Loveland Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard #CL-99610 - Postmarked 1958
Brief Description
This postcard image is one of the earliest known images of this version of the sign. This sign was likely installed sometime during 1956 or 1957. This was the first time that the US Forest Service had built and maintained a sign at the top of this pass in more than 20 years.
Info
- Date: Circa 1956-'57
- Photographer: Harold Sanborn
- Medium: Postcard
- Size: 5 1/2" x 3 1/2"
- ID: L-941
- Acquisition Date: Feb. 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping.
There are no known copyrights on the postcard’s image.
Image Dating Comments
The postcard is postmarked July 28, 1958. It is also hand-inscribed ‘July 25 – 58.’
Since the image is an obvious mid-winter image, it can be inferred that the sign was installed sometime no later than late fall of 1957.
Backside
Comments & Discussion
This postcard was printed using a lithographic process which enabled the use of color, but did not capture the same level of detail that Sanborn’s real photo postcards had. This one was produced around the time that Harold Sanborn and his company started creating color postcards, after having produced black and white real photo postcards for 30+ years.
The full scan below comes from a different scan than the main image which is shown at the top of this page. The full scan showing the rounded corners was done at 300 DPI, and in this image you can see the dotted pattern emerging in the background. This pattern is a result of the lithographic printing process that was used here.
The Address
By 1958, most people were including a street address on their mail, so the lack of a real address is notable here. The addition of “R.R #4.” is also an entertaining inclusion in this address section. Just imagine sending a postcard to someone now and including instructions for how to get it there.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The postcard arrived to the Coloradotopia archives with some very rough edges. The backside’s edges show lots of natural browning. Brown aging spots throughout the backside are starting to grow beyond mild, and there is concern these may be mold spots. The heaviest browning is on the right side. The postage stamp in the upper right, along with the area around it, has seen the most browning. All aging looks authentic.
Beyond looking a bit rough, the edges of this postcard were also not perfectly cut to 90 degrees in the first place. While you can see the top edge of this postcard running nearly horizontal across this page, the left and right edges are far from being perfectly vertical, with the right side being the most egregious.
Under glaring light, very small but widespread surface cracking can be seen. These cracks are smaller but more widespread than those seen on the real photo postcards from this era.
About the Coloradotopia Archives. The Coloradotopia archives hold a large collection of historical images and items that document Colorado’s automobile history in the mountains. You can read more about the Coloradotopia archive project here.
