Learn about history of postcards with Des Plaines History Center

The Des Plaines History Center announced that Katherine Hamilton-Smith, director of Public Affairs and Development for the Lake County Forest Preserve District, will present "Picture Postcards: The Happy Invention" as a virtual Coffee Talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.

Hamilton-Smith will be discussing the history behind postcards as cultural icons, including details about the world's largest public collection of postcards, the Curt Teich Postcard Archives.

The first picture postcards were printed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago - making Illinois the birthplace of the American picture postcard. Since those flowery Victorian originals, billions of postcards of every aspect of life have been printed.

"Almost everything you can imagine in the 20th century - good and bad - can be found printed on picture postcards. They are one of the most enduring forms of documentation in the history of visual communication," Hamilton-Smith said.

As the founding curator of the Teich Archives, Hamilton-Smith's talk will also touch on the unique role that Illinois and the Curt Teich Company played in the development of picture postcards, and their documentary power and significance.

Attendees will be able to join the event by following a Zoom link that will be available on the History Center's website, desplaineshistory.org, or can dial into the presentation via telephone.

The History Center's Coffee Talks are an adult program meant to invite public participation and discussion on a broad range of historical topics. This program is sponsored by the Illinois Humanities' Road Scholars program.

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