MJ Malleck //
Two postcards today, because they were taped together. Never mailed, just saved. They are from Washington, D.C. One shows the White House and one the State Capital building.
The serendipity always amazes me. This week even in Canada our eyes are on Washington. Roe vs. Wade, a precedent guaranteeing a woman’s right to abortion, was overturned by the US Supreme Court. And we are watching the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capital building!
The United States Capital sits in spacious grounds on the crest of a hill, dominating the entire city of Washington, D.C. It was designed by Dr. William Thornton who was the winner in a prize competition.
Thornton, who had been born in the British West Indies in 1759 became an American citizen in 1787. His design for the U.S. Capital was chosen by President George Washington in 1793 and he received $500 and a building lot in the city. He moved to Washington in 1794 and was appointed a city commissioner. In 1802 he was appointed head of the Patent Office, a job he held until his death in 1828.
During that time, the number of patents granted soared, from just 57 in 1793 to 10,000 by 1836. According to Professor A. Hunter Dupree, “Patents were granted to objects and procedures which were not original inventions or not useful. As this ineffective situation went on, more lawsuits were filed over patent validity and infringement.” Still, the US Patent Act barred foreign investors from getting patents but allowed Americans who had pirated their innovation to patent it and thereby commercialize the idea with total legal immunity.
In the foreground of the postcard, you see “The Marble Palace” the building which houses the Supreme Court. I find it ironic, giving the recent overturning of a law protecting women’s rights, to find that in 1929, the government purchased the National Women's Party (NWP) headquarters and razed it for the new building. The NWP was a leading advocate of women’s political, social, and economic equality in the 20th century, beginning with the suffrage movement for the right to vote.
You can see photos online. The government paid $299,200. They moved across the street. https://loc.getarchive.net/media/national-womans-party-headquarters-is-sold-to-united-states-the-national-womans
I am surprised to learn that the first time the Capital building was attacked was while it was under construction in August of 1814. A retaliation for the burning of the Canadian capital, York, in April 1813. British troops torched main room including the Library, the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court.
I also learn that pieces of the Capital building, dismantled for renovation between 1958 and ’62, were carved up and sold as souvenir paperweights and bookends. I wonder if my postcard owners bought a piece.
On the backside, both postcards are stamped “Silberne Souvenir Sales Co., 3608 14th St. N.W., Washington 10, D.C.” It turns out that Mickey Silberman, the company’s owner, was a fixture in Washington and, at 72 and looking to sell his business, was interviewed by the Washington Post in 1988. At that time, the company had 500 active accounts, including mall stores, airport gift shops and truck vendors. He said the most popular postcards were, in order, the Capitol, the White House and the Washington Monument.
These postcards are manufactured by Colourpicture Publishers, Inc., a greeting card and postcard printer and distributor in Boston, Massachusetts. They are marked “Plastichrome” which was a trademark used in the 1950s. The firm was in business between 1938 and 1969 and produced linen view cards. These are not linen, but textured paper with cotton fiber. They are distinctive because of saturated colours and their soft focus due to the uneven surface. This bit of blurriness reminds me of the old ViewMaster reels.
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