VINTAGE VIEWS: MIRROR LAKE

n the early 20th Century, postcards were huge. Postcards were invented in Germany in the 1870s. In the United States, they became widespread around 1900. As it did so many other things, the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair popularized picture postcards.

The floodgates opened and Americans sent postcards by the hundreds of millions. The tide didn’t abate until after the First World War.

Views of the Ohio State University area were an obvious subject for postcards. The university was a major landmark and point of pride for Columbus residents. As the state capitol, home of the state fair, and destination for all sorts of conferences and expositions, Columbus received thousands of visitors each year. These visitors wanted to share what they had seen and the university was an obligatory stop for sight-seers.

Ohio State students were a natural market for postcard manufacturers. They wanted to stay in touch with faraway friends and family. Busy students, however, found it hard to write letters as often as they would have liked. A paragraph on the back of a postcard let them stay in touch and ask for money without devoting an afternoon to drafting a letter. Postcards also mailed for half the price of a letter--important to financially strapped collegians. As a bonus, picture postcards let them show all the folks back home what life was like at state university. Mother and father, sister Sarah, Grandma, Aunt Eugenia, and Cousin Mabel could see where they lived, where they studied, and where they played.

Mirror Lake (or The Spring as it used to be called) is the principal natural beauty spot on campus and, as such, was a popular subject of early 20th Century picture postcards such as these.

So have a look, read the messages, and step back a century or so to see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.

Dear Nephew, I take many a cool drink from this spring and watch the fish come up to the top for crumbs.

Really like this one. I like the font. I like the colors and the hazy quality of the light.

I like the "slice-of-life" feel. The two charming little girls have a wagon and some sort of coffee pail they've been filling from the spring. I assume that's their father sitting there to the right.

Mirror Lake Hollow viewed from the southwest.

Late afternoon, judging from the light and shadows. Photographed in fall or early spring. Many trees are bare.

Grotto near the spring looks almost like a cave entrance.

Hello Cousin-- How are you? School is OK and they are making us work harder than ever. The pictures of Rosa H___ are no good. The films were bad so they are all spoiled.