POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST

1970’s Photochrome Era Postcard

In Photochrome 4-Color Process printing

TOPIC

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“A view from the Manchester Bridge, showing some of the principle buildings in Gateway Center. Docked in the Allegheny River is the popular sightseeing boat, the Gateway Clipper. To the right is a portion of Point State Park.”

The Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a high-rise building complex with office space in five buildings. The plans developed during World War II to redevelop the dense and "blighted" forks of the Ohio River into both Point State Park and a "Gateway" of offices.

The Gateway Clipper Fleet is a Pittsburgh fleet of riverboats. The fleet cruises the three rivers of Pittsburgh - the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio. The fleet is named after the city of Pittsburgh, which in earlier times was known as the "Gateway to the West".

Point State Park opened in August 1974 when construction was completed on its iconic fountain.

Year

1970’s

Era

Photochrome Era (1939-ongoing)

 “Chrome” postcards began to dominate the scene soon after the Union Oil Company placed them in its western service stations in 1939.  Mike Roberts pioneered his “WESCO” cards soon after World War II.  Three-dimensional postcards also appeared in this era.  By 1960s, the standard size of cards had grown to 4 x 6 inches.

Photochromes are not real photos but rather, printed cards done by a photochrome process.  To distinguish a printed postcard from a real photo postcard, examine it under a magnifying glass and you will see the dot pattern that is characteristic of printed cards.

Printer

Dexter Press Inc. (1920-1977)

 "The Post Card King"
Park Ridge, New Jersey (1920-1928)

Pearl River, New York (1928-1952)

West Nyack, New York (1952-1977)

Thomas A. Dexter (1899-1993) was a newspaper publisher, postcard entrepreneur, and horse racer. He opened his first printshop in Park Ridge, New Jersey in 1920. He moved to Pearl River, New York eight years later, and by the 1930’s he was producing postcards, mostly linens but also black & white and hand colored cards covering a wide variety of subjects.

Around 1952 he turned exclusively to photochromes after they moved to West Nyack, when their old shop grew too small.  Most of the photochromes printed by Dexter Press bore the words Genuine Natural Color.

Their early chromes were issued under the name Dextone and tended to be flat and somewhat dull in appearance. As years went by their optical blending techniques improved producing richer and more varied colors.

They sold the company to Consolidated Foods in 1972, with Thomas’ son Robert Reardon staying on as manager. By 1977 slowing business forced them to merge with MWM Color Press, and by 1984 they closed the New York plant and moved to Aurora, Missouri as a subsidiary of MWM Color Press.

In 1980, the two companies combined forces to create MWM Dexter. Since that time, over $30 million in equipment and technology have been invested to provide customers with the best concept-to-completion, full-color printing & fulfillment services.

Publisher

Published by

Wonday Film Services & Portrait Studio, Inc.

Established in 1909

Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania

Wonday Film Services was founded in 1909 by Levi Kelier Raup (1886-1971) in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania and was a family owned Wholesale Photo Finishing business. The establishment expanded their services to include a portrait photography studio in the 1960’s.

Mr. Raup was drafted into World War I and served 1 ½ years in the Army. He was later required to register with the draft during World War II but did not serve because of his age.

Mr. Raup retired in 1964. After his death in 1971, the business was purchased by Richard “Rick” James Muzzey who is a Certified Photographic Engineer (b.1949). Mr. Muzzey continues to operate the establishment under the “Wonday Film Services” company name.

Photographer

Wonday Film Services & Portrait Studio, Inc.

Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania

Size

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

Printing Technique

Photochrome 1939-

 4-Color Process printing

Full-color images are created on the printing press by applying separate layers of the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks. Photochrome cards were both more realistic looking and less expensive. Thousands of colors can be reproduced by overlapping these CMYK colors in various concentrations. Applied as tiny dots on the paper the four CMYK colors combine to create the visual effect we know as full color printing.

CONDITION

Unused /Unposted

Corners and edges in good condition.

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