This Week in History: BC Archives has large collection of vintage postcards

The BC Archives houses thousands of fascinating collections, including postcards.

Historian Nick Russell says a century ago, one could make a living as a postcard photographer.

“Right before the First World War was the real flowering of postcards,” says Russell.  “The economy was good, there was a lot of tourism going on, so people were looking for pictures to take back with them. Few people had their own cameras, so they bought postcards to send to friends. They also bought them for their own souvenirs, and then businesses realized this was a great opportunity for advertising.”

Russell also points out a huge reason for their great popularity with both the public, and with local businesses, was because it only cost one cent to mail a postcard.

Thousands of these intriguing pictures of the past have been safely stored at the BC Archives.

Veronica Cooper takes a look at the collection in this episode of This Week in History.

This Week in History is sponsored by the Royal BC Museum

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