# What's the origin of the "Greetings From City" mural with city scenes in the letters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712 "2014-07-09T14:53:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/1 "2014-07-09T14:53:04Z")
Many cities have murals of the form “Greetings from City”, where the city name is in large letters and local landmarks are inside the letters. Here’s an example from [Houston](http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/03/53/6568674/3/622x350.jpg) Does this style of mural have a name and how did it start? If you know of other similar murals, post links to them. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/2 "2014-07-09T14:56:59Z")
Don’t know about murals, but that was a very popular postcard motif for years. [http://www.ajc.com/gallery/travel/greetings-tour-vintage-us-postcards/gCBn5/#3603771](http://www.ajc.com/gallery/travel/greetings-tour-vintage-us-postcards/gCBn5/#3603771) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/3 "2014-07-09T15:22:55Z")
Collectors call these “Large Letter” Post-cards, and I believe they originated in about 1933. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/4 "2014-07-09T16:59:51Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Don’t know about murals, but that was a very popular postcard motif for years. > > [http://www.ajc.com/gallery/travel/greetings-tour-vintage-us-postcards/gCBn5/#3603771](http://www.ajc.com/gallery/travel/greetings-tour-vintage-us-postcards/gCBn5/#3603771) That website is completely fubar’d. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/5 "2014-07-09T17:28:24Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > That website is completely fubar’d. Works just fine for me in Firefox on a Mac. In fact, I found a funny typo. The postcard from Chicago is definitely not from “1900.” ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/6 "2014-07-09T18:43:49Z")
a [Google image search](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=742&q=large+letter+postcards&oq=large+letter+postcards&gs_l=img.3..0.2085.4583.0.4695.22.12.0.10.10.0.94.846.12.12.0....0...1ac.1.48.img..0.22.898.ou439Wy1pCA) on large letter postcards brings back more than you’ll ever need. Thanks to **jtur88** for providing the correct term. ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/7 "2015-03-16T01:37:32Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Collectors call these “Large Letter” Post-cards, and I believe they originated in about 1933. I have several older with the oldest postmark being from 1902. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/8 "2015-03-16T02:12:15Z")
> [@Obeseus](#): > > I have several older with the oldest postmark being from 1902. What city? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-greetings-from-city-mural-with-city-scenes-in-the-letters/692712/9 "2015-03-16T02:26:01Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > What city? Here’s one from Algers, from 1905: [http://www.vintagetobacco.com/goldcoast/new/pcg/g7920.jpg](http://www.vintagetobacco.com/goldcoast/new/pcg/g7920.jpg) And one from New York: [![](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-TW92Pfr/0/XL/i-TW92Pfr-XL.jpg) ](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-TW92Pfr/0/XL/i-TW92Pfr-XL.jpg)