New York State Library
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Postcard Collection
QC16510

Quantity: 24 boxes (20 cubic feet)
Access: Open to research
Acquisition: Donations from various sources.
Processed By: Fred Bassett, Senior Librarian, Manuscripts and Special Collection, January 2007.

View catalog record

Postcard of Niagara Falls.
"Private Mailing Card" of Niagara Falls from about 1900.
Sand or glitter was added to the card to give the water texture.

Scope and Content Note

The New York State Library Postcard collection comprises over ten thousand postcards of New York State.  The postcards in this collection range in date from the late nineteenth century to the present day, with the bulk dated from 1905 to 1930.

Most cards in the collection were commercially produced and represent well known landmarks, buildings, monuments of major cities and popular tourist destinations, such as the State Capitol in Albany, Statue of Liberty, and Niagara Falls. The hustle and bustle of New York City is well documented in this collection as too, are the major upstate cities of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. 

Coverage of the many small cities and towns of New York State is also quite extensive, as depicted in street scenes and domestic buildings. Agriculture, industry, commerce, and the transportation infrastructure of New York State are extensively depicted too.

 

Postcard of Blacksmith
"Real photo" postcard of a blacksmith at work.

Along with buildings and structures, this collection also represents aspects of social life in New York State during the past century. Some cards were privately produced and are in fact photographs that have been printed on postcard paper. These were created by individuals for the consumption primarily by friends and relatives.  This includes views of blacksmiths at work, farm chores, camping and hunting.


The postcard collection is arranged alphabetically by county and then by locality, with the exception of New York City, which is arranged by borough. Also, there are some special categories for postcards of a particular region or event, such as Adirondack Mountains, Catskill Mountains, Hudson River Valley, Mohawk River Valley, and the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909.

Although most of the cards depict sights in New York State, the collection includes scenes of some places outside of New York State, most notably Niagara Falls, Canada, as well as cards of many world fairs and expositions held outside of New York, such as the World Columbian Exposition, 1893, and the Century of Progress, 1933, both of which were held in Chicago. One postcard album consists of views depicting the places a Robert and Clara Fulton visited during their tour of the world from September 1908 through May 1909.

Postcards made of leather material.
Novelty leather postcards depicting the Statue of Liberty
and the "Flatiron" building in New York City.

This collection also includes souvenir folders, double panel, jumbo postcards, and various novelty postcards items that file separately from the standard-size postcards.


Postcards are not only visual records.  Many of the postcards were in fact mailed and so contain written messages, stamps, and postmarks.  The backs of the cards were also printed with information about the publisher, captions describing the image, and ornaments.  The printed text, along with the stamp and postmark, can help to date and place the manufacture and use of the cards. (See Appendix A: History of picture postcards in the United States for more information on dating U.S. postcards.) Alternatively, the captions and written messages contain a wealth of information that can be used to learn about the postcard's image or to illuminate the attitudes and interests of the past.

 

front and back of a postcard of Seacliff, Long Island
Postcard of Sea Cliff, Long Island (N.Y).Use of the words "POST CARD" on the back, along with an undivided back (used solely for the address) date this postcard to between 1901 and 1907.
The cancellation stamp narrows the date further; it was mailed in November of 1906, and probably produced in the same year.

