2 cents per envelope for a letter. In 1902 the Rural Free Delivery initiative brought mail to outlying areas, which fueled the popularity of the postcard industry, and by 1907 postcards were divided on the back with a section for the address and a section for corre- spondence. This left the front of the postcard free for an image. This all coincided with advancement in print- ing technology, and an explosion in postcard production. Most of Lillian Bell’s postcard images are dated 1908-1910. The timing of the railroad construction, with the com- pletion of that portion of the Camas Prairie Railroad line in Grangeville in 1909, and the postcard frenzy that was taking place simultaneously, helped secure Lillian Bell as a pho- tographer and artist in perpetuity. Lillian and Robert moved to Maupin, Oregon in 1910 and there is nothing noted of her photography or her life after that. Her images of the Camas Prairie Railroad are unique and im- pressive. She was a trailblazer in the world of landscape photography in her short but highly accoladed time in north central Idaho.
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Lillian Bell Postcards from the collection of Carrie Coen
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