Rhode Island Picture Post Cards
1906 Leather Postcard - Greetings to my Christmas Bell
Sent from Woonsocket, RI to Fall River MA
(Scroll Down for Background, History and additional Links)

Leather Postcards are one of the earliest types of postcards. They were produced between 1903 and 1910. However, the latest date that I've seen on a canceled leather card is 1908. The United States Post Office banned their use in 1909 due to the difficulty in processing them and the increasing use of mail sorting equipment. 

The leather postcards are all of the undivided back type of card and were usually produced from deerskin. The designs were individually created using a heated iron in a process called Pyrography. (The same process is used to burn designs into wood.)

Most of the leather postcards I've come across were badly faded and hard to make out. This one is preserved quite nicely on the face side and the message is clear and crisp. The card was a Christmas card sent early in November to a young lady in Fall River, Unfortunately the address side was faded rather badly and I couldn't bring out the text clearly enough to distinguish the name.

SEE ALSO: 1906 Jenks Park, Central Falls Leather Postcard