Identity elements
Reference code
US TxSaT SC.005
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Ziperman Postcard Collection
Date(s)
- ca. 1890-2010 (Creation)
Extent
10.5 linear feet (40 boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Margaret L. "Peg" Ziperman was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 1915. She received her bachelor's degree at American University and completed graduate work in English Literature at Indiana University. She later earned a second graduate degree in Library and Information Science.
As the wife of an officer in the Army Medical Corps, Dr. H. Haskell Ziperman, Peg had the great fortune to live in many locations and travel the world over. It was during these travels that Peg began to collect postcards documenting the places she visited, as well as those she did not.
Peg spent much of her retirement as a volunteer librarian at the McNay Art Museum Library in San Antonio, Texas. She was a member of the Friends of the McNay, a benefactor of Trinity University, a member of the Board of Directors of the San Antonio Chamber of Music Society, and a member of the Alamo City Theatre Board of Volunteers. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 102.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Postcards have long been popular as an inexpensive way to communicate with loved ones, commemorate travel, or see world landmarks without leaving home.
The earliest known post card was printed in England in 1870; in the early years, most post cards were issued by government postal agencies. It wasn't until the United States Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act in 1898--allowing private publishers to print postcards, which would then have a stamp affixed for mailing--that postcards entered the mainstream as a popular means of communication. Initially, consumers were only permitted to write an address on the back of a postcard; it was not until 1907 that "divided back" postcards were authorized by the United States Post Office.
The period between 1898 and 1918 is considered the "Golden Age of Postcards." Most postcards were manufactured by high quality printers in Germany and Austria; World War I shifted the production of many cards to the United States, where quality diminished.
Deltiology is the collecting and study of postcards, and has been a popular past-time since their inception. Margaret "Peg" Ziperman collected postcards throughout her life, both to document her travels and postcards of places she had never been. She was a longtime resident and active community member in San Antonio. Mrs. Ziperman continued to add postcards to the library's collection until her death in 2017 at the age of 102.
System of arrangement
This collection maintains the original order in which Peg Ziperman arranged her postcard collection. As such, many category titles use outdated, inaccurate, or offensive geographic names.
Postcards are divided into five series: Travel (International), Travel (United States), Fine Arts, Miscellaneous, and Oversized. Within these series, Ziperman created subseries based upon localities, attractions, artists, genres, and topics. Series 6 contains related materials, including photographs and materials on deltiology.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open and available to the public for research in the Special Collections & Archives reading room. The materials are non-circulating.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
The materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Postcard inscriptions are predominately in English, but many other languages are represented within the collection.
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Donated to the library by Peg Ziperman beginning in 1988; continued accruals until her death in 2017.
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Digitized copies of some items in this collection are available online at https://cdm16264.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16264coll5.
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: Ziperman Postcard Collection, circa 1890-2010. Coates Library Special Collections & Archives, San Antonio, Texas.
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
DACS
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding aid created by Colleen Hoelscher, October 4, 2018.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Ziperman, Margaret "Peg", 1915-2017 (Subject)