Real Photo postcards are those that were produced from real photographs, sometimes by professional photographers (published in limited numbers), but also by ordinary people, who would only have enough copies printed for their personal use. In those depicting people, a Real Photo card will frequently offer a more detailed view of the clothing and lifestyle of those in the past. Many are studio portraits of individuals or families, but the occasional candid shot of people involved in everyday activities offers a unique view into life throughout the 1900s. Views of towns and cities, vacation spots, dirt roads that are now paved highways, families posing proudly in front of their homes, and portraits of men, women, couples, friends or children allow us to travel back in time, experiencing both a world that has changed, as well as the relationships, expressions and activities that we still enjoy today.

Antique shops often have a basket of these old photos marked as "Instant Ancestors." I often wonder how people can lose their precious family memories to a bin in a shop - perhaps they were overlooked and sold after the death of an elderly relative. Could we also be forgotten so easily, one-hundred years from now? Occasionally I have been able to piece together information from handwritten notes on the back and those pictures have found their way back to the family members. But usually, information is scarce and it takes a certain amount of detective work to put the pieces together. Sometimes there are no hints at all, only an unknown face looking at the camera.

 This collection contains pictures of people on farms, children at play, lovers, families, schools and homes both inside and out. These present a unique way to step into the past through the experiences of everyday people which, frankly, most of us are today. These people are our neighbors, classmates, great-grandparents and ourselves. Imagine being invited into the home of the farmer lovingly holding his newborn infant, visiting the grandfather and granddaughter at their chicken farm, or being introduced to "Rizzer Jones," the Black gentleman from the early 1900s who poses with dignity, even as the tie around his neck is threadbare. These pictures illustrate a more personal side of history than we ever find in books: the words and images of everyday life.

I hope people will feel free to comment and ask questions as they view these photos. Perhaps we will discover a few more that can find their way home.