Postcards from Memphis


“Down in Dixie – Memphis, Tenn.” Postcard Collection

About This Collection

Greetings from Memphis!  Take a trip through our city’s history as told through postcards. This collection features hundreds of postcards showcasing city landmarks, streetscapes, and other Memphis gems.  Once you decipher the handwriting, you might even uncover some pretty interesting stories!

 

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More Information

Postcards provide a truly unique way to view our city.  The images on postcards give us a clue as to what previous generations valued and appreciated most – and what they wanted to show off.  Angie Price worked diligently to create this collection which features the front and back of almost 300 postcards from Memphis (and a few from places beyond).  Some of the cards are blank, but others include handwritten stories of visitors’ experiences.  In one such story from 1909, Mrs. Lizziet Cox writes of the fine time she had meeting “so many sweet good women” and wraps up her feelings about the city with, “I feel proud of our State.” Explore some of the different categories of postcards below!

 

Postcards depicting bridges            Postcards depicting cityscapes           Postcards depicting hospitals

 

                       Postcards depicting parks

The Postcards from Memphis Collection continues to evolve.  Donations are accepted through the Memphis & Shelby County Room where the physical cards are maintained in our Bluff City Collection.  If you would like to donate postcards or view the collection in person, please contact the History Department at Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library.  The department can be reached at (901) 415-2742 or hisref@memphistn.gov.