California’s iconic missions have captivated hearts for centuries. But beyond their historical significance, these missions have also been popular subjects for postcards, offering a unique window into how these landmarks were perceived and shared over time. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a surge in postcard popularity. Numerous postcard-printing and publishing businesses flourished during this time. Notable examples include the California Postcard Company, the Curt Teich Company, the Detroit Publishing Company, the E.C. Kropp Company and the Van Ornum Colorprint Company.
Postcards were inexpensive travel souvenirs and became a way for travelers to share their experiences and spark wanderlust in recipients. California missions, with their majestic architecture and picturesque settings, were natural postcard subjects. Early mission postcards, often black and white or sepia-toned, presented a romanticized view. Dramatic angles and soft lighting accentuated the grandeur of the missions, sometimes omitting signs of wear and age. The Cardinell-Vincent Company, for instance, offered stark sepia-toned images, presenting a more historically evocative perspective.
As color printing techniques developed, postcards took on a brighter hue. Vibrant colors added a new intriguing dimension to the images. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, mission postcards offer valuable historical insights. They document architectural details and the evolution of landscaping around the missions. Each postcard offers a glimpse into a specific time and perspective. In a way, California mission post cards serve as a testament to the enduring appeal of these historical landmarks. The postcards shown in the gallery are courtesy of the National Museum of American History (NMAH) and the Smithsonian Institution. The complete postcard collection can be viewed both at the NMAH and at the Smithsonian.
Notes on California Mission Colored Postcards
Postcard 01 – San Diego Mission, Founded 1769, San Diego, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0476. Mission San Diego de Alcalá, located in what is now called Mission Valley, was the first mission founded by Fr. Junípero Serra in 1769. The mission was built to convert American Indians of the Kumeyaay tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission buildings include a parish church.
Postcard 02 – San Diego Mission, Calif. Founded 1769. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2015.
Postcard 03 – San Diego Mission Palm, Serra Monument in background, Old Town, San Diego, Cal. H. L. Christiance Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0672. The image shows one of the four palm trees planted around the time of the founding of the mission in 1769.
Postcard 04 – Mission San Carlos – 1770, Monterey – California. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0326. Mission San Carlos Borroméo del rio Carmelo is located near the town of Monterey, the original capital of Spanish and later Mexican, California. Mission San Carlos was the second of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions founded in California between 1769 and 1823. It was established in 1770 to convert American Indians of the Esselen and Ohlone, or Costanoan, tribes to Catholicism. It was moved from its original location in Monterey to its present site in 1771. In 1882 it was restored to its present condition by the parish church of Monterey. Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Postcard 05 – Carmel Mission, Near Monterey, Calif. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2014.
Postcard 06 – San Carlos Mission, Monterey, California. Founded 1770. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2053.
Postcard 07 – San Carlos Borroméo (El Carmel Mission) near Monterey, California – 1770. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0331.
Postcard 08 – San Carlos Mission (El Carmel), Founded 1770. Near Monterey, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0477.
Postcard 09 – Ruins of Fray Junipero Serra’s Death Chamber, Carmel Mission, California. Founded 1770. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2016.
Postcard 10 – Mission San Antonio de Padua, California – 1771. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0325. Mission San Antonio de Padua, founded in 1771, is located on the Salinas River south of King City in Monterey County. It was the third of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and was built to convert American Indians of the Salinan tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Postcard 11 – Mission San Antonio, California. Founded 1771. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2052.
Postcard 12 – San Antonio Mission, Founded 1771, near King City, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0485.
Postcard 13 – San Gabriel Mission, Founded 1771, San Gabriel, California. California Postcard Company. 1925-1935. NMAH 1986.0639.0724. Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was founded on September 8, 1771, near the city of Montebello, California. The fourth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823, it was established to convert American Indians of the Tongva tribe to Catholicism. The mission was moved in 1775 to its present location in Los Angeles County. Today the facility includes a church and a museum.
Postcard 14 – San Gabriel Mission, Founded 1771 near Los Angeles, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0473.
Postcard 15 – The Chimes, San Gabriel Mission. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2023.
Postcard 16 – Mission Play Theatre Garden San Gabriel, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. M. Kashower Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0504. Dedicated on March 5th, 1927, the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse was originally established as the venue for the Mission Play by John Steven McGroarty. It tells the story of the founding of the California missions by Franciscan priests led by Fr. Junípero Serra. Today the facility in San Gabriel continues to serve as a setting for a variety of cultural activities.
Postcard 17 – Doorway San Gabriel Mission – 1771. Wood’s Post Cards. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.3171.
Postcard 18 – Mission San Gabriel, California, founded in 1775. E.C. Kropp Company. ca 1907. NMAH GA.24880.081.
Postcard 19 – Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, California – 1772. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0324. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, located in San Luis Obispo County, was founded in 1772 by Fr. Junípero Serra. It was the fifth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and was built to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Postcard 20 – San Luís Obispo De Toloso Mission California. Founded September 1, 1772. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2051.
