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Hold-to-Light Postcards
During the Golden Age of postcards, from 1898 to 1918, people around the world bought postcards at a torrid pace, sending millions to friends and family members and collecting millions more. The international craze prompted card makers to create imaginative new designs, including “hold-to-lights.”
The images on hold-to-lights undergo a transformation when lit from behind. The cards fall into two main categories: transparencies and die-cuts. Both types are made of thin layers of paper bonded together. On a transparency, the inner layers contain an image that can be seen only when the card is held up to a strong light. On a die-cut, the top layers of paper have been cut away in places—around a candle flame, for instance—to form transparent windows that illuminate when near a light source.
Scarcity usually determines price. The most common cards often show a simple line drawing when held to the light. The most expensive show Santa Clause dressed up as Uncle Sam. The condition of a card has a big bearing on its value, too. Most collectors store their cards in protective covers because prolonged exposure to light causes the colors to fade and destroys their value.
The images on hold-to-lights undergo a transformation when lit from behind. The cards fall into two main categories: transparencies and die-cuts. Both types are made of thin layers of paper bonded together. On a transparency, the inner layers contain an image that can be seen only when the card is held up to a strong light. On a die-cut, the top layers of paper have been cut away in places—around a candle flame, for instance—to form transparent windows that illuminate when near a light source.
Scarcity usually determines price. The most common cards often show a simple line drawing when held to the light. The most expensive show Santa Clause dressed up as Uncle Sam. The condition of a card has a big bearing on its value, too. Most collectors store their cards in protective covers because prolonged exposure to light causes the colors to fade and destroys their value.
kjacobso |
Latest page update: made by kjacobso
, Jun 19 2007, 11:39 AM EDT
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