The Gregory Wilson Northampton Area Vintage Postcards/Trade Cards Collection was donated to Forbes Library in 2017 by the Gutterman-Pohlman family. Gregory Wilson, known locally as “the Button Man”, designed and manufactured political, advertising, and social-issue pin-back buttons for decades in the area, as well as collecting local memorabilia. Over decades of collecting, he amassed a unique and comprehensive collection of postcards and trade cards depicting local scenes and advertising local businesses.

Many are color lithographs showing streetscapes and well-known buildings, some of which are no longer standing. Churches, schools, hospitals, and Smith College are represented. Some cards have been mailed with personal messages about the sender’s visit to Northampton. Others are cut in novelty shapes emphasizing the wares being advertised.

The first known printed picture postcards appeared in Europe in 1870 and the first American postcard was developed in 1873 by the Morgan Envelope Factory of Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1907, the golden age of postcards began when Congress allowed the divided back, providing a space for an image on the front and an address and message on the back. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908, 677 million postcards were mailed. The U.S. population was less than 89 million at that point.

The collection comprises about 1,500 Northampton area vintage postcards and trade cards. Forbes Library is in the midst of a multi-year process of digitizing the entire collection for public viewing.

For now, you can view a small selection of the postcards on this site. We will be adding many more.