Box

Contents

1 NEW YORK STATE
1 General Greetings
1 ALBANY COUNTY
1 Albany (City)
2 Albany (City) (cont.)
2 Altamont
2 Bethlehem (Delmar)
2 Cohoes
2 Loudonville
2 Ravena
2 Rensselaerville
2 Selkirk
2 Watervliet
2 ALLEGANY COUNTY
2 Alfred
2 Belmont
2 Bolivar
2 Friendship
2 Wellsville
  BRONX COUNTY (See NEWYORK CITY –  BRONX)
2 BROOME COUNTY
2 Bainbridge
2 Columbian Grove
2 Deposit
2 Endicott
2 Leicestershire
2 Oquaga Lake
2 Port Crane
2 Union
2 Vestal
2 CATTARAUGUS COUNTY
2 Allegany State Park
2 Olean
2 Salamanca
2 CAYUGA COUNTY
2 Auburn
2 Aurora
2 Fair Haven
2 Moravia
2 Sodus Bay
2 CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
2 Brocton
2 Celeron
2 Chautauqua (Assembly Grounds)
2 Chautauqua Lake
2 Dunkirk
2 Findley Lake
2 Fredonia
2 Jamestown
2 Lakewood
2 Mayville
2 Panama Rocks
2 Silver Creek
2 Westfield
2 CHEMUNG COUNTY
2 Elmira
2 CHENANGO COUNTY
2 Coventry
2 Greene
2 Linklaen
2 Norwich
2 Oxford
2 Sherburne
3 CLINTON COUNTY
3 Altona
3 Ausable Chasm
3 Champlain
3 Chazy
3 Dannemora
3 Guilford Center
3 Hawkeye
3 Lake Champlain  (general views)
3 Plattsburgh
3 Rouses Point
3 Valcour
3 COLUMBIA COUNTY
3 Ancram
3 Canaan
3 Chatham
3 Claverack
3 Copake
3 Ghent
3 Hillsdale
3 Hudson
3 Kinderhook
3 Lake Charlotte
3 Lebanon Springs
3 New Lebanon
3 North Chatham
3 Old Chatham
3 Philmont
3 Valatie
3 CORTLAND COUNTY
3 Cortland
3 Homer
3 Virgil
3 DELAWARE COUNTY
3 Andes
3 Delhi
3 East Meredith
3 Fleischmann
3 Franklin
3 French Woods
3 Hancock
3 Hobart
3 Margaretville
3 Meridale
3 Roxbury
3 Shinhopple
3 Stamford
3 Walton
  See also CATSKILL MOUNTAINS
3 DUTCHESS COUNTY
3 Amenia
3 Amenia Union
3 Annandale
3 Bangall
3 Bannerman Island
3 Beacon (includes Mt. Beacon)
3 Briarcliff Manor
3 Clinton Corners
3 Dover Plains
3 Fishkill
3 Hopewell Junction
3 Hyde Park
3 Leedsville
3 Mattawan
3 Millbrook
3 Millerton
3 Mills
3 Moores Mills
3 Pawling
3 Pine Plains
3 Poughkeepsie
4 Poughquag
4 Red Hook
4 Rhinebeck
4 Stanfordville
4 Verbank
4 Wappingers Falls
4 Wassaic
4 Wingdale
4 ERIE COUNTY
4 Akron
4 Alden
4 Angola
4 Buffalo
4 East Aurora
4 Kenmore
4 Lackawanna
4 Lancaster
4 Springville
4 Williamsville
4 ESSEX COUNTY
4 Au Sable Forks
4 Crown Point
4 Elizabethtown
4 Jay
4 Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain
4 North Elba
4 Port Henry
4 Schroon Lake
4 Ticonderoga
4 Wadhams
4 Westport
4 Willsboro
  See also ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
4 FRANKLIN COUNTY
4 Brushton
4 Malone
4 Paul Smiths
4 Saranac Lake
4 Trudeau
4 Tupper Lake
  See also ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
5 FULTON COUNTY
5 Broadalbin
5 Caroga Lake
5 Gloversville
5 Johnstown
5 Loon Lake
5 Northampton
5 Northville
