Explore history of picture postcards in virtual program March 22

Illinois is the birthplace of the American picture postcard, a souvenir of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Katherine Hamilton-Smith, former director of cultural resources for the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville and founding curator of the Curt Teich postcard, will discuss the impact from the billions of postcards produced in this country and abroad when she presents "Picture Postcards: The Happy Invention" at 7 p.m., Monday, March 22.

This free, virtual program, offered by the McHenry County Historical Society, is made possible by a grant from Illinois Humanities. Attendees must register in advance on the MCHS website at www.gothistory.org to receive the access code.

"I have a background in art and art history," Hamilton-Smith said. "We do know that 20th century artists and architects often collected postcards because they are very visual. I certainly am interested in collecting something that is visually interesting to me."

Hamilton-Smith, now director of public affairs and development for the Lake County Forest Preserves, has maintained a professional interest in archives and museum work. She studied art history and music history at St. Andrews University in Scotland. She also earned a master's degree in art history from the University of Nebraska and a master's degree in art and music history from the University of Chicago.

Fresh out of college in 1982, Hamilton-Smith oversaw the transfer and preservation of about 2.5 million postcards and related materials from the Curt Teich & Co. archives to the now former Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda and ultimately to Chicago's Newberry Library.

"Postcards are very likable. They are a tiny, physical manifestation of an image and a communication of somebody's experience there," Hamilton-Smith said. "Let's say you went to New York City and you are bound up in this great experience. It's partly a human experience, partly a time peg, partly the impact of an image by text. It has a stamp that adds to its graphic power - and it's sent through the mail. It's pretty powerful for what it is."

"I learned to have respect for what is common and not to discount something that is so ubiquitous," she said. "They (postcards) are so basic in a way, that they can be discounted. But there is art and there is history."

Upcoming programs in the MCHS Sampler Lecture Series are:

• 7 p.m. Monday, April 5: Historic Instruments of Illinois. Chris Vallillo, a singer/songwriter and folklorist from Moline, has restored and collected Illinois stringed instruments for more than 30 years. He will discuss the development of Illinois instrument building as he performs period music on more than a dozen historic instruments - from handmade masterpieces to $3 mail-order gems.

• 7 p.m. Monday, April 19: The Life Cycle of Clothing in the 19th Century. Presented by Erika Holst, curator of history at the Illinois State Museum. Americans invested a tremendous amount of labor into making and maintaining their wardrobes during the 19th century. Explore the life cycle of clothing during the 1800s: how it was created, mended, remade, washed, and ultimately recycled.