Linen postcards were printed in the United States from the 1930’s until the 1950’s. The topics of these type of postcards are uniquely American. One of those subjects was the American Indian. Many postcards were beginning to be printed in the US due to high tariffs on materials imported from Europe.

The postcards were not made from linen, but had a high rag content which meant they had a fair amount of cotton fiber in them. “Linen” refers to the texture of the postcard. Only the face of the card was textured giving it a surface which allowed the inks to lie more on the surface and not run off or be absorbed into the paper.

The images on the postcards were based on photographs, but they also were artistically enhanced before going to print. These were the last style of postcards to which this human touch was applied.