Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
about 1 month ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
about 1 month ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
about 1 month ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
about 1 month ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Illinois Chicago Newberry Library Postcard Collection

Newberry Library Postcard Collection

Rifle through images of skyscrapers, Worlds Fairs, and more in the largest public postcard repository in America.

Chicago, Illinois

Added By
Jessica Leigh Hester
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Inside Newberry Library is America’s largest public postcard repository.   TonyTheTiger
Inside Newberry Library is America’s largest public postcard repository.   TonyTheTiger
This 1935 postcard highlighted some of Chicago’s attractions.   Curt Teich Postcards Archives Digital Collection/Newberry Library
Teich’s firm was known for location-specific postcards in the “Greetings From” style.   Curt Teich Postcards Archives Digital Collection/Newberry Library
This nighttime view of Columbus, Ohio, probably circulated around 1913.   Curt Teich Postcards Archives Digital Collection/Newberry Library
Many postcards, like this 1951 example, depicted scenes from the road.   Curt Teich Postcards Archives Digital Collection/Newberry Library
The Newberry building, constructed in 1893   Tom Rossiter
Exhibitions showcasing the Newberry’s collection are free to visit.  
“From the Stacks,” a permanent exhibit, shows off highlights from the Newberry’s collection.   Tom Rossiter
An early 20th-century postcard from the John I. Monroe Collection within the Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection.   Newberry Library
The Newberry’s collections are free to use.   tellera / Atlas Obscura User
This restroom, captured in a 1936 postcard, would have been a welcome sight for visitors on the trail.   Curt Teich Postcards Archives Digital Collection/Newberry Library
Tourists may not have sought out tour of a public works facility, but they could grab a postcard to remember it by.   Curt Teich Postcards Archives Digital Collection/Newberry Library
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Among its many treasures, Chicago's independent research library—established in 1887, with the fortune amassed by American businessman Walter Loomis Newberry—holds a massive collection of postcards, many of which are from the Curt Teich company.

Teich, born in present-day Germany in 1877, immigrated to the United States in 1895, and set up his own postcard operation in Chicago a few years later. Over time, his firm became known for churning out postcards in the "Greetings From" style, which silhouetted a city's distinctive architectural features in letters that spelled out its name.

Souvenir postcards caught on at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, where there was plenty to write home about. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Congress passed a series of acts clarifying exactly what could be sent through the mail. By 1907, they'd approved privately printed cards with divided backs—one side for the address, the other for a message—and images on the front. Flurries of postcards started flying. According to post office estimates, 700 million of the cards were mailed between June 1907 and June 1908. As people hit the road for adventures, they wanted to take friends and family along with them, or at least jot off a note to fill them in on what they missed.

Teich's company shuttered in 1978, and its extensive archives lived in the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois, for many years before landing at the Newberry in 2016.

The Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection contains more than 2.5 million objects. These span the 19th and 20th centuries, and depict some of the major forces that were shaping America, among them, highways, cities, amusements, and fairs and expos that were obsessed with visions of the future. It's also rich with images of public works projects—those water treatment facilities and other plants that might not have been tourist destinations, but kept a city running.  

Any visitor aged 14 or older can apply for a readers' card and view the collection in person. In the meantime, before you set foot in the library, you can send a digital postcard from the archives, no postage necessary. Choose between a glance up Michigan Avenue, in 1942, or a nighttime look at the glittering buildings lining Wacker Drive. As it rockets to its recipient, take a moment to recall the days when news of journeys big and small traveled slowly and through the post. 

Related Tags

Libraries Repositories Of Knowledge Postal Collections Mail

Know Before You Go

The library is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Community Contributors

Added By

jessicahester1

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, tellera

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • tellera

Published

June 15, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.newberry.org/curt-teich-postcard-archives-collection
Newberry Library Postcard Collection
60 West Walton Street
Chicago, Illinois
United States
41.900005, -87.630129
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Poetry Foundation Library

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Lucent

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

International Museum of Surgical Science

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chicago

Chicago

Illinois

Places 161
Stories 55

Nearby Places

Poetry Foundation Library

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Lucent

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

International Museum of Surgical Science

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chicago

Chicago

Illinois

Places 161
Stories 55

Related Stories and Lists

How to Help Librarians and Archivists From Your Living Room

libraries

By Jessica Leigh Hester

Related Places

  • The Matenadaran and statue of Mesrop Mashtots.

    Yerevan, Armenia

    The Matenadaran

    This medieval manuscript collection has some of the most obscure and ancient texts in the world.

  • Bibliotheca Thysiana circa 1920.

    Leiden, Netherlands

    Bibliotheca Thysiana

    This public library and its impressive collection of academic books have not changed since the 17th century.

  • Cuypers Library

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Cuypers Library

    This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.

  • A place to sit and read in the oldest Jewish library in the world

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Biblioteca Ets Haim

    The world's oldest Jewish library was founded by Sephardic Jews in 17th century Amsterdam.

  • The shelves are the structure.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Biblioteca Vasconcelos

    A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.

  • Spijkenisse, Netherlands

    Book Mountain

    Peek through a transparent pyramid and drink in the mountain made of books.

  • Leighton Library

    Dunblane, Scotland

    Leighton Library

    The oldest library in Scotland was built from the remains of a church to hold a churchman's library.

  • Image permission granted by the Grand Lodge of New York

    New York, New York

    Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library

    A good place to research the Freemasons, esoterica, occultism, and hermeticism.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.