Portland Postcard Company
Historic Pacific Northwest Postcards, Carefully Reproduced.
Project
Postcards
The Pacific Northwest’s best historic postcards. Reprints matched to the originals as closely as possible in paper, size, and finish.
Portland Postcard Company
Historic Pacific Northwest Postcards,
Carefully Reproduced.
The Pacific Northwest's best historic postcards. Reprints matched to the originals as closely as possible in paper, size, and finish.
The Story
The Pacific Northwest has a long and colorful history with postcards. From nearly the moment postcards were invented and standardized by the U.S. Postal Service, prints highlighted what makes this region so distinctive. As early as 1905, postcards were printed in Portland for the Lewis & Clark Exposition. As railroads and highways made the region more accessible, these cards showcased all sorts of sights and scenery.
I like that these are small pieces of ephemera – often carrying a bit of history and art – sent to distant friends and family as tokens of affection and connection.
I’ve spent years collecting many of the best examples from the Pacific Northwest. I genuinely love what they represent: a connection between people, pinned to a specific place and time. So I started this business selling carefully and lovingly reprinted copies of the best cards in my collection.
They strive to be as close as possible to the originals, matching materials and sizes, including textured linen paper to match the Curt Teich-style postcards from the 1930s and 40s, and similar finishes for the pre-WWI German-made and Portland Post Card Company’s lithographic prints.
There’s something truly special about visitors sending home a personalized memento like these. A little piece of history tied to this extraordinary place.
The Postcards
For You a Rose in Portland Grows
Circa early 1940s · Linen paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
For you a rose in Portland Grows! This one is iconic, and this reprint is as close to the original as I’ve been able to manage. I’ve mostly seen historic examples of this postcard from the 1940s and 1950s (earliest postmark I’ve seen is 1944), but it may have originally been printed as early as the 1930s. Wiki Commons link
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A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
Bird’s Eye View of Portland, Including Mt. Hood
Circa 1909 · Uncoated paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
Based on a black-and-white photograph from around 1905, this image was recolored and reproduced as a lithographic print numerous times leading up to the First World War. The reprint is on basic uncoated paper but looks remarkably close to the original.
A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
St. Johns Bridge with “Battleship” Portland
Circa 1930s · Linen paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
Based on a well-known 1933 black-and-white photo (which you can see in the lobby of the Oregon Historical Society), the “Battleship” is the USS Portland, named for some random small town in Maine nobody’s ever heard of, not my lovely PNW home. Also, it’s not a battleship, it’s a cruiser.
Most (if not all) linen postcards of the 1930s and ’40s were black-and-white photos with hand-drawn instructions for coloring. In this case, the they miscolored the bridge grey. St. Johns Bridge is actually green. As far as I can tell the bridge has always been green. Interestingly, the color on the postcard was never corrected across its many reprints into the 1940s.
I’m nearly certain the image is technically still under copyright by the Angelus Commercial Studio, but I don’t think anyone is enforcing it.
The earliest postmark I can find is from summer 1938. You can read more about the original photo here, here, on Reddit, and here.
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A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
Multnomah Falls Lodge, with Bridge & Train
Circa 1930s · Linen paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
This is one of Oregon’s most popular and iconic tourist destinations.
A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
Mt. Hood & Reflection from Lost Lake
Circa 1912 · Uncoated paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
Based on a black-and-white photo, this image was originally printed in Germany via the lithographic method.
Lost Lake itself is pretty amazing, located just north of Mt. Hood along the Pacific Crest Trail. The explorers who named it couldn’t seem to find it and swore the lake was the one who was lost, not them. It takes real nerve to name a place after your own error. Cartographers call this projection.
A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
Timberline Lodge, Late Winter at Sunset
Circa late 1930s · Linen paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
All work and no play makes one a very dull boi, which is why Portlanders & Oregonians know it’s important to get out into nature, like the majestic vistas and skiing at Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge.
I’m a big fan of the Timberline. Built between 1936 and 1938 as a WPA Great Depression project, the lodge features an interior decorated by a bunch of local artists. You’re a stone’s throw from supposedly the longest ski season in the Lower 48, Mt. Hood’s peak, Paradise Park, the Timberline Trail, and a large swath of wilderness. The lobby is a great place to write postcards.
I’m planning a series for Timberline Lodge with cards for every season, hence all the various versions under “original”.
A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
Greetings from Portland
Circa 1940s · Linen paper · 3.5 × 5.5 in
Pretty sure this is a mid-to-late 1940s postcard. Bright and colorful, tho honestly not quite as iconic as the “For You a Rose” or the Portland “Battleship” cards. My reprint carries over a strange mirror postmark print that I think makes it look particularly cool.
A photo of the actual reprint for sale, this is what you’d receive.
Pricing
Click & expand the row to see the card and its full description.
Also, it’s $2 for single cards.
Contact
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