Title: John and Jane Adams Postcard Collection, 1880-2007
Primary Creator: Adams Postcard Collection (1892-2007)
Extent: 282.0 Boxes
Arrangement:
I. San Diego (SD)
II. California (CA)
III. US Views (USV)
IV. Publisher (PB)
V. Foreign Views (FV)
VI. Topical (TOP)
VII. Card Types (CT)
VIII. Russell Raitt Donation (RR)
IX. Carol Wilson Donation (CW)
X. Souvenir Albums (SA)
XI. Research Materials (RM)
XII. Albums (ALB)
XIII. Oversized Materials (OV)
Date Acquired: 00/00/1989. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Adams, Jane Ford--Art collections, Adams, John R., 1900-1994--Art collections, Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula)--Pictorial works, California--Pictorial works, Cities and towns--United States--Pictorial works, Mexican-American Border Region--Pictorial works, Political postcards--Private collections--California--San Diego, Political postcards--Specimens, Postcards--Private collections--California--San Diego, Postcards--Specimens, San Diego (Calif.)--Pictorial works, San Diego County (Calif.)--Pictorial works, Tijuana (Baja California, Mexico)--Pictorial works, United States--Pictorial works
Forms of Material: Ephemera
The John and Jane Adams Postcard Collection consists of over 100 years of history and communication through postcards. The postcards are diverse in size, format, and subject. The collection contains more than 4,500 postcards of San Diego County, and 8,500 postcards representing parts of the state of California and the development of California. Individual states in the U.S. as well as other countries of the world also have categories in the collection. Postcards are also arranged by publisher, type, and topic. Also included with the collection are research materials related to postcard collections and collecting, albums of postcards, and a balsawood postcard file box. The collection has been broken down into distinct categories, both topically and geographically. Each box is identified with its category abbreviation and box number.
In the Topical Series, there are 10 subseries. Subseries I: Greetings encompasses general holiday, birthday, romantic, religious, and miscellaneous sentiments, as well as the popular European "Gruss Aus" and its American descendant, the "Greetings From" type of card. Subseries 2: Art includes reproduced paintings, drawings, sculptures, museum pieces, and other art. Subseries 3: Comics includes comic postcards (usually drawn characters), including comic art involving early 20th century stereotypes of Germans, African-Americans, and other minority groups. Subseries 4: Places includes postcards from specific places such as monuments, but also many postcards from miscellaneous places around the world intended to depict foreign costumes and ways of life. Subseries 5: People includes famous people and performers, as well as general depictions. Subseries 6: Events includes various world expositions, wars, and famous disasters. Subseries 7: Nature includes postcards of various animals and plants. Subseries 8: Politics includes promotional postcards for candidates in presidential and other elections, as well as promotional material for various causes, such as temperance and suffrage. Subseries 9: Sports includes depictions of a variety of international sports. Subseries 10: Transportation depicts varied forms of transportation, with a significant strength in military transportation.
Adams, Jane Ford--Art collections
Adams, John R., 1900-1994--Art collections
Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula)--Pictorial works
California--Pictorial works
Cities and towns--United States--Pictorial works
Mexican-American Border Region--Pictorial works
Political postcards--Private collections--California--San Diego
Political postcards--Specimens
Postcards--Private collections--California--San Diego
Postcards--Specimens
San Diego (Calif.)--Pictorial works
San Diego County (Calif.)--Pictorial works
Tijuana (Baja California, Mexico)--Pictorial works
United States--Pictorial works
Repository: Special Collections & University Archives
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions: The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Preferred Citation: Identification of item, folder title, box number, John and Jane Adams Postcard Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
