Exaggeration postcards, also known as tall tale postcards, were postcards popular throughout North America, especially in the Great Plains region, during the early 20th century. These postcards would feature impossibly large animals and crops, often shown being carried by train or wagon, and would usually have some sort of caption to go along with them. Common themes of these postcards included giant fish being caught[1] and massive crops being shown off,[2] less common themes included mythical creatures such as the fur-bearing trout, and people riding oversized animals.[3]
The postcards were often created using trick photography and photocomposition, and some were painted. Entire businesses and studios were created for their production, such as one ran by William H. Martin.[4] The postcards remained popular until World War I, when the government banned German postcards. The production of exaggeration postcards slowly died out after that point, with some lasting until the 1960s.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Tall-tale Postcard: Great Sport Fishing | Postcard". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2003-12-01. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "Tall-tale Postcard: Slicing Tomatoes | Photograph". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2003-12-01. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "Exaggeration Postcards". History Nebraska. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "Did You Ever Have A Dream Like This?" Fantasy Photographs -- American Museum of Photography (SM)". www.photographymuseum.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "Exaggerated Postcards - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
External links
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Media related to Exaggeration postcards at Wikimedia Commons
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