ad for a 1912 Ellis Graber printing and cutting machine for photographic postcards
Toronto. In issue 19-2 of our journal, editor Ev Roseborough asks, “Ever wonder how the millions of “real photographic postcards” were made? These [machines] were used in almost every country in the world.”
This is the cut line under a photograph of a 1912 BJ Almanac advertisement for the Ellis Graber of Tunbridge England machine. Most of the photo collectors around have a postcard or two in their collection. It sets the mind at rest knowing how photo postcards could be made and sold so cheaply.
For an even less expensive, but a much reduced resolution postcard, publishers used a half-tone process – one reason for collectors to pour over the cards offered before purchasing to ensure a ‘photo’ postcard was indeed a ‘photo’ postcard and not a half-tone print of a photo.
