Collection: Chrome Era Postcards | Vintage Color Travel & City Views

Chrome era postcards are characterized by their glossy finish, vivid color, and photographic imagery. Publishers began producing chrome postcards around 1939, using images based primarily on color photography, marking a shift away from earlier printed and linen styles.

The term “chrome” is derived from Kodachrome, the popular color film introduced by Eastman Kodak, and refers to the modern printing process that allowed for sharp detail, enhanced color saturation, and dramatic skies. These postcards became especially popular in the postwar years, depicting motels, highways, city skylines, national parks, and tourist destinations across America.

Chrome postcards continue to be produced today, but early examples—particularly mid-century cards—are collected for their strong graphic appeal, mid-century design sensibility, and documentation of postwar travel and leisure culture.