Clyde N. Bowden Postcards Collection
Scope and Contents
The initial 180,000 postcards donated by Clyde N. Bowden in 2009 began as a geographically focused set of postcards with about 110,000 depicting U.S locations and 70,000 international postcards. This collection has grown significantly over time due to addition donations from Allen Bernard and other postcard collectors.
The collections strengths are in the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky postcards.
The Ohio postcard collection has been fully digitized and is available at Clyde N. Bowden & Charles D. Shields Postcards Collections href= https://spec.lib.miamioh.edu/home/postcards-collection/
Dates
- Majority of material found in Late 19th Century - Early 21st Century
Conditions Governing Access
Materials do not circulate and are made available to users in the Miami University Archives.
Biographical / Historical
Clyde N. Bowden (1930-2020) was a Miami University Alumni class of 1952 and spent his career as a Cincinnati Public Librarian at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. He began his postcards collection as a child and the interest continued throughout his life. In the late 1980’s he worked with the King Library to donate the Charles D. Shields Postcard and Trade Card collection to the Walter Havigurst Special Collections and Archives. In 2009 he donated his own collection of postcards, albums, and ephemera. In 2016 recorded an oral history for the Miami University Oral History project. This interview is available in the digital collections.
Other postcard collectors have donated to the collection, including a friend of Clyde’s, Allen Bernard.
Succinct Summary of Donors
Allen Bernard – 475+ 110 Mercer Co. postcards to be scanned and returned (See MCC collection)- July 2014
Columbus Metropolitan Library- July 2014
Allen Bernard- 1500 US postcards, 700 int’l and 300 unsorted- May 2015
Allen Bernard – 1k plus historic postcards- October 2015
Paul A. Oelkrug -100-150 postcards- August 2016
Barbara Parker- 50 historic postcards – April 2017
Extent
250,000 Items
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Collection of an estimate of 250,000 postcards depicting an array of geographic locations. Collection also includes postcard scrabooks, postcard folders and special edition boxes of postcards.
Statement of Arrangement
The arrangement scheme for the bulk of the postcard collection retains the order of the collector. Arrangement changes limited to accommodate oversized postcards which were rehoused in appropriate containers.
Series I. United States Postcards
Subseries I: Alabama;
Subseries II: Alaska;
Subseries III: Arizona;
Subseries IV: Arkansas;
Subseries V: California;
Subseries VI: Colorado;
Subseries VII: Connecticut;
Subseries VIII: Delaware;
Subseries IX: Florida;
Subseries X: Georgia;
Subseries XI: Hawaii;
Subseries XII: Idaho;
Subseries XIII: Illinois;
Subseries XIV: Indiana;
Subseries XV: Iowa;
Subseries XVI: Kansas;
Subseries XVII: Kentucky;
Subseries XVIII: Louisiana;
Subseries XIX: Maine;
Subseries XX: Maryland;
Subseries XXI: Massachusetts;
Subseries XXII: Michigan;
Subseries XXIII: Minnesota;
Subseries XXIV: Mississippi;
Subseries XXV: Missouri;
Subseries XXVI: Montana;
Subseries XXVII: Nebraska;
Subseries XXVIII: Nevada;
Subseries XXIX: New Hampshire;
Subseries XXX: New Jersey;
Subseries XXXI: New Mexico;
Subseries XXXII: New York;
Subseries XXXIII: North Carolina;
Subseries XXXIV: North Dakota;
Subseries XXXV: Ohio;
Subseries XXXVI: Oklahoma;
Subseries XXXVII: Oregon;
Subseries XXXVIII: Pennsylvania;
Subseries XXXIX: Rhode Island;
Subseries XL: South Carolina;
Subseries XLI: South Dakota;
Subseries XLII: Tennessee;
Subseries XLIII: Texas;
Subseries XLIV: Utah;
Subseries XLV: Vermont;
Subseries XLVI: Virginia;
Subseries XLVII: Washington;
Subseries XLVIII: West Virginia;
Subseries XLIX: Wisconsin;
Subseries L: Wyoming;
Series II. International postcards
Series III. Scrapbooks and postcard albums (1876-1980)
Series IV. Correspondence and personal greeting cards (1920-1970)
Series IV. Subject
Index Created by Clyde N. Bowden
TOPICS
LARGE LETTER WORDS
AERIAL VIEWS
SQUARES (alphabetical order)
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS Sub Topic of Gorvernment Buidlings Capitol Buildings (if State Capitol); Courthouses; City Halls; Police and Fire Stations; Post Offices;
OFFICE BUILDINGS (alphabetical order)
RETAIL BUSINESS
HOTELS (alphabetical order)
APARTMENT BUILDINGS (alphabetical order)
AUDITORIUMS
THEATERS
FRATERNAL SOCIETIES, CLUBS, ETC
RAILROAD STATIONS
BUS STATIONS
AIRPORTS
PUBLIC LIBRARIES
MUSEUMS, ART
MUSEUMS, NATURAL HISTORY
ZOOS
HOUSE MUSEUMS
HISTORICAL SITES
STATUES
FOUNTAINS
INSTITUTIONS
HOSPITALS (alphabetical order)
PRISONS
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (alphabetical order)
SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS
HIGH SCHOOLS (alphabetical order)
GRADE SCHOOLS (alphabetical order)
CHURCHES (alphabetical order by denomination)
CEMETERIES
MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
ARMORIES
INDUSTRIAL VIEWS
FACTORIES (alphabetical order)
OCCUPATIONS
FAIRGROUNDS
COUNTRY CLUBS
YACHT CLUBS
PARKS (alphabetical order)
BOTANICAL GARDENS & ARBORETUMS
SPORTS and RECREATION Examples: Stadiums, Ball Parks,Swimming Pools, etc
BEACHES
AMUSEMENT PARKS
BRIDGES and TUNNELS
STREETS, RESIDENTIAL
HOUSES (Non-Historical)
CANALS and LOCKS
DAMS
RIVER SCENES
BOATING SCENES and BOATS
WORLD'S FAIRS and OTHER EXPOSITIONS
DISASTERS
POSTCARD FOLDERS
- Art Museum
- Aerial views
- Africa
- Airport -- Buildings -- Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
- Armstrong Student Center
- Asia
- Baltimore (Md.)
- Baseball
- Booklets
- Buildings;Alumnae Hall
- Buildings;Formal Gardens
- Buildings;Hamilton Campus
- Buildings;McGuffey Memorial
- Buildings;McGuffey Museum and Home
- Buildings;Peffer Memorial Park Peffer Nature Trail
- Buildings;Washington Statue -- George Washington Statue -- Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
- Christmas cards
- Cincinnati (Ohio)
- Cottages -- Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
- Easter cards
- France--Paris
- Georgia
- Hamilton (Ohio)--History
- Illinois--Chicago
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts--Boston
- McGuffey House
- Mexico
- Minnesota
- Mississippi -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
- Missouri--Saint Louis
- New York (N.Y.)
- Ohio
- Ohio--Cincinnati
- Ohio--Cleveland
- Ohio--Versailles
- Oxford (Ohio)--History
- Peabody Hall -- Buildings -- Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
- Photographs
- Railroads -- 20th Century
- Rome
- School buildings
- Sports
- Streets
- Twentieth century
- Walt Disney World
- Westminister Abbey
- Wisconsin
- greeting cards
- picture postcards
- postcards
- scrapbooks
- visual works (works)
- Title
- Clyde N. Bowden Postcards Collections
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Amber Bales
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Walter Havighurst Special Collections Finding Aids Repository