1942 postcard showing the elaborate storefront window and floral display of A. Wiegand’s Sons Co., Florists, located at Illinois Street at 16th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The image provides a detailed view through the florist’s large display windows, filled with numerous arrangements of colorful flowers and potted plants. Architectural and decorative details include arched windows, hanging light fixtures, a checkerboard floor, display tables, large planters, and a birdbath or pedestal planter. The front identifies the business as:
“A. Wiegand’s Sons Co., Florists — Illinois St. at 16th — Indianapolis, Ind. — Our 83rd Year.”
The reverse contains an advertising message from the florist:
“We will appreciate any order for Indianapolis or vicinity and reciprocate at first opportunity.”
Business: A. Wiegand’s Sons Co., Florists
Location: Illinois Street at 16th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana
Subject: Florist shop / floral display / storefront interior
Date: Postmarked April 20, 1942
Business notation: “Our 83rd Year”
Publisher/producer: Reverse margin identifies Des Moines, Iowa and states “Lithographed in U.S.A.”; the company name preceding this information is partially obscured by the postmark and is not attributed here.
Printing method: Lithographed, as specifically stated on the reverse
Postcard type/era: Color lithographic postcard from the early 1940s
Back: Divided-format advertising postcard
Stamp: Green 1-cent George Washington United States postage stamp
Postmark: Indianapolis, Indiana, April 20, 1942
Postal marking: Additional postal cancellation/marking visible across the stamp and upper address area
Addressed: Yes, handwritten to a recipient in Warren, Pennsylvania
Series number: None visible
Embossing: None apparent
This postcard is an interesting example of mid-20th-century business advertising and florist history. Rather than simply showing a city landmark, it was designed to promote a specific Indianapolis business and encourage reciprocal florist orders. The detailed storefront display offers a glimpse into the way florists presented and marketed their products during the early 1940s.
The “Our 83rd Year” statement is particularly useful as a piece of business ephemera because it documents how the company represented its longevity at the time the postcard was issued.
The card was mailed in 1942, during World War II, adding another layer of period context. Its one-cent George Washington stamp, postal cancellations, handwritten address, advertising copy, and dated Indianapolis postmark preserve the card as an intact piece of postal and commercial history.
This postcard has crossover appeal for collectors of Indianapolis and Indiana history, florists and floral shops, storefronts, advertising postcards, local businesses, commercial architecture, flowers and gardening, postal history, and 1940s Americana.
Business advertising postcards can be especially interesting because they document establishments, storefront displays, addresses, and commercial practices that may have changed or disappeared over time. The colorful and unusually detailed florist window scene makes this an excellent visual record of the business and its era.
Condition:
Pre-owned postcard with age-related wear. Visible condition includes corner and edge wear, surface wear, toning/discoloration and handling wear. There is a small area of edge loss/damage along the left side. The reverse has postal cancellations, handwritten addressing, a postage stamp, and a handwritten price notation near the upper edge. Please review both sides carefully for the exact condition.
Please use eBay’s magnifier/zoom feature to closely inspect the postcard for edge wear, corner wear, creases, bends, surface issues, writing, stains, toning, paper loss, album residue, postal ink, stamp condition, and any other imperfections that may not be immediately apparent in the photographs. Photos are an important part of the condition description.