POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST

Early Divided Back Era

1911

In Black & White HALFTONE

TOPIC

Van Wert County Museum

Clark Mansion

602 N. Washington St.

Van Wert, Ohio

The old Clark Mansion, sometimes known as the "House of Seven Oaks", was given to the Historical Society in 1955 by William Fostnaught, a local attorney and school teacher, to be used as a museum. The original builders were John O. and Tacey Viella (Baker) Clark in 1895 on property which at that time was a cow pasture at the extreme north end of Van Wert. The home, designed by Mrs. Clark, is now furnished with period furniture and artifacts which have been donated by area residents.

Year

1911

Era

Early Divided Back Era (1907-1915)

The Golden Age of Postcards

Postcards with a divided back were permitted in the U.S. beginning on March 1, 1907.  (Britain had already pioneered this in 1902.)  The address was to be written on the right side; the left side was for writing messages.  Many millions of cards were published in this era -- it was the golden age of postcards.  Up to this point, most postcards were printed in Germany, which was far ahead of the United States in the use of lithographic processes.  With the advent of World War I, the supply of postcards for American consumption switched from Germany to England and the United States itself.

Printer

Wilkinson Printing Company

(1904-1927)

Color-Plate Engravers & Color Printers

424-438 West 33rd Street

New York City, New York

Factory in Long Island, New York

W.J. Wilkinson established a printing shop in 1904 in New York City. In 1916, Zeese-Wilkinson Printing Company was formed by partners Gustav Zeese (1867-1930) and William James Wilkinson (1877-1956). By 1922, they advertised that they had 65,000 Feet of Floor Space at Long Island, New York advertising 52 presses for Color Printing. They specialized in color plate engraving and operated one of the largest Colortype plants in the United States.

William James Wilkinson immigrated to the United States in 1903 and became a Naturalized Citizen in 1912. Gustav Zeese immigrated from Germany in 1882 and became a Naturalized Citizen in 1890.

The partners sold the company in 1927. The company continued under the name Zeese-Wilkinson until 1950.

Publisher

Wilkinson Printing Company

Distributor

Photographer

Artist

Size

Standard Size: 5 ½ X 3 ½ / 14cm X 8.9cm

Printing Technique

Halftone Printing Process

The most common and easily identifiable photomechanical process is the half-tone process. The half-tone printing process is one of the most significant inventions of modern times and has been applied to relief, intaglio and lithographic printing.

The invention of the halftone printing process, often aptly called the dot process, replaced lines with dots, allowing for greater detail. In the process, a photographic image is projected through a special screen, resembling a screen door, and is projected onto a photochemically sensitized printing plate. The screen transforms the image into a series of tiny dots on the printing plate, which then appear in the resulting print. These tiny dots allow for a much finer detail than engravings, etchings and woodcuts.

While halftone can't produce the quality and detail of a real photograph, it can make a realistic representation.

CONDITION

Unused /Unposted – Beautiful Glossy Print!

This postcard is in pristine condition!

Corners and edges in good condition.

NO pinholes, tears, creases, stains, smears, smudges, or mold.