5 Sacandaga Park
5 GENESEE COUNTY
5 Batavia
5 Bergen
5 GREENE COUNTY
5 Acra
5 Ashland
5 Athens
5 Cairo
5 Catskill
5 Catskill Game Farm
5 Coxsackie
5 East Windham
5 Haines Falls
5 Hunter
5 Lanesville
5 Leeds
5 New Baltimore
5 Palenville
5 Prattsville
5 South Cairo
5 Tannersville
5 Urlton
5 Westkill
5 Widham
  See also CATSKILL MOUNTAINS
5 HAMILTON COUNTY
5 Blue Mountain Lake (Adirondack Museum)
5 Indian Lake
5 Inlet
5 Long Lake
5 Piseco Lake
5 Speculator & Lake Pleasant
5 Wells
5 HERKIMER COUNTY
5 Dolgeville
5 Fairfield
5 Frankfort
5 Herkimer
5 Herkimer Homestead
5 Ilion
5 Jordanville
5 Little Falls
5 Newport
5 Roxbury
5 Warren
5 JEFFERSON COUNTY
5 Adams
5 Alexandria Bay
5 Brownville
5 Carthage
5 Frontenac
5 Mannsville
5 Pine Camp (Fort Drum)
5 Sackets Haror
5 Watertown
5 Thousand Islands (includes Boldt Castle, Heart Island)
6 Thousand Islands (cont.)
  KINGS COUNTY (See NEW YORK CITY – BROOKLYN)
6 LEWIS COUNTY
6 Beaver Falls
6 Constableville
6 Lowville
6 Lyons Falls
6 Port Leyden
6 LIVINGSTON COUNTY
6 Avon
6 Caledonia
6 Dansville
6 Geneseo
6 Lakeville
6 Letchworth State Park
6 MADISON COUNTY
6 Brookfield
6 Canastota
6 Cazenovia
6 Chittenango
6 Hamilton
6 Oneida
6 Peterboro
6 Poolville
6 MONROE COUNTY
6 Brockport
6 Charlotte
6 Churchville
6 Hilton
6 Honeoye Falls
6 Irondequoit
6 Pittsford
6 Rochester
6 Spencerport
6 Summerville
6 Webster
6 MONTGOMERY COUNTY
6 Akin
6 Amsterdam
6 Canajoharie
6 Fonda
6 Fort Hunter
6 Fort Plain
6 Fultonville
6 Palatine Bridge
6 Saint Johnsville
6 Tribes Hill
7 NASSAU COUNTY
7 Bayville
7 East Norwich
7 Elmont
7 Freeport
7 Glen Cove
7 Hempstead
7 Jericho
7 Jones Beach
7 Locust Valley
7 Long Beach
7 Lynbrook
7 Manhasset
7 Massapequa
7 Mineola
7 Oceanside
7 Oyster Bay
7 Port Washington
7 Rockville Center
7 Roslyn
7 Sea Cliff
7 Valley Stream
7 Westbury
7 Woodmere
  NEW YORK COUNTY (See NEW YORK CITY – MANHATTAN)
7 NIAGARA COUNTY
7 Fort Niagara
7 Lewiston
7 Lockport
7 Niagara Falls (city)
7 North Tonawanda
7 Olcott Beach
7 Ransomville
7 Wilson
7 Youngstown
7 NIAGARA FALLS (cataract)
8 NIAGARA FALLS (cataract)
8 ONEIDA COUNTY
8 Boonville
8 Camden
8 Clinton
8 New York Mills
8 Oriskany
8 Rome
8 Sylvan Beach
8 Trenton Falls
8 Utica
8 Waterville
8 ONONDAGA COUNTY
8 Baldwinsville
8 Fayetteville
8 Jordan
8 Manlius
8 Marcellus
8 Skaneateles
8 Syracuse
8 Tully
9 ONTARIO COUNTY
9 Canandaigua
9 Canandaigua Lake
9 Clifton Springs
9 Geneva
9 Naples
9 Phelps
9 ORANGE COUNTY
9 Bear Mountain
9 Central Valley
9 Chester
9 Cornwall
9 Florida
9 Fort Montgomery
9 Goshen
9 Greenwood Lake
9 Lake Minnewaska
9 Leptondale
9 Middletown
9 Monroe
9 Montgomery
9 Newburgh
9 Otisville
9 Pinebush
9 Port Jervis
9 Purley
9 Southfield
9 Sparrow Bush
