Antique & Vintage Postcards

Bathed in sharp Mexican sunlight, this genuine real-photo postcard captures the magnificent façade of the Cathedral of Oaxaca — its earthquake-damaged baroque towers wrapped in wooden scaffolding, a detail that precisely dates the image to post-seismic repair work of the early 1930s — while the busy zócalo below pulses with life: pedestrians in wide-brimmed hats, uniformed guards, women in traditional dress balancing loads on their heads, and a vintage automobile parked along the arcade. Printed on Kodak Mexicana Ltd. paper stock and mailed with a 1916–1934 commemorative 4-centavo stamp, the card was sent simply as "Beautiful Cathedral, love, Mary" to a Mrs. G.H. W. at 612 Monticello Court, San Antonio, Texas — an affectionate line that belies the visual richness of this artifact. The numbered image (2347) was produced by a photographer whose partially legible signature appears lower right, consistent with the Casasola or regional Oaxacan studio tradition of the era.