Postcard 21 – San Luis Obispo Mission, founded 1772, San Luis Obispo, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0481.
Postcard 22 – Mission Dolores, Founded 1776, California. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1910 or 1913. NMAH 1986.0639.0375. Mission Dolores, originally known as Mission San Francisco de Asís, is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco. Founded in 1776, the mission was the sixth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions to be founded in California between 1769 and 1823. It was established to support the conversion of American Indians of the Bay Miwok, Coast Miwok, and Patwin tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission site is run by the Sonoma State Historical Park system. Services are still held in the mission building and in the adjacent, more modern, Basilica.
Postcard 23 – Mission Dolores, San Francisco, California. Cardinell-Vincent Company. ca 1910 or 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0406.
Postcard 24 – Mission San Juan Capistrano – 1776. Midway Between San Diego and Los Angeles, California. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0332. Mission San Juan Capistrano is located in the town of the same name. It was the seventh of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and was founded for the conversion to Catholicism of American Indians of the Luiseño and Juaneño tribe. Today the mission compound includes a parish chapel and a museum.
Postcard 25 – San Juan Capistrano Mission, Founded 1776, Capistrano, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. M. Kashower Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0499.
Postcard 26 – The Bells of Mission San Juan Capistrano, California. Eno & Matteson. Curt Teich Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0599.
Postcard 27 – The Broken Arch, Mission San Juan Capistrano, California. Eno & Matteson. Curt Teich Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0600.
Postcard 28 – Ruins of San Juan Capistrano Mission, Founded 1776, Capistrano, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0488.
Postcard 29 – Mission San Juan Capistrano, California. Eno & Matteson. Curt Teich Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0610.
Postcard 30 – Mission Santa Clara de Asis, California – 1777. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0323. The postcard portrays an image of daily life at the Mission Santa Clara soon after its founding in 1777. The mission was the eighth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823. It was established to convert American Indians of the Bay Miwok, Tamyen, or Costanoan, and Yokuts tribes to Catholicism. A college and a church now occupy the original site, located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay.
Postcard 31 – Mission, San Buenaventura, Cal, 1783. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1908. NMAH 1986.0639.0349. Mission San Buenaventura is located in the city of Ventura. It was the ninth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and was built to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church and a museum.
Postcard 32 – San Buena Ventura Mission, Founded 1782, Ventura, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. M. Kashower Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0500.
Postcard 33 – San Buenaventura Mission, Calif., Founded 1782, Showing Old Wall Used as Protection Against Indians. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2048.
Postcard 34 – Mission Santa Barbara, California – 1786. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0327. Mission Santa Barbara was founded in 1786, the tenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was built to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church, a museum, a Franciscan monastery and a retreat site.
Postcard 35 – Santa Barbara Mission, Founded 1786, Santa Barbara, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. M. Kashower Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0498.
Postcard 36 – The Santa Barbara Mission and Grounds, Founded 1786. Eno & Matteson. Curt Teich Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0597.
Postcard 37 – General View of Santa Barbara Mission, California. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2005.
Postcard 38 – Corridor at Santa Barbara Mission, Calif. Founded 1786. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2039.
Postcard 39 – Garden of Mission Santa Barbara, Cal. Edward H. Mitchell Company. ca 1900. NMAH GA.24880.016.
Postcard 40 – Mission La Purísima Concepción, California – 1787. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0317. Mission La Purísima Concepción is located northwest of Santa Barbara in Lompoc, California. It was the eleventh of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions founded in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was founded to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission is managed by the California State Parks system and it is one of the two state park facilities formerly operated as missions. The other is Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, California.
Postcard 41 – La Purísima Mission, Founded 1787, near Santa Barbara, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0496.
Postcard 42 – La Purísima Concepcíon Mission, California. Founded December 8, 1787. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2040.
Postcard 43 – Mission Santa Cruz, California – 1791. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0318. Mission Santa Cruz, founded in 1791, is located near today’s city of Santa Cruz. It was the twelfth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was built to convert American Indians of the Costanoan and Yokuts tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission buildings include a parish church, a chapel and the original dormitory.
Postcard 44 – La Soledad Mission, Founded 1791, near Monterey, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0497. Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was founded in 1791. It was the thirteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and was founded to convert American Indians of the Costanoan, Esselin and Yokuts tribes to Catholicism. The mission now serves as a parish church and museum.
Postcard 45 – Mission San Jose de Guadalupe, San Jose, California – 1797. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0319. Mission San Jose (formerly and incorrectly assigned the name “Guadalupe”) is located near the city of Fremont. It was the fourteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was founded to convert American Indians of the Miwok, Patwin, Costanoan, and Yokuts tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church and museum.
Postcard 46 – Mission San Juan Bautista, San Juan, California – 1797. Eno, I. L. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0313. Founded on June 24, 1797 by the Franciscan Order, the Mission San Juan Bautista was the fifteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823. It was established to convert American Indians of the Mutsun, or Costanoan, and Yokuts tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Postcard 47 – The Corridors, San Juan Bautista Mission, Calif. Founded 1797. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2018.
