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V - Topicals
Venders - Most cites have a love hate relationship with their venders and street peddlers. While the populace tends to enjoy the convenience of them, city administrators have often viewed venders as blight that needs to be eliminated. While this battle is over a century old venders have not disappeared but they have become heavily regulated as a compromise. For a profession that has such a strong and long presence on our streets it is surprising that postcards of venders are not easy to find. They are most often depicted within scenes of immigrant communities as a way of segregating this activity out from those holding proper American jobs.
Vernacular Architecture - This style does not rely on historical precedent but is influenced by the culture of a localized place. Most of these structures fit into the general roadside category, though many were built before automobile travel was in common use. They can be found on postcards as an architectural version of folk art to the elaborate designs found in Las Vegas today.
Vice - One mans vice is another mans . . . In the early 20th century vice was far more well defined than it is now making it easier to present as a genre. As social values began to shift it became a more interesting subject for postcards. Even so in the more conservative United States and Great Britain it was still difficult to put such images onto postcards no matter what ones intentions were. Cards depicting scenes of drinking, gambling, and prostitution were more commonly manufactured in Europe, especially in France.
Victory Arch - Giant stone stand alone arches were first built by the ancient Romans to commemorate victorious battles or military campaigns. This act had much resonance for the tradition has continued into the 20th century among a number of nations. Large victory arches was constructed in the United States following the Civil War that were captured by numerous postcards. Many were also built following the First World War but while some were permanent structures most were built out of wood and painted white for only temporary display. Few today remember these long gone wooden arches but they were an important subject for postcards in their day. Today these cards are usually categorized as ordinary views.
Vinegar Valentines - The first insulting valentines were published in 1858 and they eventually found their way onto postcards. They were usually sent anonymously. Postmasters sometimes confiscated these cards as unfit to be mailed.
Volcanoes - There simply were not enough active volcanoes around to make this a large genre and many were in regions that were difficult to access. Despite the inherent dangers in capturing images of volcanoes there were artists who took up the challenge. They most often appear as real photos or artist drawn cards depicting Mount Vesuvius in Italy or the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. Almost all of these real photos were hand colored to add drama and definition to an otherwise unrecognizable image.