Baby’s big bonnet
What it is:
Unused real photo post card measuring 3.5 x 5.5 inches.
What I know about it:
Undated and unidentified. But a date range can be determined by the paper manufacturer’s markings on the back (stamp box with “AZO”and two arrows up and two down), which were in use from 1917/1918 (the date differs depending on the reference source) through 1930.
Comments:
Just too darn cute.
Pics of Then 
Hey Matt, is a real photo postcard common for the era? Too cute, indeed! 🙂
Hi Katie, yes, it was relatively common for decades. I haven’t done extensive research, but it seems like it was a fairly standard option for getting your photos printed up, and photographers would carry regular photographic paper as well as the special postcard paper as options. And just as photographic paper will often have brand logos like Kodak on the back, the manufacturers of “real photo” post cards would often use tiny differences in the markings on the back (the line dividing the address and the message, the box where you put the stamp, etc.) that allow modern collectors to identify the brand name and get an approximate date for the photo. I have quite a few of these postcards in my collection. They were sometimes mailed, with an address and stamp and message on the back. Often a message was written on the back without having been mailed, so perhaps they were included in other cards or letters. Most of the ones I have don’t have any message at all. Many were simply framed like regular photos. From the front they usually just look like any other photo, and you only realize they were printed as postcards when you turn them over.
Thanks, Matt! Not sure why I’m surprised by that. Love seeing these more home like photos though. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know which photos you enjoy! I try to provide a variety, but it’s always good to know what resonates with people.