9 Tuxedo Park
9 Unionville
9 Walden
9 Warwick
9 West Point
9 ORLEANS COUNTY
9 Albion
9 Lyndonville
9 Medina
9 Waterport
9 OSWEGO COUNTY
9 Cleveland
9 Fulton
9 Hannibal
9 Oswego
9 Phoenix
9 Pulaski
9 Redfield
9 Sandy Creek
9 OTSEGO COUNTY
9 Cherry Valley
9 Cooperstown  and Otsego Lake
9 Garretsville
9 Gilbertsville
9 Lacona
9 Oneonta
9 Richfield Springs
9 Unadilla
9 Worcester
9 PUTNAM COUNTY
9 Brewster
9 Carmel
9 Cold Spring
9 Garrison
9 Lake Mahopac
9 Manitou
9 Patterson
  QUEENS COUNTY (See NEW YORK CITY – QUEENS)
10 RENSSELAER COUNTY
10 Averill Park
10 Berlin
10 Castleton
10 Grafton
10 Hoosick Falls
10 Nassau
10 Petersburgh
10 Rensselaer (city)
10 Schaghticoke
10 Taborton
10 Troy
10 West Sand Lake
10 RICHMOND COUNTY (See NEW YORK CITY – STATEN ISLAND)
10 ROCKLAND COUNTY
10 Congers
10 Haverstraw
10 New City
10 Nyack
10 Pearl River
10 Piermont
10 Rockland Lake
10 Sloatsburg
10 Stony Point
10 Suffern
10 Tappan
10 SAINT LAWRENCE COUNTY
10 Canton
10 Gouverneur
10 Massena
10 Norwood
10 Ogdensburg
10 Potsdam
10 Tupper Lake
10 White Lake
10 SARATOGA COUNTY
10 Ballston Spa
10 Batchellerville
10 Conklingville
10 Corinth
10 Mechanicville
10 Palmer Falls
10 Round Lake
10 Saratoga Springs
10 Schuylerville (includes Saratoga Battlefield)
10 Stillwater
10 Waterford
10 SCHENECTADY COUNTY
10 Duanesburg
10 Mariaville Lake
10 Schenectady
11 SCHOHARIE COUNTY
11 Blenheim
11 Cobleskill
11 Howe Caverns
11 Middleburgh
11 Schoharie
11 Sharon Springs
11 Sloansville
11 Summitt
11 SCHUYLER COUNTY
11 Montour Falls
11 Watkins Glen (village)
11 Watkins Glen State Park
11 SENECA COUNTY
11 Ovid
11 Seneca Falls
11 Sheldrake
11 Waterloo
11 STEUBEN COUNTY
11 Addison
11 Canisteo
11 Corning
11 Hornell
11 Painted Post
11 SUFFOLK COUNTY
11 Amityville
11 Arverne
11 Babylon
11 Baiting Hollow
11 Breezy Point
11 Brentwood
11 Bridgehampton
11 Brighton Beach
11 Brightwaters
11 Brookhaven
11 Cedarhurst
11 Centerport
11 Centre island
11 Cherry Grove
11 Cold Spring harbor
11 East Hampton
11 East Moriches
11 Fire island
11 Fishers Island
11 Flanders
11 Fort Terry (military base)
11 Greenport
11 Hampton Bays
11 Huntington
11 Islip
11 Lake Ronkonkoma
11 Lakeview
11 Lakeville
11 Lawrence
11 Mattituck
11 Montauk
11 Millers Place
11 Mt. Sinai
11 New Suffolk
11 Northport
11 Orient
11 Patchogue
11 Port Jefferson
11 Quogue
11 Ramblersville
11 Riverhead
11 Sag Harbor
11 Saint James
11 Sayville
11 Setauket
11 Shelter Island
11 Shoreham
11 Smithtown
11 Southampton
11 Stony Brook
11 Ulmer Park
11 Westhampton Beach
12 SULLIVAN COUNTY
12 Barryville
12 Beaverkill
12 Calicoon
12 Cochecton
12 Eldred
12 Fallsburg
12 Ferndale
12 Grahamsvile
12 Kenoza Lake
12 Kiamesha Lake
12 Lake Huntington
