Collection of Photographic Postcards and Travel Ephemera of the Philippines: Finding Aid photCL 701
Suzanne Oatey
The Huntington Library
June 2023
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Collection of photographic postcards and travel ephemera of the
Philippines
Identifier/Call Number: photCL 701
Physical Description:
4 Linear Feet
(3 binders and 1 box)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1900-1950
Abstract: Over 700 photographic postcards of a
variety of subjects and locations throughout the Philippines, dating from approximately 1900
to 1950. Also includes a few tourist brochures and maps.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Collection of photographic postcards and travel ephemera of the
Philippines, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Michael Maslan Vintage Posters, Photographs, Postcards & Ephemera, May
2022.
A collection of 731 photographic postcards and 81 photomechanical or printed postcards of
the Philippines, spanning the years of transition from the end of the Spanish colonial
government through decades of American administration. Many were sent through the mail to
U.S. destinations, including Berkeley, Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and
Sioux Falls, as well as to recipients in Hong Kong and Portugal. A number of postcards have
handwritten inscriptions, stamps, and printed captions, indicating how they were viewed,
circulated, and used for tourism and government propaganda. Postcard imagery covers a
variety of subjects in the Philippines, including people and communities, with many
Indigenous people represented; agriculture; buildings and houses under construction; social
and cultural activities; prisons; street and market scenes; weaving and textile production;
religious ceremonies; and landscapes. There are several studio portraits, primarily of women
and couples, and several color photomechanical postcards of various scenes. The collection
also includes some related photographic prints and tourist guides, pamphlets and maps of the
Philippines.
Please note that this collection contains historical images and language that library users
may find harmful, offensive, or inappropriate.
Processed by Suzanne Oatey in June 2023.
Organized in two series:
- Series 1. Photographic postcards and other images
- Series 2. Travel ephemera
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Philippines -- Description and
travel
Philippines -- History --
1898-1946
Philippines -- History -- 1946-1986
Philippines -- Photographs
Tourism -- Philippines
United States -- Relations -- Philippines
Ephemera
Maps
Photographic postcards
Photographs
Portraits
Travel guidebooks
Travel literature
Louisiana Purchase Exposition ((1904 :) (Saint Louis, Mo.))
Photographic postcards and other images approximately 1900-1950
Physical Description: 3 Linear
Feet (3 binders)
Consists of 731 photographic postcards depicting a variety of subjects and locations
throughout the Philippines. The images are black-and-white photographs printed directly
on postcard stock, primarily 3.25 x 5.5 inches, and most are captioned in the
photograph. Some have writing or stamps. There are also 81 color photomechanical
postcards, including four reproduced drawings. These postcards were produced in large
quantities by photography studios and publishers often based in the Philippines and
circulated internationally. A few have credits for studios run by Japanese
photographers.
Additionally, there are approximately 50 black-and-white photographic prints (4 x 5
inches or smaller) of people and scenes in the Philippines.
Arranged into the following subjects:
- People and activities
- Indigenous people
- Studio portraits and group portraits
- Provinces and cities
- Landscapes and flora
- Other subjects
Binder 1
People and activities
Physical Description: 1 Linear
Feet (1 binder)
Photographic postcards of a variety of people in social, cultural, and everyday
activities or posed scenes, in both city and rural settings. Indigenous people most
likely appear in some of these photographs, but they are not explicitly identified as
belonging to a native group. See Binder 2 for photographs with printed captions
identifying specific Indigenous groups. Of note are a few images of dog markets,
political events, and flagellants.
Binder 2
Indigenous people; studio portraits; large group portraits
Physical Description: 1 Linear
Feet (1 binder)
Photographic postcards identified with the name of an Indigenous group, primarily
Bagobo, Igorot, Moro, Negrito, and others. Note that the identifications may not be
accurate. See also Binder 1 for unidentified photographs of Indigenous people. The
studio portraits include women with beauty contest titles, and other women and men in
formal dress. There are also portraits of couples and family groups. The large group
portraits are mostly titled with the name of the association, club, or school.
Binder 3
Provinces and cities; landscapes and flora; other subjects
Physical Description: 1 Linear
Feet (1 binder)
Locations include Manila, Zamboanga, Baguio, Iloilo, and several others, and feature
villages and houses, landmarks, street scenes, military forts, buildings, roads, and
rice fields. Other images are four postcards with reproductions of drawings; three
postcards taken in the U.S., including the "Belle of Cagayan," a souvenir card of a
woman in the Philippine Exhibit at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, and a souvenir
postcard from the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exhibition. There are also a few
photographic postcards of people in other countries.
Box 4, Folder 1-4
Photographic prints
Approximately 50 black-and-white prints (4 x 5 inches or smaller) of people and
scenes in the Philippines. Some have handwriting, and some have been removed from a
photograph album, including a large print of possibly military barracks in Cavite.
Several of the prints are standard postcard size, including a photograph of two native
men holding a human head.