Title



Exaggeration Postcards

Boosterism was (and is) a fact of American life. Postcards like the one below were used by Chambers of Commerce and farm organizations to promote the advantages of locales throughout the mid west around the turn of the 20th century.

To Start You Thinking -

  • 1) Where is Kearney, Nebraska?

    2) You know, as did viewers in 1918, that the picture is exaggerated. What is the message it was intended to communicate, though?

    3) Study the truck closely. When do you think that it will arrive at market?

from "Exaggeration Postcards" Exhibit, Nebraska State Historical Society, 1918.

Last modified in October, 2011 by Rick Thomas