had matter line cards
•• t h e   w o r l d   a s   i t   w a s 

scrollwork design feature
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.

blank card WLD Abbazia Harbor
blank card WLD Algier Mosque
blank card WLD Biskra Mosque
blank card WLD Alligator Farm
blank card WLD Arch of Peace Milan
blank card WLD Brussels Row Houses
blank card WLD Boston Friendly Place
blank card WLD Boston Public Garden
blank card WLD Abbazia Hungary
blank card WLD Austrian Academy
blank card WLD Great Moments in Ballooning
blank card WLD Cairo Street
blank card WLD Cairo Mosque
blank card WLD Biskra Old Town
blank card WLD Boston Armory
blank card WLD Boston Keith Memorial
blank card WLD Brussels Belgium
blank card WLD Eiffel Tower
blank card WLD Balloon Over Berlin
blank card WLD Brooklyn Bridge
blank card WLD St Malo France
blank card WLD Carlisle Castle
blank card WLD Dorchester Heights
blank card WLD Hot Air Balloon
blank card WLD Central Park
blank card WLD Cross & Arms
blank card WLD Dreamscape Castle
blank card WLD English Castle Collage
blank card WLD Eiffel Tower Postcard - Front
blank card WLD Eiffel Tower Postcard - Inside
blank card WLD Florence Royal Museum
blank card WLD Glastonbury Abbey
blank card WLD Egypt Collage
blank card WLD Lake District
blank card WLD High Street
blank card WLD London Cheapside
blank card WLD St Mont France
blank card WLD Pantheon Paris
blank card WLD Paris Expo
blank card WLD Japanese Cherry Blossoms
blank card WLD Japanese Wave
blank card WLD Japanese Actor
blank card WLD Japanese Geisha
blank card WLD Japanese Gold Finch
blank card WLD Japanese Hen Rooster
blank card WLD Japanese Boat Drawing
blank card WLD Japanese Paddlewheel Drawing
blank card WLD Lake District #2
blank card WLD Greek Stella
blank card WLD Please Write Women
blank card WLD Leaning Tower Pisa
blank card WLD Lucerne Monument
blank card WLD Algiers Mosque Palm
blank card WLD Only the Lonely
blank card WLD Luxor Obelisk
blank card WLD Palace of Fine Arts
blank card WLD Queens College
blank card WLD Tyrol Region
blank card WLD Rome Coliseum
blank card WLD Trivoli Fountain
blank card WLD St Johns Bridge Cambridge
blank card WLD Bridge of Sighs Venice
blank card WLD Romantic Travel Fiction
blank card WLD Spanish Street
blank card WLD St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow
blank card WLD Safford Hall, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Porter Hall, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Rockefeller Hall, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Mead Hall, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Pearsons Hall, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Mary Lyon Hall, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Mary Lyon's grave, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Seniors Marching, Mt Holyoke
blank card WLD Mount Holyoke College
blank card WLD Mount Holyoke College Lake
scrollwork design feature
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

Pack options:
Custom pack: list 3 cards

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

Alma mater:

b a c k   t o   t o p   o f   p a g e