Humorous Postcards From The Past

For those who travel, it’s easy to find knick-knacks and souvenirs for sale which might look like they could be from any old place. Manufacturers simply rebrand the merchandise with a town or destination to fit wherever the items are being shipped off to!

In the case of Lake Minnetonka, thing are no different. This linen postcard from the 1950’s is one in a series of “generic” cards that have little to no relevance to the area itself. They’re designed to be humorous but nonspecific. Many have depictions of oceans and lighthouses while others have depictions of pueblo revival style buildings and folks in sombreros.

While they aren’t specific to location, they easily served their intended purpose: being humorous and telling where they’re from. Otherwise, the series is unremarkable and was, in all likelihood, unpopular with tourists. This is evidenced in the low number of these postcards available to collectors today.

Regardless of their popularity, specificity, or humor, they do stand in a unique column of Minnetonka memorabilia that’s certainly worth mentioning!