In the fall of 2024 we purchased a small lot of postcards for A Seekonk Museum, among them was a single Where Life is Worth Living card. The phrase stood out; pretty dark! A reverse image search led to a similar card from Springfield, MA which not only had the same phrase and layout, but also the same inset photo of a river, trees, and bridge. Curious as to why, we began a collection of WLIWL cards.
Around the 1910s, printers such as Auburn Post Marketing Company, M. L. Zercher, Cross & Co's, and the prolific NYCE Post Card Co. would drop off samples and blanks at local drug stores and a postcard craze boomed. Lots to think about here. Capitalism, profit motives, image projection, class, falsehoods...we’ll get there. For now though, just collecting the postcards.
Where Life is Worth Living
Detroit
Detroit, MI was one of several locations to officially adopt “Where Life is Worth Living” as a local motto. Over the years many postcards were produced depicting the Naval Flower Bed at Grand Circus Park.
