Episode 141: Greetings from Two Designers - Postcards for Ham Radio and Our Nation’s Landmarks
Postcards. Even in the age of instant communication, receiving a postcard in the mail is pretty fun. Friends checking-in from familiar haunts or destinations unknown with little pieces of mailed artwork.
Today we’re discussing a couple of iconic types of postcards that have delivered surprise and delight to mailboxes for decades: QSL cards and the giant letter “Greetings From” souvenirs.
Ask the bartender to mix a couple of Caribbean Postcards and grab a pen and a couple of stamps. We need you to listen closely and confirm you’ve received our broadcast from right here in the bar.
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): QSL cards from Ohio, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania (USA); cards from Portugal, France and an unknown point of origin
A variety of cards from the collection of Jeff Carvalho (via Selectism)
QSL Cards
Background and History (Wikipedia article)
“The Graphic Design of Ham Radio: QSL Postcards” (Selectism article)
“An Atlas of QSL Cards” (On All Bands article)
(Top to bottom): “Greetings From” postcards from Niagara Falls, Florida, Mississippi and Arizona; The Chicago headquarters of the Curt Teich & Company
The 50 stamp “Greetings from America” series issued by the USPS in 2002 (back when a first class stamp was 37 cents).
“Greetings From” Postcards
The Curt Teich Postcard Archives (Newberry Library)
Curt Teich & Company Postcards (Made in Chicago Museum exhibit)
The Immigrant Story Behind the Classic “Greetings From” Postcards (Smithsonian Magazine article)
Additional Links
QSL? book (Standards Manual)
Atlas of QSL book
Hello World: A Life in Ham Radio book
