Hollywood, Florida: Postcard History

Though little more than an afterthought these days, from the 1890s through the 1920s, postcards were by far the most popular means of communication.

Many of the postcards produced during this golden age can be considered works of art, when postcard photographers traveled the nation coast to coast snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and taking photographic portraits of locals only too happy to pose for the camera. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, helped drive the Florida land boom of the early 20th century, with people all over the country seeing the sandy beaches and palm trees in the sun, and these surviving postcards can teach us important aspects of yesteryear that we may not find in history books.