(Click to view larger image.)
Postcards had appeal for both hometown residents and tourists. Postcards
made it easy for people to send a familiar or exotic image to their friends,
accompanied by a short note in the space provided on the front and/or back
of the card. Popular Rock Island cards usually featured parks, scenic
views, riverboats, or downtown buildings and streetscapes. The scene on
today's postcard, however, is not typical of those cards. It's called a
'real photo' postcard and it's from the collection of historic postcards in
the Rock Island Public Library. Unlike most postcards, this card is an
actual photo rather than a colored lithograph, and certainly wouldn't have
been purchased by most tourists.
The card was never mailed and is identified only as 1601 25th Street. Based
on the woman's 'Gibson girl' hairdo and leg-o-mutton shirtwaist sleeves, it
dates to the first decade of the 20th century. The photo was likely taken
just after the house was built, since city directories indicate a
construction date of about 1908. The first listed residents were Harry and
Mamie Kluge, who perhaps are the couple in our picture. Mr. Kluge was a
driver, first for the streetcar company and later for the Math Bakery and
Confectionery. The lady wears a long apron over her skirt and is
attractively groomed. The gentleman has a tie and vest displaying his watch
chain, but wears no jacket, even though the barren trees indicate a late
fall or winter date.
The focus of the card is the house. Notice how the pair is carefully
positioned far enough away from the house to ensure that the entire
structure is included in the picture. The front of the house is neatly
finished with a foundation of rock-textured concrete block and carefully
applied clapboard siding. Even the chimney is nicely embellished at the
top. The gathered curtain in the window indicates the house is occupied,
although the rear addition appears to be only roughly finished with streaky
vertical siding and open-backed steps. Other buildings visible in the
distance show the semi-rural character of this developing hilltop
neighborhood.
The Kluges lived here only a couple of years, then moved to a '30th Street,
South Rock Island' address. Directories list many different occupants in
ensuing years, indicating that the house may have been rented. By 1920,
Henry and Clara Kroeger moved into the home. Mr. Kroeger was a carpenter,
and likely he was the person responsible for greatly enlarging the tiny
house with a 1-1/2 story addition at the rear and a big porch in front. The
chimney remained in the same spot, however. The house must have
accommodated the family well, as the Kroegers remained here for fifty years.
The Kroeger family remained a strong presence in this neighborhood through
the 1990s, as Henry and Clara's married daughter Margaret lived next door at
1603 25th Street. More recent owners expanded our pictured house even more
and changed the original siding as well.
As noted earlier, this is not a typical postcard. According to the
July/August 2000 issue of Old House Journal, 'real photo' postcards were
popular between 1902 and 1910. During those years, Kodak made a preprinted
postcard backing that allowed photographers to print relatively small
quantities of postcards directly from their negatives. This created a new
business, where traveling photographers went from town to town to create and
sell postcards. Many of these postcards show homes; others are of street
scenes and public buildings, especially from towns that were too small to
provide an adequate market for lithographed cards.
Unfortunately the locations of many of these real photo cards, especially
those produced for homeowners, are not identified. Not only is the street
address frequently unknown, even the city of origin may be difficult or
impossible to determine. When present, postmarks can be an aid in such
identification.
In the pre-digital (and even pre-camera for many) era, real photo postcards
allowed images of prized buildings to be created and shared. This was a
wonderful way for homeowners (or renters) and businessmen to show pride in
their building. Surviving cards are now a valuable resource for
architectural and community historians and can be a source of enjoyment for
us all.
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