The New York Public Library has released a staggering collection of roughly 200,000 public domain materials via it's online portal.
"Go forth, and reuse!" says Shana Kimball, manager of the library's public programs. Consisting of photographs, maps, postcards, manuscripts, they are a virtual treasure trove for archivists, researchers, writers or just plain 'ol armchair nostalgia buffs. Included in the massive collection is everything from manuscripts from Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne to correspondence of founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson.
We thought it would be fun to look and see what kind of material popped up for Atlantic City and, sure enough, we found several glorious postcards from a bygone era.
Hotels that once stood mighty along the Atlantic like like the Marlborough-Blenheim (the exterior of which was recreated in "Boardwalk Empire) are featured as well as the Hotel Dennis, The Traymore and the Chalfonte. Also included were early postcards of the Steel Pier and Million Dollar Pier.
The postcards we found were part of The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, 1898-1931. They were issued by the Detroit Publishing Company and range from 1902-1913.
Anthony Venutolo may be reached at avenutolo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyVenutolo and Google+. Find NJ.com on Facebook.