Gettysburg in Postcards

Join historian Timothy H. Smith as he discusses the history of Gettysburg Battlefield postcards and examines their cultural and historical significance.
In May 1898, the United States Congress granted permission to private printers to print and sell private mailing cards. In 1901, Congress passed another act that allowed publishers, for the first time, to use “post card” on the reverse of each card. About the same time, the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission was hard at work in establishing the battlefield as one of the major tourist attractions in the country. Local and nationally known companies published postcards that were sold in great quantities throughout the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the battle.