Ann Arbor Times

The William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan has launched a digital database featuring real photo postcards from the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography. The collection includes 66,470 postcards depicting various locations across Michigan from the 1840s to the mid-20th century.

This digitization project was made possible by over 4,000 volunteers who participated in a crowdsourced initiative on Zooniverse. The digital format allows for sorting by county, subject, genre, place, and date and includes full transcriptions of any written notes on the cards.

Claire Danna, a former Joyce Bonk Assistant at Clements, commented on the historical significance of these postcards: “In the early 1900s, new and more accessible technology led to an explosion of photography.” She added that postcards became "a form of social media that feel(s) oddly familiar even a century later."

The images capture American society during a period of transition from rural agrarian life to increased mechanization and urbanization. Themes such as parades, industrialization, military content from World War I, early Boy Scouts groups, sports like baseball and football, tourism, entertainment, and advertising are prevalent in this collection.

David V. Tinder's interest in photography began in 1964 after reading William Darrah’s book on stereographs. He initially collected stereoviews but eventually focused on his home state of Michigan. His collection expanded to include nearly every type of photograph from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Emiko Hastings, curator of books and digital projects librarian at Clements Library stated: “This crowdsourcing project was a true team effort." She expressed gratitude towards the volunteers who contributed significantly to classifying and transcribing postcards through Zooniverse.