The post card craze hit America in the late 19th century when the government authorized their use. Untold numbers of postcards were printed and mailed, and still are printed and mailed.
Real Photo Post Cards, or RPPCs as they are known among postcard collectors, are individual photographs made into postcards. Presumably the family bought a supply from the photographer and then used them in its correspondence. Many of the cards below are used, some are not. The J. W. Wright cards are clearly advertising pieces.
Real Photo Post Cards (RPPC) Featuring Stanley Steam Cars
This RPPC is postmarked August 1, 1907 and was taken After a spree on the beach. Tell your pa Cleo is O.K.details a visit to the beach. The car appears to be a 1906 or 1907 Model F 20 hp Touring Car.
This RPPC is dated June 14, 1908 and postmarked St. Louis, MO. It would appear to have been taken outside the St. Louis Stanley dealership, as one can read [ST]ANLEY ST[EAM CAR] [SO]UTH SIDE AUTO on the sign at the right. It appears to be a 1908 Model H5, the Gentleman's Speedy Roadster[1]
This RPPC is postmarked in Fairlee, VT on December 28, 1910. The car appears to be a 1907 Model EX with a 10 hp engine. There is no door between the front seat and the mother-in-law seat, where the gentleman's mother is apparently sitting.
This RPPC is postmarked Wincheste, NH on Januaryh 15, 1911, long after this car was made and sold. This car appears to be a 1903 or 1904 Panel Seat Runabout. It has no fenders. The couple maybe Mr. & Mrs. Horner, (and their dog), as the postcard is signed Ella Horner.
J. H. Wright was The Stanley Steamerman in Independence, IA. This advertising RPPC was sent to a potential customer, Warfield Pratt Howell CO. in Cedar Rapids, IA from Independence, IA on July 7, 1911. It illustrates a light delivery wagon built on a 1910 Model 60 chassis, as it has a 10 hp engine.
This hand colored postcard was postmarked in WInchendon, MASS on November 27, 1912 and its divided back dates it after 1907. The vehicle in front of the horse and buggy is almost certainly a Stanley. It appears to be a 1903 or 1904 Model C or CX.
This RPPC was never mailed, perhaps becasue it was printed so badly off center. The divided back places it after 1907. The car is a 1908 Model M 30 hp. Why the photo was taken in a back alley rather than in front of the family's home is undertain.1
This RPPC advertising postcard was never mailed. J. W. Wright, The Stanley Steamer Man has this car so decoratted that its model designation is impossible to discern. There is a second Stanley entering the photo behind Santa Claus. The photos are posed in front of Wright's Garage.
This unmailed RPPC's divided back place its production after 1907. This is a Stick Seat Runabout from 1903.
This unused RPPC caries the single word Valentine on its divided back. The closeup of the driver makes identifying the car difficult, but it appears to be 1906 or 1907 Model F.
Modern Stanley Postcards
The development of the antique car hobby following World War II bronght with it the use of antique automobiles in various advertising and promotional programs. The Stanley Steamer was a major part of these programs.
Many museums produced postcards showing their Stanley, White, Locomobile, and other steam cars. The cards below reflect these trends. This is by no means a comprehensive collection.
This 1913 Stanley was featured on Penziol Z 7 postcards, as were Locomobiles. Here are three versions of the card.
Museum Postcards
Stanley Steam Cars have been part of automobile museums since automobile museums started. They are often featured on postcards produced and sold by those museums. Here are some examples.
Owl's Head Museum Transpotation Museum
This postcard is postmarked October 1, 1980, Portland ME. It is a product of the Owls Head Transportation Museum and illustrates The Great Gace between the 1912 Curtis Pusher Model D airplane and the 1908 MOdel K Stanley Steam Car. The winner of the race is not stated on the card.[1]
