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Ralph Eddy and and his wife Lillie at his post card stand at Wahkeenah Falls, in the 1920’s

Post cards, as we know them, came into being in 1901.  Prior to that time, there were trade cards and postal cards, which usually carried advertising or printed messages. Trade cards became popular with the enterprising merchants who distributed them in the 1870’s. With the advent of the camera, which was developed in the mid-1800’s, and later the post card, history would be forever immortalized in print.

Graphics common on the back of a Postal Card

Private Mailing Cards were authorized on May 19, 1898. The back was for the address only.

Graphics commonly seen on a Private Mailing Card

In 1901, the “Undivided Back” post card replaced the Private Mailing Card. Like the Private Mailing Card, the Post Office mandated that the “Undivided Back” could only contain the address, no other writing. On December 24, 1901, the U.S. Government allowed the use of the words “Post Card” to be printed on the undivided back of privately printed cards where the name and address of the recipient were written. They allowed a stamp box in the upper right and they allowed the publishers to drop the authorization inscription previously required by law.

On March 1, 1907, the age of the “Divided Back”, which contains a section for the address and a section for a note, was ushered in. In 1915, post cards appeared with a “white border” which contains title information. “Linen” cards became dominant in the 1930’s and “chromes” first appeared in 1939.

There are three basic categories of traditional post cards: real photo, lithographed and special cards which could be made of wood, leather, metal, silk or any other material that could be mailed. These special cards were usually made by hand.

“Real photos” are created by exposing a negative directly onto photographic paper and they provide a quality black and white photographic record of history in the making. They can usually be enlarged somewhat without losing image quality. “Lithographs”, became popular with the patrons of the Amusement Parks and Expositions and they were printed in great quantity in Germany. Lithos are known for their sharp images and brightly colored inks. They are still being printed today with an added “chrome” coating.

Nearly all of the litho post cards were made from a photograph. The images were enlarged and by using a process known as color separation, the photographic images were converted into many thousands of tiny dots, which were used to shade in the varying colors of ink as they were printed. Most of the post cards were printed in Germany where they developed advanced techniques in color separation and lithography. Many times cars or pedestrians were added to enhance the excitement.

Among the prominent names in Oregon Post Card History were Wesley Andrews, B.B. Bakowski, Arthur Cross, Edward Dimmitt, Ralph Eddy, Benjamin Gifford and Edwin Patton. They lived during the Golden Age of the Post Card, which began in 1901 and lasted until 1918. By 1916, the popularity of the Post Card was on the decline.

Oregon’s biggest event happened just as Post Cards began to boom in popularity. The Lewis & Clark Exposition opened in 1905 as Portland took center stage in its own World’s Fair. This event was single-handedly responsible for the production of 450 different post cards. Beautiful European-produced lithographs made up the bulk of these post cards. Also produced at the fair were leather, wood, copper and aluminum post cards.

Several Portland post card publishers got their start at the Lewis & Clark Expo: B.B. Rich and D.M. Averill, as well as E.P. Charlton. Lipschuetz & Katz started publishing post cards in the years after the Expo, as did the prolific Portland Post Card Co. which became an official publisher at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle in 1909.

When Oregon held its next biggest event in 1959, the Oregon Centennial, thirty different colored chrome post cards were produced and fifteen different black & white photo cards were also produced.

Charles Wesley Andrews was born December 10, 1875 in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. He set up his first studio at Baker, Oregon in 1904. He captured many early Oregon views and was perhaps best known for his perfectly framed shots of the beautiful Oregon Coast. For a time, he was publisher of the Morning Democrat.

In the 1920’s, Wesley Andrews moved his production studios to Portland. Eventually, the business was sold to Herb Goldsmith. Andrews died in Portland on December 22, 1950.

Bruno Bakowski was a noted post card photographer from Central Oregon, who was well known for his post cards of scenic Central and Eastern Oregon, stage and freighter wagons and signature city views. His post cards are sequentially numbered and he produced over 3500  views.

Bakowski first operated a studio in LaGrande, Oregon in 1908. Over the next three years, he also operated Oregon Art Co., a studio at Bend. His cards were signed either “B.B. Bakowski” or “Oregon Art Co.”

On a photo shooting trip to Crater Lake, Bakowski disappeared in 1911 while photographing Crater Lake during a winter blizzard. Search parties found his camp and camera but his body was never recovered. According to the local press, the Medford Mail Tribune, reported search parties were looking for him on Feb. 22, 1911 then on March 1, 1911, the Mail Tribune reported that Bakowski was presumed dead.

Arthur B. Cross partnered with Edward L. Dimmitt to sell real photo post cards of the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood and Portland. Cross opened his Electric Studio in Portland in 1909. Dimmitt was born in 1881 in Columbia, Missouri. In 1909, Dimmitt was first listed in the Portland City Directory as a waiter. In 1914, he began working for Cross at the Electric Studio. In 1916, they became partners and named their business “Cross & Dimmitt”.

