Vintage Covington County Courthouse – Alabama Metal Print

Description

Vintage Covington County Courthouse – Alabama Metal Print by Mark Tisdale

This Alabama metal print features a restored vintage Covington County Courthouse postcard. This beautiful building has stood for over a century now (built in 1916). The current courthouse replaced one that was less than 20 years old. In 1916, the area was booming with Timber, agriculture, and local industry. Thus the need and desire for a bigger and grander courthouse for Covington County.

When this vintage courthouse postcard was published circa 1941, the courthouse was still comparatively young at just a bit past 20 years. There’s a great sense of the neoclassical architecture (in the Beaux Arts style) and proportions of the building in the artwork on this old postcard. It really captures a flavor of America from just before World War II.

I love vintage postcards in general but I specifically chose to restore this vintage courthouse postcard because it’s tied with my own family history. Or rather the county it’s located in is. Parts of my paternal family settled in Covington County as homesteaders in the 19th century. And while my mother’s family were comparative newcomers in the 1940s, it was home to them as well. One thing I really love about this postcard aside from the subject itself is the sky. Notice the warm light on the horizon. Mean to be sunrise or sunset, I would guess?

This particular vintage postcard was printed by the Curt Teich Company which was headquartered in Chicago. They operated through much of the 20th century producing some iconic imagery in their classic postcards. It may be hard to believe but these were produced from original black and white photographs. The photograph was turned into a half tone image and color was added though a lithographic style of printing. The end results are a work of art in their own right. These mass produced works of art remain popular today. When I restore them, I do my best to keep the general sense of age while cleaning up any damage. But they are still true to the original. So much so if you choose to print these large, up close you’ll be able to see the original half-tone pattern and texture of the paper from printing.

I would love to hear what attracted you this vintage Covington County metal print? Do you live there or, like me, do you have roots there? If you have any questions about this restored postcard art or comments, do drop me a note.

Note: The courthouse in Andalusia is part of a designated National Historic district.

Reviews (0)