Postcard 48 – Mission San Miguel, California – 1797. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0320. Mission San Miguel Arcangel, located in San Miguel, was the sixteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions founded in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was established to convert American Indians of the Salinan tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Postcard 49 – Mission San Miguel, California. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2041.
Postcard 50 – San Miguel Mission, Founded 1797, near Paso Robles, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0494.
Postcard 51 – Mission San Fernando, California. B. N. Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0389. Mission San Fernando Rey de España, founded in 1797, is located in the San Fernando Valley. It was the seventeenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823. Its purpose was to convert American Indians of the Tataviam and Tongva tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a working parish chapel and museum.
Postcard 52 – Mission San Fernando, California. Founded 1792. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2042. The postcard reports and erroneous date of foundation.
Postcard 53 – San Fernando Mission, Founded 1797, San Fernando, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0492.
Postcard 54 – San Fernando Mission, Founded 1797, San Fernando, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0508. Postcard 53 and Postcard 54 are similar and originated from the same picture.
Postcard 55 – Interior San Fernando Mission, Founded 1797, San Fernando, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.491.
Postcard 56 – Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, California – 1798. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0312. Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was the eighteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions founded in California between 1769 and 1823. Dedicated in 1798, this mission was established to convert American Indians of the Kumeyaay and Luiseño tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church, museum and retreat site.
Postcard 57 – Mission San Luis Rey, California. Founded 1798. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2017.
Postcard 58 – San Louis Rey Mission, Founded 1798, near Oceanside, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0467.
Postcard 59 – Mission Santa Inés, California – 1804. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0321. Mission Santa Inés (also Ynez) was dedicated in 1804, and is situated north of Santa Barbara. It was the nineteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions to be built in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was founded to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church and museum.
Postcard 60 – Mission San Ynez, California. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2019.
Postcard 61 – Santa Ynez Mission, Founded 1804, near Santa Barbara, Calif. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0478.
Postcard 62 – Mission San Rafael, Arcangel. California – 1817. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0316. The mission was founded in 1817, the twentieth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions founded in California between 1769 and 1823. It was started as a medical facility to treat American Indians of the region and convert them to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a small museum and is adjacent to the St. Raphael Parish church and school.
Postcard 63 – Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, California – 1823. I. L. Eno Company. Curt Teich Company. ca 1914. NMAH 1986.0639.0322. Mission San Francisco de Solano, Sonoma, founded in 1823, was the last of twenty-one missions built by Spanish Franciscans in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was established to convert American Indians of the region to Catholicism and to prevent further expansion of Russians in Alta California. Today the mission is a historical site managed by the Sonoma State Historic Parks.
Postcard 64 – San Francisco Solano Mission, Founded 1823, near Santa Rosa, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0479.
Postcard 65 – Mission Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, California. Eno & Matteson. Curt Teich Company. ca 1915. NMAH 1986.0639.0596. Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles (Our Lady Queen of the Angels) was founded in 1784 as an ancillary mission to Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, which was the fourth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823. Nuestra Señora was established to convert American Indians of the Tongva tribe to Catholicism and to administer religious services for the pueblo of Los Angeles. Today the mission serves as a chapel.
Postcard 66 – Old Padres spreading the Gospel to the Indians, Old Mission Plaza Church, Los Angeles. George Rice & Sons. 1913. NMAH 1986.0639.0674.
Postcard 67 – Patio and Missionary Fathers’ Residence, Our Lady, Queen of the Angels, Old Mission Plaza Church, Los Angeles. George Rice & Sons. ca 1913. NMAH 1986.0639.0679.
Postcard 68 – Pala Mission Chapel, Founded 1816, near Oceanside, California. Van Ornum Colorprint Company. 1908-1921. NMAH 1986.0639.0480. Pala Mission or San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, founded in 1816, is located about 25 miles northeast of Oceanside. It was an ancillary mission to Mission San Luis Rey, the eighteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions built in California between 1769 and 1823. San Luis Rey and its ancillary Pala mission were established to convert American Indians of the Kumeyaay and Luiseño tribes to Catholicism. Today Pala mission is the only one which continues to minister to an American Indian community.
Postcard 69 – Pala Mission Tower, San Diego County, Calif. Detroit Publishing Company. ca 1910. NMAH 1986.0639.2021.
Postcard 70 – Monterey. Old Mission Chapel. Detroit Photographic Company. 1899. NMAH 1986.0639.1998. Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo, or the Old Mission Chapel, was founded in 1770 by Fr. Junípero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan missionary associated with twenty-one missions in California. Mission San Carlos was the second of the missions founded between 1769 and 1823 for the conversion of American Indians of the Esselen and Ohlone, or Costanoan, tribes to Catholicism. Today the mission serves as a parish church.