HTX POSTCARD PANELS COLLECTION
One of the ways we are celebrating Houston’s 188th Birthday and our 70th anniversary is through these fourteen (14) panels featuring a colorful collection of 256 mounted vintage postcards. Primarily dated between 1910 and 1950, each postcard is unique, and each references Houston, Texas on the front caption or in the postmark on verso.
How the Collection Started…
Victor Johnson, a Houston-based creative professional, created these panels. In Spring 2021, he returned to Texas and joined Neiman Marcus Houston as a visual stylist after spending 15 years in Manhattan and working across North America. Victor, an avid collector and history enthusiast, began working on the Houston Postcard Panels. His initial idea for a series of retail displays referencing local history evolved into a sprawling visual portrait of Houston's growth in the early 20th century.
The process of carefully selecting and reviewing hundreds of postcards provided Victor with a meaningful creative focus during his first year of sobriety after battling alcohol addiction for 20 years. He considers this collection the beginning of an ongoing series of "Recovery Projects" that were made possible by his recovery.
Origin
These panels were created to showcase Neiman Marcus' sponsorship of the 2021 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. They were designed to highlight the history, vibrancy, and industry of Houston, which reflects the store's 50-year connection with the city. Unfortunately, the postcard showcase was canceled, and the panels remained in storage until February 2023, when they were added to The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park's collection.
Provenance
The postcards were sourced from various online sellers, including Ebay, Etsy, CardCow, and HipPostcard. Over a 10-month period from March 2020 to January 2021, Victor curated these items to create a vivid display of Houston's history, spanning from the 1910s—when postcards began to be printed in color—to the 1950s, when photography began to replace hand-tinted cards.
For more details on vintage linen and collectible postcards, including information about Curt Teich Co., a notable Chicago printer featured in this collection, please visit: https://www.collectorsweekly.com/postcards/linen
