From the Vault: Postcards - The Birthplace of Country Music
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From the Vault: Postcards

There have been many different forms of communication throughout history. One that has stood the test of time is postcards. Postcards typically have a picture on the front and space on the back to write a note and address the card to a loved one. While they are still used as a way to communicate, a lot of people, like myself, collect postcards as souvenirs from the places they visit. In 1945, the term deltiology was coined by Professor Rendell Rhoades and his colleagues at Ohio State University. Deltiology is the study and collection of postcards. 

There is an Institute of American Deltiology located in my hometown of Myerstown, Pennsylvania, which is about 40 minutes east of Hershey (Yes, the chocolate town). The institute was established and is run by Donald Brown who began collecting postcards in 1943. The collection now contains over one million postcards that are preserved at the University of Maryland. I have been lucky enough to have visited and spend some time at the institute. Almost every room of the institute’s three story house is filled with postcards covering the whole state of Pennsylvania and the other 49 states of America. Today, vintage postcards are also used as a way to tell the history of a place. There are two book series – Images of America, and Postcard History – that use postcards as the basis of their history. Both series even have books on specifically about Bristol – Bristol to Knoxville: A Postcard Tour, Bristol (Postcard History: Tennessee)

Record cover. Black band on top with Bruce Springsteen's signature in white on top and plane black bottom with a colorful greeting card image in the middle. The card fades top down from orange, yellow, green, to blue and reads "Greetings from Asbury Park N.J." The words Abury Park are filled with images of buildings and scenery.
Photos of Bruce Springsteen’s Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Album. Photos taken by Greg Underkoffler.

Historians are not the only people inspired by postcard artwork. Bruce Springsteen took inspiration from postcards for his Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. album cover. He used postcard art because he wanted it to be known that he was from New Jersey. Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. was Springsteens’s first studio album. It was released on January 5, 1973 and includes “Blinded By The Light.” Originally this album did not sell well and peaked at 60 on the Billboard charts. Now it is one of the most recognizable album covers. Springsteen’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. album cover shows that postcards have a much bigger impact on culture than just a way to communicate. Springsteen is not the only artist to use postcards as inspiration. There are countless songs, lyrics, and covers across all music genres that have used postcards as inspiration. 

Front and back of a postcard. Image of a 1920s street on the front and writing and a stamp on the back.
Scans of State Street Postcard from the collection of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Scan by Julia Underkoffler.

Within the museum’s collection we have several historic postcards of downtown Bristol. This one of State Street was purchased by the museum in 2019. The postage mark notes that it was mailed on August 30, 1937 in Portland, Oregon. The postcard was printed by Asheville Post Card Company out of Ashville, North Carolina and the image was colored by C.T. American Art Colored, which is also known as Curt Teich & Co.

Order card for Taylor Christian Hat Co. with blacks for a customer to fill out order information.
Scan of the Taylor-Christian Hat Company Postcard Donated by Rob Modlin in Honor of Joanne Christian Modlin, Joe Christian, William Christian, Jack Christian; and in memory of Bobby Christian. Scan by Julia Underkoffler

This postcard in the museum’s collection is from the Taylor Christian Hat Company. The 1927 Bristol Sessions were recorded on the second floor of the hat company’s storefront. Instead of a photo postcard this one addresses an order from a customer. This postcard is one of the only artifacts that document the business of the Taylor Christian Hat Company and where the building was located as it is no longer standing in downtown Bristol.

black and white image of a church with a steeple, white clapboard siding, and four pillars in front.
Scan of the Bayless Highway Baptist Church, donated in memory of Alfred Karnes’ youngest daughter Dorcas who treasured it to her passing. Scan by Julia Underkoffler.

Lastly, this postcard was donated by the descendants of Alfred Karnes. Karnes recorded 6 songs at the 1927 Bristol Sessions. The postcard depicts the Bayless Highway Baptist Church located near Starke, Florida. This church was one of the last places where Karnes’ preached before he passed away in 1958. 

image of postcard kiosk at the museum. A black shadow box with various postcards is hanging on the wall above the kiosk.
Birthplace of Country Music Postcard exhibit, photo by Julia Underkoffler

In addition to these postcards from the vault we have several postcards on display near the virtual postcard kiosk where you can send a digital postcard to a loved one when you visit the museum! 

By Julia Underkoffler, Collection Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.