Category: Postcards From Another Millennium

Postcards from various decades of the 20th century.

Kitchen Garden, Mount Vernon, Virginia

This image from Mount Vernon, Virginia shows a portion of the kitchen garden. These were name this as they were filled with fruits and vegetables grown and harvested for the estate kitchen, unlike the more ornamental gardens populated with flowers and shrubs.

M.V.L.A.

The plants most easily visible appear to be grapevines. The caption on the back of the card states only “View in the Kitchen Garden, Mount Vernon.”
This card is believed to date from the 1940s.

Washington’s Study, Mount Vernon, Virginia

This is an image of George Washington’s desk and chair as it might have looked just before his death in 1799.

M.V.LA.

The back of the card states only “General Washington’s Desk and Chair, Mount Vernon.
A visual curiosity is present in this image. Directly behind the main chair, highlighted against the bright yellow curtains, is a three part candle stand. Initial investigation seems to indicate that the stand is simply floating in the air.
Closer examination indicates there is a narrow brass pipe stand holding the platform up, which coincides exactly with a fold in the yellow curtains, causing the pipe stand to essentially disappear.
It is believed this postcard dates from the 1940s.

Music Room, Mt. Vernon, Virginia

This card highlights a harpsichord purchased by George Washington for his step-granddaughter, Nellie Custis. The room is now more correctly called the Small Parlor, after its conversion from a bedroom in its earlier days.

M.V.L.A.

The description on the back states simply “The Music Room at Mount Vernon.
This card is believed to date from the 1940s.

Mount Vernon, Virginia

This week features views of the George Washington family home and estate known as Mount Vernon. It is located near Alexandria, Virginia not far south of Washington D.C, and is a popular tourist destination. This image features the main house.
The description is simply:
The Mount Vernon Mansion, East Front.
–As can be seen on the card, this image dates from the 1930s.

Nashville, Tennessee Folio

These images feature important and historical buildings and structures in and around the capitol of Tennessee. Nashville is located in the center of the state, which is long east to west and relatively narrow north to south.

All images Plastichrome by Colorpicture, Boston, MA 02130









This  collection was most likely published in the 1960s.

Country Scene with Wagon, Mississippi

This card shows a composed scene of an African-American couple riding a cargo wagon pulled by two mules. The couple is dressed in clothes typical of rural southern farmers, and there are examples of equipment and supplies common to farmers stowed in the wagon.

Color by Hubert A. Lowman

The description states:
GOING HOME…A scene almost forgotten in the New South.
–Such scenes were familiar into the 1950s in impoverished rural areas. This card dates from the 1960s.

Magnolia Blossom, Mississippi

This image is of another iconic flower of the southern United States, the Magnolia.

Color by Hubert A. Lowman

The description states:
THE MAGNOLIA…is the State Flower of Mississippi. This beautiful flower of the evergreen tree “Magnolia Grandiflora” is seen throughout the South in the late Spring and early Summer.
–The card is part of a large series of cards that dates from the 1960s.

Child in the Cotton, Mississippi

This image is a posed photo of an African-American child viewing the bolls of cotton growing on the plants all around him.

Pub. by Deep South Specialties, Inc.

The description states simply: “Picking Cotton”
This image is part of a much larger series labelled “A Deep South Card”, and likely dates from the 1960s.