Dale E. Jenkins collection of Manhattan restaurant postcards
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Postcards depicting Manhattan restaurants dating from the first half of the 20th century.
Historical Note
Between 24 December 1901 and 1 March 1907, the United States Postal Service regulated where a sender could write on a picture postcard: the message was to go on the front (image) side of the card, with the recipient's address on back. Postcards printed after 1 March 1907 generally have divided backs (with a vertical line down the middle) to accommodate both message and address. Thus, it is possible to estimate the age of cards that have not been postmarked by remembering that undivided backs were made before 1 March 1907.
Many of the Manhattan restaurant postcards in the Dale E. Jenkins Collection date from the "linen" era, 1931–1959. So-called linen postcards were produced on inexpensive card stock with a finish that resembled linen fabric. They are easily recognizable by their texture and bright colors.
Arrangement
The collection is housed in one small box of 15 folders. The donor arranged some of the postcards in four categories—"Chinese," "Interesting Reverse," "Nice Graphics," and "Older" (see Folder 15)—but to provide access for researchers seeking specific establishments, the cards are now sorted alphabetically by restaurant name.
Scope and Contents
All but two of the approximately 100 postcards in this collection depict restaurants in Manhattan from the first half of the 20th century. One card is for an establishment in Brooklyn ("Japanese Restaurant, Dreamland, Coney Island" in Folder 5), and the other shows a general neighborhood view, not a restaurant ("Chinatown" in Folder 2).
Subjects
Genres
Access Restrictions
This collection may be stored offsite. To arrange to consult it, please go to www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the Dale E. Jenkins Collection of Manhattan Restaurant Postcards, PR 337, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit line (for exhibition labels): Gift of Dale E. Jenkins.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Dale E. Jenkins, 2015.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processed by Archivist Joseph Ditta, August, 2017.