The Becker Archives is pleased to announce the acquisition of over 3,500 historical postcards featuring current and former hospitals in the St. Louis and American Midwest geographical area. This incredible collection was donated to the Becker Archives by Dr. Hilton I. Price, a long-time postcard enthusiast and BJC HealthCare radiologist who was associated with Christian Hospital for over thirty years.
Why are there so many postcards featuring hospitals? According to Dr. Price, it was common for hospitals all over the world to make postcards available to their patients in the first half of the 20th century. At this time, there would have been limited patient access to a telephone, so communicating with friends and family while at the hospital was most easily and economically accomplished using these readily available postcards. Also, Dr. Price believed patients in the early 1900s spent much more time in the hospital per visit compared to the quick patient turnaround times expected today. At a time when television and cell phones were not available to patients, writing short messages on postcards that could be mailed for a penny helped pass the time while effectively advertising for the hospital too.
City Institution for the Insane postcard, 1915.
Desloge Hospital postcard, 1941.
While some of the postcards in this collection are in pristine uncirculated condition, many include messages and have been postmarked as you can see in the examples in this blog post. To some, this makes browsing the collection even more interesting than just viewing the artwork on the front. As many archival researchers will tell you, it can be very entertaining reading someone else’s mail!
Lutheran Hospital postcard, 1911.
St. Johns Hospital postcard, 1910.
Researchers may now access the Hilton I. Price Collection of Historical Postcards and Ephemera at the Becker Archives. The postcards are divided into the broad geographical categories including: St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Missouri, and Illinois. In addition to the postcards, the Price Collection also includes approximately 200 beautifully illustrated pharmaceutical advertisements and drug labels from the Midwest geographical region as well.