Antique & Vintage Postcards

Towering over old Havana's colonial streetscape, the soaring bell tower of what was once a Catholic church — converted into the General Post Office and formerly a Custom House — dominates this hand-colored 1920s card, its baroque stone façade flanked by horse-drawn wagons and early motor cars that fix the scene precisely in the late 1920s. The building, over 250 years old at the time of printing, is rendered with dramatic verticality, the warm peach-and-blue sky setting off the pale grey stonework. On the reverse, a card postmarked Havana, Cuba, March 19, 1928 carries a 1¢ Cuban José Martí stamp (Republic of Cuba, green) and a cheerful note from Roy to "Caroline and Waldo" (first names only) at 601 14th St., Port Huron, Michigan. Roy writes: "Havana is a wonderful spot. Will be here until Thursday. Washington Tuesday. When are you coming to see us. Roy." A perfectly dated, mailed, traveled survivor from the height of the Jazz Age Havana tourist boom.