Sent City: Postcards of Bygone El Cerrito

In the late 19th century, Americans largely collected postcards as souvenirs. After all, they were no cheaper to mail than letters, and the U.S. Postal Service would not accept postcards that had personal messages written on the back.

All this changed in 1907, when a new “divided back” regulation allowed messages to be written alongside the mailing address. This, paired with the reduced card postage rate instituted in 1898, sparked a new golden age for mailed postcards.

Over the next sixty years, as the United States entered a period of unparalleled prosperity and Americans began to travel for pleasure in ever larger numbers, postcards became an inexpensive way to stay in touch with friends and family. They also served as cheap and effective advertising for businesses.

The below collection of postcards was generously donated by Lynn Maack and his wife Sandi Genser-Maack to the El Cerrito Historical Society.