Cross & Dimmitt sold post cards off the running boards of their Model T at Crown Point as the Columbia River Highway was under construction. A set of 20 views, which are fairly common today, sold for $1. Their business grew and they built a post card stand at Crown Point. In the 1920’s, they set up a studio at 72nd and Sandy Boulevard in Portland. Cross died August 6, 1940 and Dimmitt died on April 26, 1963 at the age of 82. He had managed the Vista House for 40 years.

In 1908, Gifford moved to Portland, selling the studio in The Dalles to his manager, Charles Lamb. He became a contract photographer for the railroads and documented scenes from the Northwest to Yellowstone.  In 1920, Benjamin Gifford retired and moved to Salmon Creek, just north of Vancouver, Washington. Gifford’s son, Ralph I., operated the White River Studio on the Mt. Hood Loop Highway on the east side of Government Camp during the 1920’s. It was later sold to Forest Ranger and Guide, Ray Filloon.

Filloon’s White River Studio, circa 1930’s

Benjamin Gifford died in 1936 at his home near Vancouver, Washington. Ralph Gifford teamed with the State of Oregon’s Highway Division to establish an archive for negatives of photographs that were used to promote Oregon Tourism. Ralph eventually sold the Gifford negatives to Sawyer in the 1940’s.

Benjamin Clayton Markham was born September 11, 1881. In 1900, at the age of 19, he headed west from Illinois to New Whatcom, Washington, near Bellingham where he was an engineer in a logging camp. His younger brother Ora, who was 18, convinced Ben to quit the logging business and buy two cameras so they could become partners. Ora moved from Peoria, Illinois out to New Whatcom and they started taking picture post cards of the lumberjacks in the logging camps.

The Markham brothers moved on to Seattle, then to Portland in December 1903. Ben worked for Woodard Clark Company, one of the largest photo supply houses in the Northwest. Several months later, they split up and went their separate ways. Ben moved to San Francisco and worked at a photo supply house. Ora went to Everett, Tacoma and Spokane, then to Oakland, California before traveling throughout the country.

Both Markham brothers moved back to Portland. Ora arrived in 1911, buying the Marcel Studio and building a very successful career as a portrait photographer; and Ben in 1912, where he worked at the Blumauer Photo Supply Company. In 1914, Ben teamed with his boss, Nelson Pike and bought out Blumauer. The Pike & Markham Company operated until 1919 when the partnership was dissolved. Markham became an automotive mechanic for several years.

In 1925, Ben moved to The Dalles where he set up a new studio at age 45, in a town dominated by the Gifford Studio. He specialized in photographing Central Oregon farmers, their families and their hired hands. His legendary views of Native Americans in authentic dress are highly sought after today.

Markham survived the initial shock of the Great Depression in 1929, but eventually sold his studio to Everett Olmstead on April 14, 1933. Markham retained most of his negatives and moved to Portland again, where he continued to sell post cards. In the next few months, Ben became the Staff Photographer for Olds Wortman and King, one of Portland’s prominent department stores. By 1939, Markham became the manager of Olds and King’s Camera Department and he continued to sell post cards of his work from the 1920’s. On December 25, 1942, B.C. Markham died of a heart attack at his home.

Patton’s Post Card Hall in Salem was the largest Post Card Store in the Northwest

A.M. (Arthur) Prentiss got his start at Marshfield, Oregon about 1908. His views of shipwrecks have become highly sought after. He soon moved to Portland where was an early photographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. His views of the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast were published in brochures and other publications. Many of his negatives were used for post cards.

A.L. (Albert) Thomas had a studio and souvenir store in Newport, Oregon from 1904 to 1916. He sold pictures, post cards and souvenir picture books of the Newport and Nye Beach areas. He is known to have published at least 35 different real photo post cards of the Central Oregon Coast. Mrs. Thomas would hand color them. His souvenir book of Newport and Nye Beach views was copyrighted in 1905. He also sold birthday cards, wedding, anniversary, and congratulation cards. Later, in 1911, he sold agate jewelry, baskets, shells and curios.

Oliver Cooper Yocum was born September 16, 1842 in Springfield, Missouri. When he turned five, his family set out for the Oregon Country with two pair of oxen and a covered wagon. They arrived in Oregon City on October 30, 1847. In 1880, he went to work for I.G. Davidson the Photographer. Five years later, he opened his own gallery. Yocum manufactured the first dry plates ever made in Oregon, but didn’t specifically produce post cards.

