Introduction
Curt Teich (March 1877 – 1974) was a printer who produced popular color postcards, primarily of scenes from American life. The Teich Company was the world's largest printer of view and advertising postcards.
Teich was born in Greiz, Thuringia (modern-day Germany), and, following his family's traditional career as printers and publishers, worked as a printer's apprentice in Lobenstein. He emigrated to the United States in 1895, where he initially worked as a printer's devil in New York, a much lower position than he had held in Germany.
Teich moved to Chicago, Illinois and started his own firm—Curt Teich & Company—in January 1898.
Teich is best known for its "Greetings From" postcards with their big letters, vivid colors, and bold style. "Greetings From" postcards had originated in Germany in the 1890s, and Teich successfully imported the style to the American market after a visit in 1904. Teich employed hundreds of traveling salesmen, who sold picture postcards to domestic residences, and encouraged business to create advertising postcards; these salesmen also photographed the businesses and worked with the owners to create an idealized image.
The company closed in 1978. The Teich family donated the archives of the company to the Lake County Discovery Museum in Illinois. In 2016 it was announced that the archives would be transferred to the Newberry Library.
Other Sources
- Harris, Moira F. "Curt Teich Postcards of Minnesota." Minnesota History 54: 7 (1995): 304-15.