Reading Time: 5 minutes
Over a hundred years ago, postcards became popular souvenirs when visiting far off destinations. The images depicted on their backs provided vivid glimpses into the landscapes seen by family members and friends. The postcards from the Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards, housed in USF Libraries’ Special Collections—Tampa campus, show Florida at its finest and most whimsical.
There are magical orange groves, full of abundance, mystery, and over-sized fruit. Colorful, lush gardens overflow with flowers and beautiful young women from a long ago era. Serene lakes and rivers provide a home to pink flamingos and fish. These cute scenes can turn quickly from cute to terrifying with the addition of alligators with wide mouths and large teeth. Waterways, palm trees, beaches, and sunsets also splash their way onto the page.
Journalist Hampton Dunn became an avid collector of postcards and other Florida-related ephemera from the early twentieth century. His postcard collection comprises more than 16,000 items, providing a unique look at the real and imagined Florida landscapes that were sent home from the sunshine state.
Take a stroll through a selection of Hampton Dunn’s postcards below…
Orange Groves
Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Orange grove in blossom, Florida” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 1622. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/1622Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Loading oranges” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 1489. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/1489
Lush Gardens
Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Hydrangea time in Florida Cypress Gardens” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 1186. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/1186Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Gladiolus in Florida” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 932. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/932Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Winding path among azaleas in beautiful Florida Cypress Gardens” (2022). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 2585. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/2585Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “An Attractive roadway scene in Dixieland” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 213. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/213
Tropical Landscapes
Dunn, Hampton, “Flamingos in Sarasota Jungle Gardens” (1941). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 955. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/955Dunn, Hampton, “Hunter hunted, caught by an alligator in the Everglades, Florida” (1919). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 1099. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/1099Dunn, Hampton, “Waldo Cave, the lover’s retreat, Ocala , Fla” (1910). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 2339. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/2339Dunn, Hampton, “Jungle and Everglades, Florida” (1905). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 1100. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/1100Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Fishing on the Ocklawaha River, Florida” (1911). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 815. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/815Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “A Florida landscape” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 861. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/861Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Entrance to Lake Okeechobee” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 622. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/622Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Sulphur spring, Welaka, Fla” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 2413. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/2413
Sunsets
Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “A Florida sunset as seen through Caribbean pines” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 974. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/974Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Sunset Scene, Wakulla Springs near Tallahassee, Fla” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 2491. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/2491Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “A Lone sentinel in the Everglades of Florida” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 1325. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/1325
Beaches
Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Bathing hour on the beach, Seabreeze, Fla” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 242. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/242Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Girls you meet at Daytona Beach, Fla” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 993. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/993Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Bathing beach and boardwalk, Daytona Beach, Florida” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 228. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/228
“Marine Life”
Dunn, Hampton, “Dancing under water” (1930). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 576. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/576Dunn, Hampton, “Underwater picture possibilities at Florida’s world-famed Silver Springs” (1930). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 2350. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/2350Dunn, Hampton and University of South Florida — Tampa Campus Library, “Sharks and shipwrecks at Marine Studios, Marineland” (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. Image 2249. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/dunn_postcards/2249