Lot #784: Vintage 1900s RRPC Postcard - Woman in Fancy Hat - (Eastman Kodak AZO) - AZO Triangles Up (1904-1918)

One Vintage USA 1900s "Real Photograph" Postcard, unused, showing a woman with fancy hat, holding hand near, with picknicking or playing children in background. This postcard does not indicate the publisher, but the "stamp box" contains the abbreviation "A Z O" four times, with a triangle pointing up in each corner. No Stamp. Never Postally Used. No Message. This Eastman Kodak AZO Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) is printed on silver-chloride photographic paper. Because it is a "Real Photo," the image was created by light hitting the paper in a darkroom, not by ink on a printing press. The presence of "AZO" with four triangles pointing up in the corners is the "Holy Grail" of dating for American Real Photo Postcards (RPPCs). This specific stamp box configuration was used by Eastman Kodak only between 1904 and 1918, placing the card squarely in the "Golden Age" of the postcard craze. Further, the presence of a divided back dates this card to after 1907. The "Fancy Hat" also suggests the 1904–1914 period, during which women’s millinery reached its peak of extravagance (often called the "Merry Widow" style). A large, ornate hat was a primary status symbol. The woman holding her hand near her face or hat is a common motif in Edwardian portraiture, intended to convey a sense of elegance or "thoughtful" repose, also suggesting the Edwardian period. This card appears to be a "Social History" or "Vernacular" photograph. During this era, the "Sunday Outing" was a ritualized event, and many families hired photographers (or used their own Kodak cameras) to capture these moments specifically to print them onto postcard backs to mail to relatives. Dimensions: 9 mm x 14 mm Pickup category timeslot {A}