12 Liberty
12 Livingston Manor
12 Loch Sheldrake
12 Luzon
12 Monticello
12 Neversink
12 Rockland Lake
12 Roscoe
12 Shandelee
12 Stevensville
12 Westbrookville
12 White Lake
12 Woodbourne
12 Wurtsboro
12 Yankee Lake
12 Youngsville
12 Yulon
12 TIOGA COUNTY
12 Newark Valley
12 Owego
12 Waverly
12 TOMPKINS COUNTY
12 Groton
12 Ithaca
12 Ithaca – Cornell University
12 ULSTER COUNTY
12 Arkville
12 Ashokan Reservoir
12 Clintondale
12 Cragsmour
12 Ellenville
12 Highland
12 Hurley
12 Kerhonkson
12 Kingston
12 Lake Minnewaska
12 Lake Mohonk
12 Lloyds
12 Marlborough
12 Milton
12 Napanoch
12 New Paltz
12 Olive Bridge
12 Oliverea
12 Phoenicia
12 Pine Hill
12 Port Ewen
12 Pottersville
12 Rifton
12 Rondout
12 Saugerties
12 Shawangunk
12 Stone Ridge
12 Walkill
12 Warwarsing
12 West Hurley
12 West Park
12 Woodstock
13 WARREN COUNTY
13 Chestertown
13 Glen Lake
13 Glens Falls
13 Hague
13 Lake George
13 Lake Luzerne
13 WASHINGTON COUNTY
13 Brantingham Lake
13 Cambridge
13 Croton Falls
13 Dresden
13 Fort Ann
13 Fort Edward
13 Granville
13 Greenwich
13 Hudson Falls (Sandy Hill)
13 Lake Cossayuna
13 Salem
13 Whitehall
13 WAYNE COUNTY
13 Lyons
13 Newark
13 Palmyra
13 Rose
13 Williamson
13 Wolcott
13 WESTCHESTER COUNTY
13 Bedford
13 Bronxville
13 Chappaqua
13 Croton
13 Dobbs Ferry
13 Harmon
13 Hartsdale
13 Hastings-on-Hudson
13 Katonah
13 Larchmont
13 Mamaroneck
13 Mohegan Lake
13 Mount Kisco
13 Mount Vernon
13 New Rochelle
13 North Pelham
13 North Salem
13 Oscawana
13 Ossining
13 Peekskill
13 Pelham Bay
13 Pleasantville
13 Port Chester
14 Rye
14 Scarsdale
14 Scrub Oak
14 South Salem
14 Tarrytown
14 Tuckahoe
14 Valhaila
14 White Plains
14 Yonkers
14 WYOMING COUNTY
14 Arcade
14 Attica
14 Castile
14 Perry
14 Silver Springs
14 Warsaw
14 Wyoming
14 YATES COUNTY
14 Bellona
14 Branchport
14 Dresden
14 Dundee
14 Glenora
14 Keuka Lake
14 Keuka Park (Keuka College)
14 Penn Yan
14 ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
15 CATSKILL MOUNTAINS
15 HUDSON RIVER VALLEY
15 HUDSON – FULTON  CELEBRATION, 1909
15 MOHAWK RIVER VALLEY
15 NEW YORK CITY – MANHATTAN
16 NEW YORK CITY – MANHATTAN (cont.)
17 NEW YORK CITY – MANHATTAN (cont.)
18 NEW YORK CITY – MANHATTAN (cont.)
18 NEW YORK CITY – BRONX
19 NEW YORK CITY – BROOKLYN
20 NEW YORK CITY – QUEENS
20 NEW YORK CITY – STATEN ISLAND
20 NEW YORK CITY – WORLD FAIR 1939
21 SOUVENIR FOLDERS
21 Adirondack Mountains
21 Albany
21 Ashokan Dam
21 Au Sable Chasm
21 Beacon
21 Bear Mountain Bridge and Highway
21 Binghamton
21 Buffalo
21 Catskill Mountains
21 Cooperstown
21 Delaware Valley: Water Gap to Port Jervis
21 Finger Lakes
21 Fort Niagara
21 Fort Ticonderoga
21 Geneva
21 Howe Caverns
21 Hudson River Valley
21 Kingston
