Special Collections Exhibition: "Greetings from Chattanooga! Postcards from the Scenic City"

As mass-produced, commercial objects, postcards’ value as historical objects has often been overlooked. “Greetings from Chattanooga! Postcards from the Scenic City,” Special Collections’ new exhibition, curated by student assistant Wyn Seay ’26, explores the use and history of postcards.

On display in the Library’s Roth Grand Reading Room (LIB 402) through August 2026, the exhibition features views of Chattanooga sites and attractions from the early 1900s through present day. Stop by to spy Rock City gnomes and learn about the many functions and meanings of postcards, as correspondence, collectibles, advertisements, mementos, and historical records.

A girl stands on Umbrella Rock, a rock formation on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. — Umbrella Rock, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tenn. postcard, undated. Chattanooga, Tennessee postcards, 1902-1970, MS-008-01-10.
Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

The Incline Railway on Lookout Mountain, overlooking Chattanooga, Tennessee. — Umbrella Rock, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tenn. postcard, undated. Chattanooga, Tennessee postcards, 1902-1970, MS-008-01-10.
Courtesy of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

A letter written on the back of postcard. — Numerous postcards sent between Ruby Adams and John Cuneo document a young couple’s courtship in early 1900s Chattanooga. The couple married in 1911, and the collection of their correspondence was donated to the Chattanooga History Center in 1987. Ruby Adams correspondence with John Cuneo, 1910 June 27, Chattanooga History Collections, CHC-1987-045-015. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

The postcards, viewbooks, and stereographs selected for the exhibition were drawn from a wide range of holdings in the Chattanooga History Collections and Manuscripts Collections. Visit the Special Collections website to learn more about how you can access these and other cultural heritage materials.

A letter written on the front of a postcard around two images of the Lookout Inn and the Point Hotel on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. — Lookout Inn and Point Hotel, Lookout Mountain postcard, circa 1900, Chattanooga History Collections, CHC-1992-017-001. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

Illustration of the Lookout Inn burning. — Lookout Inn and Point Hotel, Lookout Mountain postcard, circa 1900, Chattanooga History Collections, CHC-1992-017-001. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

Photograph of Umbrella Rock, a rock feature on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. — Umbrella Rock, Lookout Mountain postcard, circa 1960, Chattanooga History Collections, CHC-2004-019-10. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

Secondary sources consulted and recommendations for further reading:

Arreola, Daniel D. Postcards from the Baja California Border. University of Arizona Press, 2021.

Baker, T. Lindsay. Portrait of Route 66: Images from the Curt Teich Postcard Archives. University of Oklahoma Press, 2016.

Ferguson, Sandra. “‘A Murmur of Small Voices:’ On the Picture Postcard in Academic Research”. Archivaria no. 60 (Fall 2005):167-84. https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/12520.

Hausheer, Justine E. “How the Fallow Deer Took over the World.” Cool Green Science, August 2, 2021. https://blog.nature.org/2021/08/02/how-the-fallow-deer-took-the-world/.

Jozefacka, Anna, Lynda Klich, Juliana Kreinik, and Benjamin Weiss. The Propaganda Front: Postcards from the Era of World Wars. MFA Publications, 2017.

Marks, Ben. “How Linen Postcards Transformed the Depression Era Into a Hyperreal Dreamland.” Collectors Weekly, January 19, 2016. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/how-linen-postcards-transformed-the-depression-era/.

National Postal Museum.“The Growth of the Mail” in America’s Mailing Industry [Virtual Exhibition], 2016. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/america%E2%80%99s-mailing-industry-the-united-states-postal-service/the-growth-of-the-mail.

Rock City. “Barn History.” Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.seerockcity.com/barn-history/?_gl=1.

Smithsonian Institution Archives. “Greetings from the Smithsonian: A Postcard History.” Accessed August 11, 2025. https://siarchives.si.edu/history/featured-topics/postcard/postcard-history.

United States Postal Service. “Rural Free Delivery.” Postal History. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/rural-free-delivery.htm.

Vanderwood, Paul J. and Frank N. Samponaro. Border fury: a picture postcard records of Mexico’s Revolution and U.S. war preparedness, 1910-1917. University of New Mexico Press, 1988.

Watts Gallery Artists’ Village. “A short history of Stereoscopy.” Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/explore-victorian-virtual-reality/a-short-history-of-stereoscopy.