The Newberry Library Acquires World-Famous Collection of 2.5 Million Postcards

An example of the Curt Teich Company’s
 “Greetings from…” postcard design

October 2016

Through an agreement with the Lake County Forest Preserves District, Chicago's Newberry Library will become the new home of the Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection, widely regarded as the largest public collection of postcards and related materials in the United States. The postcards, about 2.5 million in number, feature a range of subjects and genres: rural vistas and urban skylines, tourist attractions and emergent industries, domestic scenes and global conflicts.

The Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection comes to the Newberry from the Lake County Discovery Museum, where it has been housed since 1982. Transferring the postcard materials will ensure their continued preservation and public availability as the museum prepares to move from its current location in Wauconda to the Lake County Forest Preserves’ General Offices in Libertyville.

Please visit the Newberry Library's website to read more about this acquisition.