MEXICO. Accordion Postcard Set Folder, Souvenir, c. 1930s.
Projecting a decidedly modern character, the illustrations depicting this international border city directly across from El Paso, Texas, lean towards “tourist-y.” The sets touts a copyright date of MCMXLIII (1943 for those not up on their Roman numerals), though the vehicle style alone could peg this set to the early 1940s. Most of the front 9 cards showcase markets and cafes, a “lure” to those back in the States receiving such sets in the mail. This set was sent to a Miss Sayers back in Pennsylvania by “Tony,” perhaps a beau? His note: “Having a swell trip, wish you were here. Love always.” Both sides highlight night clubs, another decided draw in the day, if only for their notoriously lax laws. The back 9 include a few historical cards: a bull fight, theaters, and the Old Guadalupe Mission dating to 1549 … Postcard accordion folders became ubiquitous in step with the popularity of motorized tourist travel. The first postcard folders trace to the early 20th-century. But it was in the mid-1930s when these fold-out mailers gained brilliant color. From that point through into the 1960s, and by way of far-flung post offices the nation over, a flood of these postcard folders found their way to friends and family from tourists taking in the diverse sites and attractions all across North America. The sharp commercial-art style illustration indicative of mid-century America, with covers printed on a tough linen paper, makes the souvenir sets of especially the late 1930s-1950s pop over half a century later—full-color photographs having arrived to these postcard folders by the 1960s … [Condition: For an accordion set sent through the mail, this folder is in fantastic shape, proof of the durability of their linen-tough covers. The colors are still so vibrant they jump off the cover and cards. Aside from some slight bending of the cover corners, this 80+ year old collectible is pristine.]
Condition: Used Very Good. Local / Regional Areas. Dimensions: 6.25" wide x 4.25" high
