Greetings from My Hometown

Kashong on Seneca Lake, 30” x 20”, #6- and #8-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Norma Press, Geneva, New York, 2015.

Whether you live in a small town or large city, there is something notable about the place you call home. Old souvenir postcards graphically show what people have found interesting about your town, region, state, or province through the years. You can find old postcards of your hometown by browsing antique shops, bookstores, and historical museums as well as on the Internet. Postcards are perfect inspirations for hooked rugs. The designs are ready for your personal adaptations that will make your rugs special treasures for you and future generations.

Postcards were most popular in the United States during the first two decades of the 1900s.  Of course, you can date a postcard if it’s been postmarked, but it may have first been printed years before that. Postcard historians can date postcards by lettering style, placement of words, kind of borders, type of paper, placement of address space, and more. There are several excellent books on the history of postcards, their primary manufacturers, and copyrights. I learned that all postcards published before 1923 are in the public domain, as well as many published between 1923 and 1978.

If adapting an old postcard for a rug sounds interesting, give it a try. Half the fun is finding vintage scenes of the place where you live. Enjoy comparing the past to the present. Make changes that reflect your style and skill. Your unique hometown rug will become one of your personal favorites.