Surviving Through History

Not all of the post card printers and publishers lasted a long time. For example, the Acmegraph Company lasted eight years (1909 – 1918); the Benham Company existed from 1910 to 1915 – a short 5 years; the Gray News Company was able to meek out an existence of 16 years from 1906 – 1922. On the other hand, some companies have had a very long and prosperous life. The Albertype Company was around from 1887 to 1952; the American Art Post Card Company was in New York for about 38 years (1915 – 1953); Raphael Tuck & Sons had a very good run, starting in 1866 until it was purchased (and so, sort of still exists) in the 1960s. The H H Tammen Curio Company is in the group that lasted a very long time. It began in 1896 and closed shop in 1953. With his partner Charles A. Stuart he worked as a Denver bartender in 1880, and in 1881 they established the firm of H.H. Tammen & Co. (which in 1896 became the H.H. Tammen Curio Co., with partners Carl Litzenberger and Joseph Cox ) in Denver, Colorado. They were smart, because they didn’t deal only in post cards. The business sold minerals and branched out into other curiosities from the West. A quick internet search shows that they printed books, sold silver souvenir spoons (who doesn’t know someone who collects these?), printed and sold burnt leather calendars. He and a partner also owned the Denver Post newspaper. He was a very successful businessman. It is not surprising that many of the post cards that depict the trains in the western USA in my collection have his logo on them. These three cards are a drop in the bucket.

They all show the same scene: the last car of a passenger train heading through the Royal Gorge in Colorado. As you scan down the three images, you can see that it looks like they just continued to print and print and print without changing the ink. I know that is not the case because these cards come from two different post card eras and represent two different publishers. The first card is from the time immediately after the Post Office allowed people to write messages on the backs of cards. It is known as the Divided Back era (1907 – 1915). The photo is actually quite crisp and clear as I look at it. The water has movement in it and the rocks show the fissures very well. This card is unused, so I don’t know exactly how old it is. Within the next few years, though, I can almost guarantee that it will be a centenarian. The second card is the same picture printed by the same printer and published by the same publisher – HH Tammen Curio Company. But, now the businesses have found out that you can save lots of money by adding a white border around the same pictures they have been printing. The post card number and title have not changed: 5955. Going Through the Royal Gorge, Colorado. Parts of the rocks, the rails and the river have disappeared as the printing process cropped the picture. There are no changed made to the back. This card comes from the White Border era (1915 – 1930).

The third card is printed by the same printer, comes from the White Border era and uses the same picture. However, it is now being published by the Van Noy-Interstate Co., of Denver, (1914 – 1926) Colorado. The details are much less crisp and the fringe on the back of the observation deck is now red and white instead of the green and white in the other two cards. The title has not changed but it has a new number: 4367. You can see that the Van Noy-Interstate Company wanted to do more than just tell you about the picture. They have added the now familiar box in the upper left hand corner of the card that gives a fuller description of the feature on the other side of the post card. I am not sure if you can read the message, but it looks like it was used by a student to let someone know that she is not very sure about an assignment she had just handed in. The most fascinating thing that I find about the HH Tammen Curio Company is the use of the little “space critter” as their logo.

If anyone who reads this blog knows where the little fellow originated, I would be very happy to hear from you.