Guest Post: I'm a Deltiologist and Proud of It!

Longtime museum docent Ida Marie Giusti shares her passion for deltiology.

As vacation season winds down and some of us trudge back to school, now is a good time to break out the postcard collection and flip through memories of past vacations.

Yes I am a deltiologist and proud of it! The definition of a deltiologist is a person who collects postcards as a hobby. This hobby started in childhood and has stuck with me through adulthood. My collection consists of both linen postcards and photochrome postcards. Linen postcards were popular from the 1930s when they were introduced through 1945. Photochrome postcards are in color and the closest to real photograph postcards that are commonly used today.

Enjoy a few of my favorite postcards below. I hope they inspire you to explore deltiology!

We think of postcards as mass-produced, always available near the cash register at tropical tourist sites. But some postcards are rare because they tell a particular story. For example, this postcard from the museum’s collection tells of a flight on the Graf Zeppelin! Other postcards in the museum's collection are from aviation meets in the early days of flight.