The Sullivan Review

Lehihg Valley Railroad Station
Dushore, PA
Early 1900s
An Early Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) *
Photo courtesy of Scott Tilden
Auctioned on eBay in February 2011

The Sullivan County Courthouse

Marriages from the Year 1906

NAME

SPOUSE

LICENSE NUMBER

ACTUAL DATE OF MARRIAGE

Donahue, Mary Lucretia

McLaughlin, Harry Patrick

481

October 16, 1906

* Editor's Note: According to Wikipedia (February 2011):

In 1903, photographers in every corner of America, shooting all aspects of life, began churning out real photo postcards (RPPCs) at a prolific pace. Thanks in large part to Kodak’s introduction of a folding pocket camera, the No. 3A, millions of RPPCs were created during the first three decades of the 20th century—creating a mosaic of turn-of-the-century life that is unparallel in any other medium. According to Robert Bodgen, author of the Real Photo Postcard Guide, the postcard format dominated photography for the first thirty years of the 20th century. "People of all social statuses and backgrounds took them, collected them, and shared them with each other," said Bogden, in a recent interview on Ephemera.
This photographic quilt, rich in information, should not be overlooked by those engaged in genealogy research. For genealogists seeking documentary evidence of a family gathering or local event held between 1903 and 1930, RPPCs might be the best hope. According to the Old House Journal, local entrepreneurs hired traveling photographers to "record area events and the homes of prominent citizens." It is likely, therefore, that there exists RPPCs which contain the images of long sought after ancestors from the early 20th century. Not only were events and people captured on RPPCs, but also important buildings, sites, parades, fires, and floods. Realtors also used them to sell new houses, and RPPCs became expressions of pride in home and community throughout America.