The Chicago Reader reminisces while reading Picturing Illinois: Twentieth-Century Postcard Art from Chicago to Cairo.

“Postcards used to be a common form of communication. Particularly with those of a certain era. I remember getting lots of postcards from my grandparents as a tad. They were the original, literal text message: quicker to dash off than a letter, and cheaper to send too. (My grandparents, having gone through the Depression, were thrifty.) The only downside is that the mail carrier and anyone else who came across it would see the message written on the card. But the message coming from my grandparents was always ‘Love you and miss you.’ Who wouldn’t want that to be seen?”