15 Vividly Vintage Postcards of Boston
"You don't know beans until you come to Boston."
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
In an age where traveling is often documented religiously on Instagram for all to see, good ol’ fashioned snail mail can be a welcome change of pace. Postcards aren’t yet a lost art, but these vintage ones of Boston from the ’30s and ’40s offer a peek at city life through a retro lens.
Printed by Boston-based printing firm Tichnor Brothers Inc., this collection of postcards in the Boston Public Library’s Digital Commonwealth archive showcases colorful, textured snapshots of the Common, the Charles, and plenty of spots beloved by locals and tourists alike. Here, find 15 of our favorites.
1. The Boston Common and the State House
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
2. The City’s Slogan in the Mid-1900s
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
3. The Lake in the Public Garden
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
4. The George Washington Monument in the Public Garden
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
5. Boston Light
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
6. Commonwealth Avenue
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
7. The Frog Pond During Summertime
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
8. The Hatch Shell
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
9. Tremont Street
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
10. The Museum of Fine Arts
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
11. The Frog Pond
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
12. The Copley Plaza’s Merry-Go-Round Bar (Yes, it existed.)
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
13. Azaleas on Bussey Hill in the Arnold Arboretum
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
14. The BPL and Old South Church
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
15. An Aerial View of the Public Garden
Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection via Digital Commonwealth/Creative Commons
