“Mr. and Mrs. E.J. McGee;” postcard printed between 1924 and 1949

Since the passing of both my in-laws this spring, I have become the caretaker of a rather large collection of family photos, some dating back to the early 1900s. While I’m sorting through them all, trying to decide which ones to share and which to keep private, I’ve found that even those prints without any identifying notes on the back offer a compelling glimpse into not only the Big Guy’s family history in Oklahoma and Texas but also early 20th century life and fashions. My intention has been to begin sharing some of the photos, but I kept putting it off, and now that I’ve started looking closer I’m finding myself going deeper and deeper down rabbit holes I never knew existed. For example, I’m just now learning about the existence of real photo post cards (RPPCs). Most of the post card prints contain very subtle clues on the back to their approximate date of manufacture. The images above and below (and all of the following, unless otherwise noted) were printed on Azo paper sometime between 1904 and 1949.

“Third from left Aunt Lou;” printed between 1918 and 1930

Today, almost no one prints on Azo, the last of the silver chloride contact printing papers, and the finest paper on which to print black and white negatives … Azo is the longest continuously manufactured photographic paper ever made. It was first introduced by Photo Materials Company in Rochester back in 1898. In July of that year Kodak bought out Photo Materials, and has been producing Azo ever since — michaelandpaula.com blog

Azo post card, unknown year

Post card printed between 1904 and 1918

Post card printed between 1918 and 1930

Printed between 1918 and 1930; stamped “Nickson Studio, Purcell, Oklahoma”

Printed between 1918 and 1930

“M.G. & Baby Elsie, one year old;” printed ca. 1910

“Unce Ivor, injured in World War 1;” post card printed ca. 1918

Candid post card photos of my future mother-in-law, printed on Ansco paper in the 1940s:

And lastly, a mailed penny post card postmarked May 31, 1911, Oklahoma (although I suspect the image itself might be older):