How to Date RPPC | Part 1: The Photo
How do you date (or price) RPPC?
The heyday of RPPC lasted from 1906-1920, generally speaking, but photo cards were sent well into the 1950s. It may seem daunting to pin down when a piece of paper lived its life, but we're here to help. This Ephemera101 blog gives a brief overview of how to date RPPCs.
Most RPPC went through three "life stages": when the photo was taken, when the card was printed, and when the photo postcard was sent.
When Was the Photo Taken? A Case Study
Unique details in photos can tell you quite a bit about when (and where) they were taken. For instance, take a look at our Family by Christmas Tree RPPC.
This picture features a classic standing disc phonograph with trapezoidal lid and crank (below). That’s a clue, and we can use it to give us a time frame!
A quick Internet search for something like "side crank standing cabinet phonograph" or even "types of phonograph" can help narrow down when this photo was taken. Luckily, since the beginning of Internet communication, people have been sharing their love and expertise in vintage topics. Just one search brought me to the Talking Machine Forum, where people discuss phonographs, as well as a phonograph ephemera site, Phonographia.com. I took a look at their Phonograph Ads, and these 1920s ads (below) show some pretty similar models. Now we know it is in or after the 1920s!
Now take a close look at other details– what’s written on that chalkboard (below)?
It’s Christmas in the photo, but it doesn’t look like the chalkboard says “Merry Christmas” in English. Time to search “How to Say Merry Christmas in Different Languages”. This site tells us 25 translations of Merry Christmas: “Hyvää Joulua”? Nope. “Joyeux Noël”? Nope. Hmm… “Fröhliche Weihnachten” looks right! The people in this photo speak German – another clue!
Now that we know what’s going on in the photo, we can use more physical details about the card it was printed on to understand when and where it was made.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of identifying RPPC!
