Where Life is Worth Living
Postcards containing the phrase “Where Life is Worth Living” and related research.
In the fall of 2024 I purchased a small lot of postcards for Seekonk Museum, among them was my first “Where Life is Worth Living” (WLIWL) card. The phrase struck me; pretty dark! I then found a card from Springfield, MA which not only had the same phrase and layout, but also the same inset photo of a river, trees, and bridge. And then more, and more, and more.
Postcard collectors—especially those focused on the Golden Age, 1900-1915 or so—will be familiar with these layouts but to me, it was a shock to realize that bridge scene was actually not a photo of the old Seekonk River bridge. It turns out that a handful of card producers would offer cities and towns a variety of stock photos, phrases, flags, and borders to create custom layouts.
Above are some unused blanks showing other phrases, flag shapes, and scenes. There are also more cartoonish designs, slogans making use of regional slang, and some cards with actual felt mini-flags affixed to them. Because the pool is so vast, my collection is focused on the WLIWL phrase cards, and blanks. More soon.
Above are some marketing sample cards, the demos that publishers would mail or drop off at places like drugstores, local government offices, etc. Printers include the Auburn Post Marketing Company, M. L. Zercher, Cross & Co's, and the prolific NYCE Post Card Co.