Postcard Images of Drexel's Early Years

Picture-postcards and Drexel University are about the same age, both having gotten started in the 1890's. Picture postcards were rather the rage in the first decade of the century. A law authorizing postcards had been passed in the 1890's. That law had said that one side must be reserved for the address and the message must be on the other side -- picture postcards weren't envisioned by the law. But innovative photographers, stationers, publishers and druggists began to put pictures on one side, and in 1907 the law was amended to allow an address and message both on the same side. Here are some post-card images from Drexel's early years.

At the beginning, Drexel had just one building, a grand edifice that still stands, Drexel's Main Hall. In 1897, it was one of the landmarks a visitor to Philadelphia might remember, as this fairly typical pioneer postcard shows.

The card was mailed to Miss Z. in Georgia on March 22 1901, with wishes for her good health, from Sara. The three small pictures and a good deal of white space was a common plan for early postcards when the law still required that one side be reserved for the address. Here is another view of Old Main:

What we have here is a postcard image of Drexel's Main building sometime before 1909. Hugh Leighton of Portland, Maine, who produced this card, was then among the leading producers of picture postcards, and the card was almost certainly made from a black-and-white photograph, hand-colored and printed in Germany.

Old Main hasn't changed much, though, of course, it is no longer Drexel's only building. But what gives this old postcard its particular charm for us is the message on the back. It's a message to Florence, in New Bedford, Mass, from her Aunt Millie:

In case you can't read it -- it could depend a bit on the monitor -- it says:

Dear Florence,
This is a
fine place for girls, they
teach you anything you
want to learn with love
to all, Aunt Millie
Well, needless to say, we agree with Aunt Millie: Drexel has a long and distinguished tradition of education for young women. Love ya, Aunt Millie!

The interiors of Old Main building were also much noticed, and we have interior views from the 1920's. Here is the auditorium:

Alas, the passage of time takes its toll, and the Main Auditorium seems less grand today; but I attended a talk there last month. This card was sent from Philadelphia in May, 1926, to Miss Luella G. in Lancaster, from E, who writes:

This organ has just a little bit more volume than yours. I am a student at this place. studying Engineering. expect to visit in town next month.
But Luella may not have been very welcoming -- the card was sent with 1c postage due!

The Grand Hall in the main building, then and now, is Drexel's most impressive interior. Accordingly, it was featured in this card, probably from the same publisher and series, and sent in Feb. 1928:

The back has a message from one of two brothers, Sam and Bill, both Drexel students, to their mother in Lancaster. The message asks (among other things) for sauer kraut for dinner when Sam arrives on Saturday. Both brothers sent identical cards with almost identical messages!

For more evidence of the studious character of early Drexel students, here's a picture of the library:

This black-and-white photographic postcard was produced by the Remington Supply Company of Philadelphia. This postcard was never sent, and black-and-white postcards can be difficult to date. The few clues suggest a date between the two world wars, when Drexel's library was still situated in Old Main Building. If any old-timers can help us out with information, we'd be plumb happy.