After five more years, Yocum became a surveyor and then he became a guide on Mt. Hood. He made his first ascent to the summit of Mt. Hood in 1883 and carried the first camera to the summit. Yocum built the first hotel at Government Camp (when it was known as Pompeii) in 1900. He briefly served as Postmaster. In 1911, he gave up his mountaineering and began working for the North Pacific Dental College as an assistant in the chemical laboratory. He died in Dayton, Oregon on March 13, 1928.

Cal and Grace Calvert at Oswego, Oregon in 1918

Charles E. (Cal) Calvert operated his Mazeograph Studio at Sixth & Ankeny from 1906 to 1930. When Council Crest Amusement Park opened, Calvert had a studio and post card stand at Council Crest in 1907. He also operated a studio at the Washington Street entrance to City Park in 1910.

Cal Calvert post card backs from the Mazeograph Studios at Sixth & Ankeny and City Park at the Washington Street entrance

Cal Calvert’s specialty was fast post cards. The portraits were printed on ready-to-mail Cyko post card paper. Studio backdrops and setups were arranged next to each other in the studio. Presumably the customer would select one and move into position, the photographer would aim the camera, and ten minutes later the patron would have their custom post cards. This studio is well known for it's humorous setup and backdrop of an airplane over Portland which was first used during a Rose Festival celebration.

The airplane over Portland prop was one of Calvert’s most popular backdrops

There was also a Calvert’s Studio across the street from the Southern Pacific Depot in Oregon City, it was run by Harry Calvert (no relation) and his wife Alvida. The studio operated from 1915 to 1925. (Thanks to Robert Keeler of Clackamas County for providing this information.)

Bonney Photo Studio operated for several years in Estacada beginning in 1908. Operating individually, F.E. Boner and E.F. Surface also published post cards in Estacada about the same time.

Carlton Sawyer established a studio in Portland in 1911 where he produced his famous “Sawyer’s Scenic Photos” until 1917. Sawyer sold the business in 1919 and Sawyers later invented the View Master, which is still sold today.

Smith’s Scenic Views began producing post cards in the 1930’s in Salem. They still have operations in Portland and Tacoma.

Eugene Everett Lavalleur was the lead photographer for Patton Post Card Company  from 1911 to 1918. He acquired the post card business from Patton Brothers and renamed it Pacific Photo Company. In the 1920’s, Lavalleur sold the negatives and equipment to Wesley Andrews.

Seaside was home to several notable photographers beginning with William J. Montag in 1909. The Montag studio changed hands over the years. It was operated by Leslie Hale in the 1930’s and 1940’s. A listing in the Seaside Telephone Directory for 1951 gives “John Boyer – Montag Film Shop and Studio at 107 Prom – Phone 433”. (Information provided by Dave Elston) Pope Photo Studio was known to have produced post cards of Seaside and Hillsboro.

Other early Oregon photographers included Archibald of Bridal Veil. Robert L. Ball established the Ball Studio in Corvallis in 1912 and he was known for his many views of the Central Oregon Coast. Thomas Charles Bell, who was responsible for many coastal views operated studios at Astoria from 1901 to 1907 and in Lebanon from 1911 to 1913. In 1915, he moved to Junction City and in 1917, he moved his studio to Toledo.

There was Elmer Allen Coe of Astoria, who became a mentor to the prolific Frank Woodfield who had a studio in Astoria from 1903 to 1942, there was H.R. (Herbert) Gregg who operated out of Bay City from 1909 to 1913. There was Laidlaw from Bend. Madras based O. Hedlund began operating in 1910 and he concentrated on Central Oregon. J.H.C. Sorenson of Gresham made many early post cards of East County from 1909 to 1911. Franklyn S. Sowell, “The Photograph Man who Made Pictures Anywhere, of Anything At Any Time”, had a studio in downtown Portland from 1911 to 1915. Reeves produced post cards of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. George M. Weister operated out of Portland from 1888 to 1922 and he was a photographer for the Union Pacific.

There were many other post card photographers. Also, many more anonymously produced cards or “privately done” RPPC’s were also made.

Clarence Christian was another prolific Northwest photographer in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Christian and his partner, Robert Lane had a studio at 2818 NE 31st Avenue in Portland.

Research for part of this information comes from studying Thomas Robinson’s “Oregon Photographers: Biographical History and Directory 1852-1917” (published 1993) and from Edwin D. Culp’s article on post card photographers in Oregon in the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly (Dec. 1965). I would also like to give a word of thanks to Stephen Kenney, Jr. for providing some of the missing information.

American Post Card Eras

• Pioneer Era (1893-1898)
• Private Mailing Card Era (1898-1901)
• Undivided Back Era (1901-1907)
• Real Photo Postcards (1901 to 1995)
• Divided Back Era (1907-1915)
• White Border Era (1915-1930)
• Linen Era (1930-1945)
• Photo-chrome Era (1939-Present)

Last updated 10-09-07

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