Holland Land Office Museum
Genesee County, New York
131 West Main Street
Batavia, NY 14020
(585) 343-4727
info@hollandlandoffice.com
Hours:
Tuesday - Friday
10am - 4pm
Saturday
10am to 2pm
Admission
Suggested donation
$5 Family
$2 Adult
$1 Child/Student
Museum Director
Jeffrey Donahue
Museum Assistant Director
Ashley Carlino Bateman
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Images of the Past by Walter Zielinski & James Owen
The Holland Land Office Museum acquired more than 2,000 postcards and other memorabilia from local collector and museum friend, Mr. Walter Zielinski. As a tribute to Mr. Zielinski, we are pleased to share his collection. Holland Purchase Historical Society Board Member, Mr. James R. Owen has volunteered many hours researching information to provide descriptions of the postcards.
Color or colorization? What's the difference? History tells us that postcards were first published in 1869 in Germany and were mainly printed in black and white. It was not until about 1898 that postcards were routinely colorized, a process in which publishers sent their photographs to Italy or India, where lithography was an art, to be colorized.
Colorization was found to be more attractive to the consumer and increased sales. Only problem was that the artists in Europe or India had to use their imagination when coloring the photos and most of the time, the colors were artificial, not accurate, or reliable. In our collection, many postcards highlight particular buildings in Batavia which can show the buildings in up to three different color schemes! Colorization of postcards ended around 1930 when printing techniques improved and postcards were printed in true to life colors. Most collectors today prefer black and white postcards.
New images will continually be added to this page and we invite you to check back for updates. Click on an image for a larger view and description. Enjoy!!
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Mr. Walter Zielinski
Mr. James R. Owen
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Attica State Prison, 1940s
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Baker Gun Works, Batavia
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Bank of Genesee, 1924
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Batavia Baptist Church, early 1900s
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Batavia Club, 1950s
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Batavia Filtration Plant, early 1900s
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Batavia High School Band, 1931
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Batavia Holland Club, 1900s
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Batavia Hospital
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Batavia Police HQ, early 1900s
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Batavia Post Office, 1921
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Batavia Square, before Upton Monument
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Batavia VA Hospital, 1940s
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Batavia's Grade Schools, 1920s
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Bennett Ave., Oakfield
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Bogue's 40 Acres, 1920s-1930s
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View the entire collection at the museum or if you have a postcard you would like to contribute to this page, please contact the museum at (585) 343-4727 or email at info@hollandlandoffice.com
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