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A 5.5x3.5" vintage RPPC photo postcard from the estate of a vintage postcard collector. This was part of a huge collection of antique postcards.
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Photo Overview
This striking real photo postcard documents the aftermath of the catastrophic Great Dayton Flood of March 1913 on Sprague Street in Dayton, Ohio. The image captures a mud-choked residential street lined with two-story Victorian and Craftsman-style homes, their porches and yards piled high with flood debris, ruined furniture, lumber, and refuse. Piles of mud and wreckage line both sides of the muddy road, and a few figures can be seen surveying the devastation in the distance. The photo is numbered '44' in the lower left, suggesting it was part of a documented series of flood aftermath images.
The postcard was mailed on June 1, 1913 from Dayton, Ohio, postmarked at 3 PM, and was sent to Mrs. Dora Lattimer of Greenwich, Ohio. The sender wrote that they were stopping in Dayton on their way from Indianapolis, Indiana, 'taking in flood scenes,' and that the trip had been grand. The publisher stamp on the back reads S. M. Van Cleave, Dayton, C., Bell E. 2962.
Historical Notes
The Great Dayton Flood of March 25-26, 1913, was one of the deadliest natural disasters in Ohio history, killing an estimated 360 people in Dayton alone and causing catastrophic damage across the Miami River valley. Triggered by a massive rainfall event following a winter of heavy snow, all five rivers flowing through Dayton overflowed simultaneously, inundating the city to depths of 20 feet in some neighborhoods. The floodwaters receded within days, but the cleanup - as visible in this Sprague Street image - took months.
The disaster directly led to one of the most significant flood-control engineering projects in American history. Governor James M. Cox and civic leaders, led by the Dayton Flood Prevention Committee and engineer Arthur Morgan, launched the Miami Conservancy District, completing five dry dams by 1922. This system has successfully prevented any major flooding of Dayton ever since and became a model for flood control engineering nationwide. Sprague Street itself was rebuilt; the neighborhood survived and many of its Victorian homes were restored.
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Text Present
Front of postcard, lower center in hand-lettered white text: '44 SPRAGUE ST. DAYTON FLOOD 3-25-13'
Back of postcard, upper left handwritten: 'Sun June 1st'
Back of postcard, postmark: 'DAYTON, OHIO / JUN 1 / 3-PM / 191[3]'
Back of postcard, correspondence section handwritten: 'In Dayton on our way from Indianapolis Ind. Taking in flood scenes. Trip has been grand. Mr. Brides with us. Mattie [?]'
Back of postcard, address section handwritten: 'Mrs. Dora Lattimer / Greenwich / R.D. Ohio.'
Back of postcard, left edge printed vertically: 'S. M. VAN CLEAVE, DAYTON, C., BELL E. 2962'
Print analysis
This is a Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) printed as a genuine photographic image on postcard stock. The surface shows the tonal characteristics of a silver gelatin print. The postmark date of June 1, 1913 confirms this was produced and mailed within approximately 10 weeks of the flood event of March 25, 1913, making this a Type 1 original contemporary photographic postcard. The publisher S. M. Van Cleave of Dayton was an active local producer of flood-related RPPC cards in 1913.
Condition
All postcards we sell are in fair to excellent vintage condition. Please see photos for any tears, folds, smudges, or other age damage that may be present.
