Brief history of postcards in the United States was found in Wikipedia.

John P. Charlton of [[Philadelphia]] patented the postcard in 1861, selling the rights to H. L. Lipman, whose postcards, complete with a decorated border, were labeled "Lipman's postal card." Nine years later, European countries were also producing postcards.

The United States Postal Service began issuing pre-stamped postal cards in 1873. The postal cards came about because the public was looking for an easier way to send quick notes. The USPS was the only establishment allowed to print postcards, and it held its monopoly until May 19, 1898, when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act which allowed private publishers and printers to produce postcards.

Initially, the United States government prohibited private companies from calling their cards "postcards," so they were known as "souvenir cards." Although, in 1901, this prohibition was rescinded, not until 1908 could people write on the address side of a postcard.

[[Image:pikespeak.jpg|left|thumb|Greetings from Pikes Peak, Colorado: A "large-letter" style American postcard from the linen era]]

The first postcard in the [[United States]] was created in [[1893]] to advertise the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in [[Chicago]]. Shortly thereafter the [[United States government]], via the [[United States Postal Service]], allowed printers to publish a 1-cent postcard (the "Penny Postcard"). A correspondent's writing was allowed only on the front side of these cards.

Postcards, in the form of government postal cards and privately printed souvenir cards, became very popular as a result of the Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in [[1893]], after postcards featuring buildings were distributed at the fair. In 1908, more than 677 million postcards were mailed.

[[1901]] brought cards with the word "Post Card" printed on the reverse (the side without the picture). Written messages were still restricted to the front side, with the entire back dedicated to the address. This "undivided back" is what gives this postcard era its name.
[[Image:Freudenberg ArthurOscar 02.jpg|right|thumb|American 'divided back' postcard, 1916]]
The "divided back" card, with space for a message on the address side, came into use in the United States in [[1907]]. The back is divided into two sections, the left section being used for the message and the right for the address. Thus began the Golden Age of American postcards, which lasted