I just took a closer look at this postcard I bought on eBay and see that there is a mark on the picture.
There, in the street about halfway down the street, on the right.
Is that something that was in the photo or some schmutz from the printing process?
The message side reads: Our house is at the white post where I have put a cross. It is a very pretty ave. in summer. Best regards from all. Florence E.
OK, but when? And who’s this Florence E. messing with my postcard?
First thing to check – look for a postmark.
None. And no copyright either.
Just Published by the Brick Stores, Riverton and Palmyra, NJ, and this NEWVOCHROME logo printed in Germany.
According to metropostcard.com‘s glossary of postcard terms, NEWVOCHROME is “…a trade name for postcards distributed by the American News Company that were printed in black collotype over broad areas of red, yellow, and blue lithography. These cards, printed on paper with a light embossed pattern are characterized by a sharp look and a dull finish. They were promoted as the best made of all German cards.”
Googling for “how to date a postcard” led me to chicagopostcardmuseum.org where I learned that the postal service started allowing the use of divided back postcards in March of 1907.
Except for a wartime increase in 1917 to 2 cents, the postage rate for postcards was one cent from 1872-1919. That narrows it down.
Another clue from postcardvalues.com says that the German cards were of outstanding quality, but WWI shut down the presses and cut off that source before 1915.
I decided to take a chance at finding a Florence E. living on Lippincott Avenue in the 1920 US Census.
There is Florence E. Peterson at 209 Lippincott with her husband Lawrence C. Peterson, a tailor, and their daughter Florraine J.
Checking our newspaper archive, I found that there was an attempted robbery of the home in June 1922 and that Florraine made 3rd Grade Honor Roll at Riverton School in 1923.
In 1935, the home of Lawrence Peterson won a prize in the Borough’s House Christmas decoration project.
Our 1999 Riverton National Register Historic District Application describes the home in two places.
Entries in 1943 and 1957 New Era showed that other families lived in the home.
Folks still come and go in Riverton and questions about the history of a home are one of the most frequent question topics we receive.
There are more 100+ year old postcards on our website. See if you can find your street or house, and if you have a vintage image of your Riverton home that we don’t have, please contact us if you are able to share it.
