those, you may see great attention to detail and shades and colors. Others may be machine printed. Many early cards were finished in Germany, by artists who never saw the subject. They used their artistic creativity, sometimes referencing common finishing detail of European buildings. It's not unusual to find two cards of the same view colored very differently. Here are some interesting examples . My suggestion is just to enjoy the image as it is, and not look too closely for historic accuracy! CUSTOM ORDERS I regret that I do not have the time to do custom restorations at this time. If you have seen an image on one of my vintage postcard sites, and want to be notified when that image has been restored, please email me at patriciasabin2012@gmail.com or patricia.sabin@comcast.net . TERMS OF USE Unless otherwise indicated, these high resolution digital images are for personal use. If you are interested in an image for a publication in print media, or for a business presentation or display, I will provide a release for a specific project. The digital images may not be distributed, nor may they be used in the creation of any product for sale without written permission. I prefer PayPal, which allows you make a secure payment using your credit or debit card without sharing your personal information with the seller. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE IF YOU PREFER TO HAVE YOUR IMAGE EMAILED TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE ASSOCIATED WITH PAYPAL. I will only snail mail if there are multiple images in your order. if you prefer to pay by check, just e-mail me and I will e-mail an invoice with an address to mail the check. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. Your satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed. Thank you for visiting! Patricia "Pat" Sabin. Learn More About Secure Online Payments with your credit card, debit card, or bank account via PayPal |
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VINTAGE POSTCARD DIGITAL IMAGES |
CALIFORNIA POSTCARD IMAGES |
San Francisco |
CONNECTICUT POSTCARD IMAGES |
Connecticut |
GEORGIA POSTCARD IMAGES
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Atlanta, GA (3 Pages) Other Georgia Towns and Cities |
ILLINOIS POSTCARD IMAGES |
Naperville, IL |
ILLINOIS LITHOGRAPH IMAGES |
Chicago 19th Century Lithographic Images |
LOUISIANA POSTCARD IMAGES
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New Orleans |
NEW YORK POSTCARD IMAGES
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New York City (2 Pages) |
NORTH CAROLINA POSTCARD IMAGES
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Asheville |
POSTCARD
BACKS
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Postmarked, Stamped Backs and Blank Backs |
SOUTH
CAROLINA
POSTCARD IMAGES |
Charleston, SC (2 Pages). Isle of Palms Other South Carolina Towns and Cities |
TENNESSEE POSTCARD IMAGES
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Towns and Cities of East Tennessee |
TEXAS POSTCARD IMAGES
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Galveston |