1900s Public Library Reading Pennsylvania Vintage Postcard UDB

About This Postcard

This antique color tinted postcard features the original Public Library building in Reading, Pennsylvania. The image captures the imposing multi-story architecture of the library, which was a cornerstone of the city's intellectual life in the early twentieth century. The scene includes period details like a wooden utility pole with early electrical or telephone wiring in the foreground. This specific building was eventually replaced by the current Carnegie-funded library building on Fifth and Franklin Streets, making this an important historical record of Reading's earlier urban landscape.

Details

Era: Undivided Back (c. 1901-1907)
City: Reading
Country: United States
Topic: Reading Public Library, Pennsylvania Architecture, Historic Libraries, Urban Pennsylvania History, Reading Street Scenes.
Condition: Unposted / Uncirculated
Address Side: Undivided Back
Orientation: Vertical (Portrait)
Artist / Photographer: Not Stated
Publisher: Illustrated Postal Card Co., New York-Germany (Series No. 3.-1)
Printer: Germany
Print Type: Tinted Halftone / Lithograph

Additional Information

This card was produced by the Illustrated Postal Card Co., identifiable by their hallmark eagle and shield logo on the back. The vertical text on the left confirms their international operations with offices in New York and Germany. The address side notes the postage rates of one cent for domestic use and two cents for foreign delivery. The undivided back layout with the phrase This Side for the Address Only signifies that this card was manufactured before the March 1907 regulation change that allowed divided backs for personal messages.

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