The Nancy Law Collection
Dublin Core
Title
The Nancy Law Collection
Description
The collection consists of postcards, photographs and other ephemera collected by Nancy Law.
In her words, "It is with pleasure that I am sharing my antique Iowa postcards with the Waterloo Public Library. I have never lived in Iowa, but started collecting Iowa postcards as a way to learn more about my Iowa heritage. My great-great-grandparents settled in Black Hawk County, Iowa in 1868, living first in Hudson and later moving to Waterloo, where family members continued to live for 135 years.
Postcards are "snapshots of time" that give collectors insights into how people lived when the cards were produced. My Aunt Marian introduced me to the world of antique postcards when she gave me a postcard of the Black Hawk County courthouse where both of my grandparents worked (my grandfather was Mayor of Waterloo and my grandmother was the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer of Black Hawk County), and since that time I have been determined to discover what life in Iowa was like around the turn of the century. My grandparents both graduated from the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) in 1904, so that year became my starting point.
Some of the earliest postcards I purchased were of East Waterloo High School from which my grandfather, father and all of their siblings graduated, and the State University of Iowa. After my grandparents got married in 1910 they purchased a home in Highland, which is now a National Register Historic District but then was a new subdivision. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found postcards of not only Highland, but the street where they lived. Through the years I have collected antique postcards of many other places in Waterloo that were important in the lives of my family and their friends, such as the James Black Dry Goods store where my grandmother shopped and my father worked during high school, the Electric Park ballroom where my father and his friends loved to dance, and the Rath Packing Company where many family friends worked. I have also purchased postcards of Iowa towns where family members visited and/or lived around the turn of the century, such as Des Moines and Cedar Falls.
I hope that Iowans will enjoy my antique postcards and use them (as I have) as a way to better understand how our ancestors have lived for the past 100 years. I must confess that when I now look at antique postcards showing women walking in heavy, floor-length dresses and men driving horse-drawn carriages over muddy streets, which was the only means of getting from one place to another, I no longer simply see images of that long ago time. Instead, I stand in awe of my ancestors as I think of the many difficulties they faced and then surmounted in their everyday lives."
Nancy Law
In her words, "It is with pleasure that I am sharing my antique Iowa postcards with the Waterloo Public Library. I have never lived in Iowa, but started collecting Iowa postcards as a way to learn more about my Iowa heritage. My great-great-grandparents settled in Black Hawk County, Iowa in 1868, living first in Hudson and later moving to Waterloo, where family members continued to live for 135 years.
Postcards are "snapshots of time" that give collectors insights into how people lived when the cards were produced. My Aunt Marian introduced me to the world of antique postcards when she gave me a postcard of the Black Hawk County courthouse where both of my grandparents worked (my grandfather was Mayor of Waterloo and my grandmother was the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer of Black Hawk County), and since that time I have been determined to discover what life in Iowa was like around the turn of the century. My grandparents both graduated from the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) in 1904, so that year became my starting point.
Some of the earliest postcards I purchased were of East Waterloo High School from which my grandfather, father and all of their siblings graduated, and the State University of Iowa. After my grandparents got married in 1910 they purchased a home in Highland, which is now a National Register Historic District but then was a new subdivision. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found postcards of not only Highland, but the street where they lived. Through the years I have collected antique postcards of many other places in Waterloo that were important in the lives of my family and their friends, such as the James Black Dry Goods store where my grandmother shopped and my father worked during high school, the Electric Park ballroom where my father and his friends loved to dance, and the Rath Packing Company where many family friends worked. I have also purchased postcards of Iowa towns where family members visited and/or lived around the turn of the century, such as Des Moines and Cedar Falls.
I hope that Iowans will enjoy my antique postcards and use them (as I have) as a way to better understand how our ancestors have lived for the past 100 years. I must confess that when I now look at antique postcards showing women walking in heavy, floor-length dresses and men driving horse-drawn carriages over muddy streets, which was the only means of getting from one place to another, I no longer simply see images of that long ago time. Instead, I stand in awe of my ancestors as I think of the many difficulties they faced and then surmounted in their everyday lives."
Nancy Law
Creator
Waterloo Public Library
Contributor
Nancy Law
Collection Items
Lafrenz & Seufferlein Auto Garage
A photograph of the front of the Lafrenz & Seufferlein garage with three automobiles and nine people. Two people appear to be examining the exposed engine of one automobile.
The Robinson Dry Goods Co. - windows as seen at night
A photograph of a commercial storefront taken at night with window lights on. Captioned with "Our windows as seen at night, Robinson Dry Goods Co. Cedar Falls , IA"
Cutler and Porter's Shoes for all People
An advertising postcard for Cutler & Porter's Shoes for All People, bearing an image of a black high-heeled shoe with a bow and a blank line for appointments with B. F. Green to be written in. Another section of the card shows specialties and…
The Robinson Dry Goods Co. - windows as seen in daylight
A photograph of a commercial storefront with dressed window displays including textiles. A caption reads "The Robinson Dry Goods CO. Cedar Falls IA"
Hennings Improved Health preserving Corset
An advertising postcard with a color printed image of a young woman picking berries outdoors with a left border of red berries and a bottom border with a yellow butterfly or moth shaped insect. The caption on the colored side reads "Call for…
East Side Main Street South
A photograph of Main Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa looking toward the east and south.
East Side High School - Manual Training Shop
A photograph of an occupationally-oriented classroom showing four students working at belt-driven lathes, two students working at benches, an adult supervising, and three people looking into the room from an open doorway. There are other tools and…
East Waterloo High School
A lithograph image of a multi-story building clad in stone with a tower at the top. A caption at the top reads "East Waterloo High School. Waterloo, Ia."
East Waterloo High School green leather card
A green leather rectangular postcard with a flagpole and banner imaged carved into once side. On the banner are the letters "EWHS". The opposite side is embossed with "Post Card" and "THIS SIDE FOR THE ADDRESS". The card is perforated by twelve…
Collection Tree
- The Nancy Law Collection