Postcard Collection

Collection

Identifier: RG 36

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Oberlin College Archives postcard collection, Record Group 36, consists of approximately 5500 black and white and color cards, ca. 1890s (1900-30)-2004, and undated. The collection includes scenes from states and cities in the United States (arranged by state and cities within states), countries around the world, occasion cards (i.e., Thanksgiving, birthdays, World War I, and Easter), paintings in art galleries, and scenes from Oberlin, Ohio and the state of Ohio. The Oberlin College postcards primarily depict campus scenes, buildings, and events. The postcards of the town of Oberlin include street scenes, storms, businesses, schools and homes. The Ohio postcards (arranged alphabetically by town or city) include government buildings, monuments, schools, libraries, and other points of interest. Available is a separate box of miscellaneous cards, which include pictures of artwork, greetings, and various illustrations.

The Oberlin College and town postcards were reorganized in 2009 to follow the arrangement of the Photograph Collection vertical files for buildings and subjects, and placed into two archival boxes.

One small box of photocopies of Oberlin postcards and a CD with digital surrogates as JPEGs were collected by Robert S. Jordan, Class of 1943. Many of these were loaned by contemporaries of Jordan’s at Oberlin, including Bill Farquhar and Mary Louise “Winkie” Benson. For some images the Oberlin College Archives is noted as the owner. The digital scans are available for reference use on the CD; these have been saved to the Archives main storage computer.

Dates

Creation: 1890 - 2004
Creation: Majority of material found in 1900-1930
Other: Date acquired: 01/01/1967

Creator

various (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Reproduction restrictions on postcards from accession 2007/59; researchers must contact photographers for permission.

Extent

8.76 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Method of Acquisition

The bulk of the collection was received as part of the John G. Olmstead Family Papers in 1967 and 1973. Postcards from other sources are added as they are received by the College Archives. 32 postcards of the Ban de la Roche area, John Frederick Oberlin’s pastorate, were transferred in 2009 to the postcard collection from RG 32/5, Photographs: Subjects: Oberlin, John Frederick. Some of these postcards include correspondence by or to Mary E. Beard and her mother Mrs. A. F. Beard in the early 1900s. Four postcards purchased from the photographers by Roland M. Baumann were donated to the Archives (accession 2007/059); restrictions apply. Thirteen postcards of buildings, May Day dancing, and the Oberlin Water Works were received in 2017 (2017/52). Photocopies and scans of postcards were received from the family of Robert S. Jordan in 2017 (2017/63).