Buffalo Postcards
Buffalo Postcards provides a unique snapshot of Buffalo, NY, in the first half of the 20th century. The picture postcards show buildings that are no longer in existence and scenes that have been greatly altered. Some were selected because they are uncommon views of scenes frequently depicted elsewhere. Most of the cards were published between 1907 and 1915, during the heyday of postcards in the United States. This corresponds with the golden age of Buffalo, when transportation, commerce, and industry created great wealth and growth, which in turn spurred the construction of many beautiful buildings and parks.
The postcards show the importance of transportation in Buffalo's development, its industrial heritage, styles of architecture, and what people were doing and wearing at the time. Postcards were a cheap, ready form of communication before telephones became widespread. Some of the postcard images include correspondence on the back revealing details about people's comings and goings and what was on their minds.
The Buffalo Postcards collection is a representative selection from the Postcard Collection at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Research Library, which contains over 5,000 postcards of Buffalo and Western New York from around 1900 to the present.
Collection owner: Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society