Walt Whitman Sepia Phostint Divided Back Card 1910s Detroit Pub Alexander Met NY For Sale

This unused divided-back postcard presents a half-length portrait of the American poet Walt Whitman as an older man, his flowing white hair and beard rendered with a soft, painterly freedom. Seated in a three-quarter view, Whitman leans slightly to his left, his right arm resting along the chair’s armrest while his left hand remains near his lap; his gaze is thoughtful and directed just off-camera, lending the image an introspective gravity. The sepia-toned reproduction derives from an original painting by John W. Alexander, and the credit line printed on the back confirms that the artwork then belonged to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York County, New York. The postcard itself was issued by the Detroit Publishing Company as part of its celebrated Phostint series, a proprietary photomechanical process prized for its fine tonal gradations and museum-quality fidelity. A small publisher’s monogram appears in the lower left corner of the image area, and the subject is framed by a clean white border appropriate to early twentieth-century cards. The front shows only the expected antique surface character: minor scuffs, a few thin scratches, faint toning, and slightly rounded corners, with no creases or tears.The verso is equally instructive for dating and attribution. A vertical divider separates the correspondence space from the address panel, confirming production after 1907. Printed along that divider, from bottom to top, are the copyright notice “COPR. DETROIT PUBLISHING CO.,” the museum credit, the title “PORTRAIT OF WALT WHITMAN,” and the artist’s name “JOHN W. ALEXANDER.” Near the top center, catalog number 60209 appears vertically. The stamp box in the upper left corner states “PLACE STAMP HERE” and gives postage rates of one cent for the United States and Canada and two cents for foreign destinations, a rate structure that, in combination with the divided-back format, places this card within the ~1912 period—most likely the 1910s. The word “PHOSTINT” appears in italics and quotation marks beneath the stamp box, explicitly crediting the printing process. The back shows more pronounced discoloration and toning, particularly along the edges and in the upper left corner, together with light foxing and surface soil, but the card remains entirely unwritten, with no stamp and no postmark. This absence of postal use preserves the integrity of the publisher’s printed text, making the card an excellent example of early twentieth-century literary and art-reproduction ephemera. For collectors of American literary memorabilia, Detroit Publishing Company postcards, or museum-image postcards, this portrait stands out for its distinguished subject, notable artist, institutional provenance, and Phostint beauty.