Of Good Cheer: Had Matter Line cards

•• t h e w o r l d a s i t w a s

The lovely, almost fairytale landscapes shown in these cards are from actual photographic black-and-white negatives of Europe, Russia, the Middle East and North America before the 1900s, though the colors are produced by means of the photochrom process.

The photochrom printing process was developed in the 1880s by a Swiss firm as a means of mass producing vibrant color photographs. Photochroms are photomechanical in nature; the original photographic negative is transferred onto lithostones or chromographic plates and color prints are created much like screen prints: layers of ink from multiple plates from the same negative are applied to achieve subtle color. Two companies - Photoglob Company out of Zurich and the Detroit Publishing Company out of Michigan - were the primary producers of photochrom images. These images were popular souvenirs and stored in albums or displayed in homes, much like we do with fine images today. The people creating the photochrom were generally not the people taking the photograph so they had to rely on photographer's notes regarding the scene or make their best guess! The result is a mix of reality and imagination in a beautiful image that records the world as it was over a century ago.

Other designs in this category include standard black and white photographs from the early 1900s and 19th century Japanese woodcut prints in the Ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating / sorrowful world) and Yokohama-e (pictures of Yokohama) forms.

If you're interested in ordering cards, please scroll to the bottom of the page for sampler pack selections. If you choose the "Custom" card selection, then note the name of the card (listed under the card images) in the text field provided. Note that "Front" and "Inside" are images for the same card: "Front" is the design on front of the card, and "Inside" is the inside message.

WLD Abbazia Harbor

WLD Algier Mosque

WLD Biskra Mosque

WLD Alligator Farm

WLD Arch of Peace Milan

WLD Brussels Row Houses

WLD Boston Friendly Place

WLD Boston Public Garden

WLD Abbazia Hungary

WLD Austrian Academy

WLD Great Moments in Ballooning

WLD Cairo Street

WLD Cairo Mosque

WLD Biskra Old Town

WLD Boston Armory

WLD Boston Keith Memorial

WLD Brussels Belgium

WLD Eiffel Tower

WLD Balloon Over Berlin

WLD Brooklyn Bridge

WLD St Malo France

WLD Carlisle Castle

WLD Dorchester Heights

WLD Hot Air Balloon

WLD Central Park

WLD Cross & Arms

WLD Dreamscape Castle

WLD English Castle Collage

WLD Eiffel Tower Postcard - Front

WLD Eiffel Tower Postcard - Inside

WLD Florence Royal Museum

WLD Glastonbury Abbey

WLD Egypt Collage

WLD Lake District

WLD High Street

WLD London Cheapside

WLD St Mont France

WLD Pantheon Paris

WLD Paris Expo

WLD Japanese Cherry Blossoms

WLD Japanese Wave

WLD Japanese Actor

WLD Japanese Geisha

WLD Japanese Gold Finch

WLD Japanese Hen Rooster

WLD Japanese Boat Drawing

WLD Japanese Paddlewheel Drawing

WLD Lake District #2

WLD Greek Stella

WLD Please Write Women

WLD Leaning Tower Pisa

WLD Lucerne Monument

WLD Algiers Mosque Palm

WLD Only the Lonely

WLD Luxor Obelisk

WLD Palace of Fine Arts

WLD Queens College

WLD Tyrol Region

WLD Rome Coliseum

WLD Trivoli Fountain

WLD St Johns Bridge Cambridge

WLD Bridge of Sighs Venice

WLD Romantic Travel Fiction

WLD Spanish Street

WLD St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow

WLD Safford Hall, Mt Holyoke

WLD Porter Hall, Mt Holyoke

WLD Rockefeller Hall, Mt Holyoke

WLD Mead Hall, Mt Holyoke

WLD Pearsons Hall, Mt Holyoke

WLD Mary Lyon Hall, Mt Holyoke

WLD Mary Lyon's grave, Mt Holyoke

WLD Seniors Marching, Mt Holyoke

WLD Mount Holyoke College

WLD Mount Holyoke College Lake

Had Matter Line Old World Card Sampler Pack options The sampler pack includes 12 cards printed on ivory heavy duty cardstock with matching envelopes. Cards are approximately 5"x7" and don't require special postage. Each pack includes two of six different card designs:

The "Britain Mix" includes 1. WLD Cross & Arms, 2. WLD Carlisle Castle, 3. WLD Glastonbury Abbey, 4. WLD Lake District #2, 5. WLD London Cheapside and 6. WLD St Johns Bridge Cambridge

The "North Africa Mix" includes 1. WLD Algier Mosque, 2. WLD Biskra Mosque, 3. Biskra Old Town, 4. WLD Cairo Mosque, 5. WLD Please Write Women and 6. WLD Only the Lonely

The "Europe 1 Mix" includes 1. WLD Abbazia Hungary, 2. WLD Brussels Row Houses, 3. WLD Florence Royal Museum, 4. WLD Paris Expo, 5. WLD Rome Coliseum and 6. WLD Leaning Tower Pisa

The "Europe 2 Mix" includes 1. WLD Abbazia Harbor, 2. WLD Brussels Belgium, 3. WLD Eiffel Tower, 4. WLD St Mont France, 5. WLD Tyrol Region and 6. WLD Trivoli Fountain

The "America Mix" includes 1. WLD Alligator Farm, 2. WLD Boston Friendly Place, 3. WLD Boston Amory, 4. WLD Brooklyn Bridge, 5. WLD Central Park and 6. WLD Palace of Fine Arts

The "Japanese Prints" pack includes 1. WLD Japanese Cherry Blossoms, 2. WLD Japanese Wave, 3. WLD Japanese Actor, 4. WLD Japanese Boat Drawing, 5. WLD Japanese Paddlewheel Drawing and 6. WLD Japanese Gold Finch

For the "Custom" pack, you can specify three card designs in the text field.

Had Matter Line Old World Card Sampler Pack: $36.00 USD with free shipping

An Alma Mater card pack includes 10 cards printed on ivory heavy duty cardstock with matching envelopes. Cards are approximately 5"x7" and don't require special postage. The number of unique designs per pack will vary, but there will be at least one card in the pack for every design featuring the college. Also, if you do not see your college listed and you're interested in what images from the early 1900s might be available, contact me.

Had Matter Line Old World Alma Mater Card Pack: $30.00 USD with free shipping

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