21 Jamestown and Chautauqua Lake
21 Lake Champlain
21 Lake George
21 Lake Mahopac
21 Lake Placid
21 Long Island
21 Long Lake
21 Malone
21 Middletown
21 New Paltz
21 New Rochelle
21 New York City
21 Niagara Falls
21 Palisades Park
21 Plattsburgh
21 Poughkeepsie
21 Rochester
21 Rome
21 Saratoga Springs
21 Schenectady
21 Schroon Lake
21 Stamford
21 Storm King Highway
21 Syracuse
21 Taconic Trail
21 Tarrytown
21 Thousand Islands
21 Troy
21 Utica
21 Wallkill
21 Wappingers Falls
21 Watertown
21 Watkins Glen
21 West Point
22 PANORAMIC (DOUBLE FOLD) AND JUMBO POSTCARDS
22 Adirondack Mountains
22 Albany
22 Catskill Mountains
22 Lake George
22 Long Island
22 New York City (Ellis island)
22 Thousands Islands
22 Transportation and Miscellaneous
22 MINIATURE POSTCARDS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SETS
22 Adirondack Mountains
22 Howe Caverns
22 New York City
22 Niagara Falls
23 PIONEER POSTCARDS (PRE-1898)
23 Albany
23 Hudson River
23 New York City
23 Niagara Falls
23 EXPOSITION AND WORLD FAIRS
23 Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893
23 Pan-American, Buffalo, 1901
23 Jamestown Centennial, Virginia, 1907
23 Perry's Victory Celebration, Cleveland, Ohio, 1913
23 Panama – Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, 1915
23 California – Pacific Exposition, San Diego, 1915
23 Century of Progress, Chicago, 1933
23 Empire Exposition, Scotland, 1938
23 New York World Fair, 1939 (See NEW YORK CITY – WORLD FAIR 1939)
23 Miscellaneous world fairs and expositions
23 FIRES AND NATURAL DISASTERS
23 New York State Capitol Building, 1911
23 Flood of Albany, 1912 or 1913.
23 NOVELTY POSTCARDS
23 Hologram postcard: Niagara Falls with Statue of Liberty
23 Leather postcards: Flat Iron Building, and Statue of Liberty, New York City
23 Aluminum postcard: Lower Falls , Rochester
23 Metal bison clasped to view of Buffalo
23 ADVERTISEMENT POSTCARDS
23 American-LaFrance Fire Engine Company, Elmira
23 Peerless Printing and Paper Company, Penn Yan, N.Y.
23 POSTCARDS WITH FOLD-OUTS OF MINIATURE VIEWS
23 Buffalo
23 Canandaigua
23 Niagara Falls
23 Schenectady
24 Postcards from the album of the journey around the world by Robert and Clara Fulton, 12 September 1908-20 May 1909 (cards are arranged by sequence of the journey)
24 Hawaii
24 Japan (includes Kobe, Kyoto, and Nikko)
24 China; Penang, Malaysia; Rangoon (Yangon), Burma; Singapore
24 India (includes Agra, Benares, Calcutta, Delhi, and Jaipur)
24 Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
24 Egypt
24 Palestine, Syria, and Constantinople (Istanbul)
24 Greece (Athens and Corinth)
24 Italy (Rome and Pompeii)
24 France (Paris)
Last Updated: December 23, 2021