“Easter Postcards”

Carroll County Times Article for 7 April 1996

By Jay A. Graybeal

The introduction of the postal card in the 1880s provided greeting card makers with a new medium for sending holiday wishes. American, German and British firms produced millions of cards for the American market. Those designed for Easter featured an almost endless array of chicks and bunnies or more religious motifs such as a Christian cross.

Preserving a scrapbook of post cards was a popular pastime well into the present century. These albums became important momentos and today provide a visual index of popular designs printing techniques and prose.
Photo caption 1: Chicks astride rabbits and the inscription, “A very happy Easter to you” decorate this card by the International Art Publishing Co. of New York and Berlin. Miss Mollie Shipley of Woodbine received the card from her sister Rebecca in 1912 with the message, “I remember you with a card of mirth–like it could be so. Isn’t they cute.” All cards are from the Historical Society of Carroll County collection.
Photo caption 2: The sender of this embossed postcard used it to send a message, “am sending potatoes today hope you get them alwrite” to Dr. Lauretta Shipley in Baltimore.
Photo caption 3: Looking much like a Christmas card, this embossed example is inscribed, “EASTER GREETING”. It also carried a sad message from its sender, “I am not well and in addition to rheumatism and night wakefulness and day sleepliness, I have pink eye.” for the recipient, Miss Minta Shipley in 1911.
Photo caption 4: Two chicks pulling on a plant was a common motif of card makers. The design of this embossed example by John Winsch was copyrighted in 1911 and featured the inscribed wish, “A JOYFUL EASTERTIDE”. It was sent to Miss Mollie Shipley of Woodbine in 1912.
Photo caption 5: An angle carrying a bouquet of lilies and the inscription, “Easter Joys” adorned this embossed card by James E. Pitts. It was not mailed but was given to Miss Minta Shipley.
Photo caption 6: A Christian cross, lilies and a butterfly decorate this card sent to Dr. Lauretta Shipley 1910. The sender also asked Dr. Shipley if she could purchase a “five hundred card book for 50 cts” presumably for storing a collection of postcards.