Kodak introduced the No. 3A Folding Pocket Camera (below) in 1903, and the stage was set for both professional and amateur production of black & white photo postcards, which were early on referred to as: real photo post cards (RPPCs). Variants of the No. 3A were manufactured until 1943. Kodak #122 film was discontinued in 1971.
			When folded, the No. 3A camera could easily fit a jacket pocket or purse. More importantly, from an archival perspective, the large Kodak #122 roll film negative was the same size as the print, approximately 5 1/2" x 3 1/4". In the early days of photography, enlargers were bulky and expensive, hence they were rarely used for casual photography. The result is that real photo postcards are incredibly detailed if properly taken and preserved. Post cards that were actual photographs were almost always distinguished as such by information imprinted by Kodak ( and other manufacturers of post card photo paper) on the back of the card. Creators and sellers of post cards wanted there to be no confusing a real photograph with an image printed on a printing press. The continuous tone print of a photograph produces a much more detailed visual record. The following three post cards exemplify the way this message was conveyed to customers.
			The message used to divide the back of this Post Card of Chicago in the 1940s reads: "THIS IS A GENUINE PHOTOGRAPH"
			The message used to divide the back of this postcard of Market Place in Otley in the UK in the 1920s reads: "THIS IS A REAL PHOTOGRAPH"
			The message written beneath the words Post Card on the back of this postcard of Times Square in New York in the 1920s reads: "ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPH"
			As black and white film evolved, it became far less grainy. A well focused rppc can yield extraordinary detail when scanned and enlarged using modern digital technology. That said, due to their age, many RPPCs from the turn of the 20th century through the 1950s, are in pristine condition only if they have been protected from light and environmental hazards. Pool at the Palm Springs Hotel Palm Springs 1955