ThePaperSunflower: Seaside

Pictures of teddy bears were popular on postcards in the early 20th century. Teddy bears were first developed in the USA in 1902. Named for President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, the first stuffed toy bear was invented by a man named Morris Michtom, inspired by a newspaper cartoon of the President with a bear cub. At about the same time, and apparently unrelated to the American Teddy, the Steiff firm in Germany also began making stuffed toy bears, first exhibited at the Leipzig Toy Fair in 1903. Link These stuffed bear toys soon captured people's imagination around the world and have enjoyed enduring popularity with children and adults, and there are many informal and serious collectors of Teddy bears and memorabilia.

This cute postcard series by Raphael Tuck & Sons called Teddy Bears At the Seaside from 1910 celebrates the summer with cartoon images of the toy bears dressed and acting like humans, enjoying the beach and ocean. They are by the same artist (the signature is the same but illegible--possibly Ellery?) and are similar to the cards in Tuck's popular series Mixed Bathing (1908-1909), and Trunks Full of Fun (1913) which were recently featured on The Paper Sunflower. Link They are also similar to the Breakfast In Bed Series, also featured on The Paper Sunflower. Link These souvenir postcards were sold at various seaside resorts in the United Kingdom, and were also apparently sold in France, as some of them contain French writing, although none are shown imprinted with names of French resorts. Images are courtesy of tuckdb.org. Link

Postcard (1908) (Courtesy of tuckdb.org)

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, Atlantic City N.J. became a popular and bustling seaside destination on the Jersey Shore. The city was incorporated in 1854, and by the 1870s and 1880s, it had become a major resort, noted for its famous boardwalk, beautiful beach and elegant hotels, with over 500,000 visitors arriving yearly by rail from Philadelphia and its suburbs. The famous "Saltwater Taffy" was invented in 1883 in Atlantic City.

In the Surf Atlantic City--Stereograph Image (1890) (Courtesy of NYPL)

From the 1900s-1920's many new hotels were built and tourism flourished. People flocked to the beaches and pleasure piers, most notably Steel Pier, and Young's Million Dollar Pier.

Steel Pier At Night- Postcard (1910s) (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

The Miss America Pageant began there in 1921, and in the 1930's the city inspired the layout of the board for the famous Monopoly game. Atlantic City was billed as a family resort, but there was also a dark side. During the Prohibition Era (1919-1933) there was an increased organized crime presence, and illegal liquor, gambling and prostitution thrived in the city then known as "The World's Playground."

Travel Poster (Circa 1920s-1930)

After WW2, Atlantic City experienced significant economic decline. The era of legalized gambling began in 1978, and the first casinos were constructed along the boardwalk in the next few years. Many of the famous old hotels were torn down, although a few such as The Chalfonte-Haddon Hall, were incorporated into the new casino complexes that were built.

Haddon Hall (1902) (Courtesy of NYPL)

In the 1990s and 2000s, casino gaming began to expand to other nearby states, including Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Many people who once flocked to Atlantic City on bus trips or week long vacations now had the option to gamble closer to home, and Atlantic City began to suffer. Many casinos have now closed, and Atlantic City again faces many challenges, but still survives and hopefully will continue to find new ways to bring in visitors in the 21st century.