The Atkinson Bros. Picture Postcard Handbook 1899-1911

The Atkinson Bros. Picture Postcard Handbook
By Michael Smith and Roger Miller

Founded in Hamilton, Ontario, by William and Walter Atkinson, Atkinson Bros. grew by the close of the 19th century into a prominent manufacturer, wholesaler and stationer in Canada’s expanding fancy goods trade. In 1899, from its new Toronto premises, the firm issued its first postcard series. Within little more than a decade, Atkinson Bros. would publish some of the most collectible postcards of Canada’s Golden Age.

This deluxe handbook offers collectors and researchers a comprehensive and carefully documented guide to the firm’s postcard production.

Inside, you will find:

• A concise yet informative history of the Atkinson Bros. business and its evolution within Canada’s early postcard industry.

• Listings for approximately 2,000 postcards, including the classic patriotic issues, regular and fancy view cards, novelty series and other specialty productions.

• More than 500 postcard illustrations, each reproduced in the card’s original colour of issue for accurate identification and reference.

• Extensive appendices providing additional research material, including illustrations of all known Atkinson Bros. postcard back types and examples of the firm’s souvenir view albums.

Meticulously researched and clearly organized, this handbook serves as both a practical collecting guide and an important reference work on one of Canada’s notable early postcard publishers. An essential addition to the library of any serious collector of Canadian Golden Age postcards.