John P. Charlton of Philadelphia patented the postcard in 1861, selling the rights to H. L. Lipman, whose postcards, complete with a decorated border, were labeled “Lipman’s postal card.” Nine years later European countries were also producing postcards. The first country to actually use the post card was Turkey, in 1876.

The United States Post Office began issuing pre-stamped postal cards in 1873. The postcards were made because people were looking for an easier way to send quick notes. The Post Office was the only establishment allowed to print postcards, and it held its monopoly until May 19, 1898, when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act which allowed private publishers and printers to produce postcards.

Initially, the United States government prohibited private companies from calling their cards “postcards,” so they were known as “souvenir cards.” Although this prohibition was rescinded in 1901, it was not until 1908 that people were permitted to write on the address side of a postcard.

The first postcard in the United States was created in 1893 to advertise the World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Shortly thereafter the United States government, via the United States Post Office Department, allowed printers to publish a 1-cent postcard (the “Penny Postcard”). A correspondent’s writing was allowed only on the front side of these cards.

Postcards, in the form of government postal cards and privately printed souvenir cards, became very popular as a result of the Colombian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893, after postcards featuring buildings were distributed at the fair. In 1908, more than 677 million postcards were mailed.
Postcard with 1908 cancellation

1901 brought cards with the word “Post Card” printed on the reverse (the side without the picture). Written messages were still restricted to the front side, with the entire back dedicated to the address. This “undivided back” is what gives this postcard era its name.

The “divided back” card, with space for a message on the address side, came into use in the United States in 1907. The back is divided into two sections, the left section being used for the message and the right for the address. Thus began the Golden Age of American postcards, which lasted until about 1915, when World War I blocked the import of the fine German-printed cards.
A tinted (black and white image which has had colored tint added) souvenir card. Image of the Christopher Columbus taken circa 1896

The “white border” era, named for obvious reasons, lasted from about 1916 to 1930. The “linen card” era lasted from about 1931 to the early 1950s, when cards were primarily printed on papers with a textured surface similar to linen cloth. The last and current postcard era, which began about 1939, is the “chrome” era, however these types of cards didn’t begin to dominate until about 1950. The images on these cards are generally based on colored photographs, and are readily identified by the glossy appearance given by the paper’s coating.

In 1973 the British Post Office introduced a new type of card, PHQ Cards, these have since become a popular collecting area, especially when they have the appropriate stamp affixed and a First day of issue postmark obtained.