Native American art was introduced to mainstream collectors through Indian trading posts, such as Indian Plaza in Gallup, N.M., which opened to take advantage of tourist traffic on Highway 66. Read More +
Do you remember when oil was called “black gold” or “Texas tea” in the “Beverly Hillbillies’” theme song? Striking oil was the ultimate source of wealth, more desirable than gold or diamonds. It flowed out of the ground, and no one gave much thought to running out of it. Read More +
A friend recently saw several baskets made of postcards at an auction and wondered if postcard collectors were interested in this type of novelty. The answer brings up a major divide between artists who think their art takes precedence and collectors who cherish the ephemera of the past. Read More +
My brother found a mammoth tooth in a gravel pit when he was a college student working summers on road construction. It was chalky white and beautiful, and I coveted it mightily. I still haven’t forgiven his ex-wife for giving it to a neighbor. Read More +
The terrible earthquake in Haiti has horrified the world, and calls for relief funds have been answered worldwide, proving that people are inherently generous and caring when given the opportunity. Read More +
Do you think your job is tough? These postcards show the world’s worst jobs through the ages.
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What does a photographer do when times are tough and competition is stiff? Those who survive use their imaginations and offer a little something extra. This is certainly what professionals did during the postcard craze of the early 1900s. Read More +
Images from disasters and other major events are sent around the world so quickly today that it’s easy to forget the limitations of news coverage before the information highway was built. Read More +
Our local super-store has one sad rack of postcards with little to tempt even the most avid collector. A hundred years ago the situation was vastly different. Almost every topic under the sun was depicted on postcards, but none appealed to the general buyer more than adorable children. Read More +
A huge project is underway to catalog every one of the 1.8 million species on planet earth. According to a BBC News report, this huge Encyclopedia of Life now has 30,000 pages and is scheduled for completion in 2017. Read More +