Bragging Rights: Postcards From The Gilded Age

Postcards were once as prevalent a form of communication as cellphones are today. They blossomed during the Gilded Age, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and offer a fingerprint of what life was like a century ago.Although there were hundreds of images printed, from landscapes to pets, those that showed impressive homes were especially en vogue. And homes from Westhampton to Montauk were no exception.

Architect Gary Lawrance, who co-authored “Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930” with Anne Surchin, gave a presentation on this particular style of postcard at the Rogers Mansion in Southampton Village on Thursday, September 10.

Unlike today, being on the South Fork 100 years ago could mean escaping the excesses of the Gilded Age, which were in abundance in Newport, Rhode Island, at the time. There was, however, no shortage of mansions or their very proud owners.

Postcards of these estates were a turn-of-the-century “#sorrynotsorry”—a way for homeowners to show off their status and, of course, be seen. Some even gave them as gifts to their houseguests.

“That’s really what postcards were for, to say, ‘Here we are!’” said Mr. Lawrance.

Postcards were not just a mark of vanity for homeowners: They were also a token of pride for letter writers who wanted to share their near-brushes with high society or their dreams of a lavish lifestyle. “We go out almost every night hoping to see Gary Cooper,” one wrote about the famous actor, who had a house in Southampton.

“Don’t you like this fancy palace? Think of living in such a beautiful house on top of the dune,” wrote another.

The cards also served as a form of currency for photographers, who would take pictures of houses and then try to sell them to the homeowners, suggesting they have them printed into postcards.

Now these postcards serve as clues to what life was like before these stately homes became casualties of fires or changing times. Architecturally speaking, many had awnings that arched over windows to keep out the sunlight and heat. Many properties were bordered by low hedges, allowing passersby to actually see what lay behind them. These features, especially the latter, are now a rarity. “When we think of Southampton, we think of beautiful, tall hedges, lots of huge trees, but in those days, there was nothing but farmland, empty land,” said Mr. Lawrance.

Like many of the mansions of the Gilded Age, postcards have taken a back seat to the latest and greatest new models. Mr. Lawrance sees an interesting parallel.

“The funny thing about postcards at that time is people used to write letters and that’s how they got their information—and then the telephone was invented and it was the end of formal letter writing,” he said. “Today, we’ve evolved and we have tiny phones to … do texting and email and Twitter, and this is how we get our information. All of us are writing again, not writing letters, but communicating [with] words.”