Beginning about 1900, tourism greatly increased in the American Southwest, chiefly a response to the combined promotional efforts of the Santa Fe Railway and the Fred Harvey Company. Postcard images of Southwestern Native Americans in particular became a mainstay of a widespread advertising campaign to promote the region to potential travelers. Postcards also quickly became popular with visitors as collectibles and for expedient communications with friends and family back home. In New Mexico, hundreds of published images portrayed the beauty of the Pueblo villages, as well as views of...

Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe Railway teamed up to develop tourism in the American Southwest from the late 1880s to the 1960s. These two companies formed an interdependent alliance that welcomed travelers thirsty for a civilized "western experience." The Harvey Company provided first class food served by friendly "Harvey Girls" on the trains and offered grand accommodations near the stations, and both Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe energetically promoted the Southwest through marketing strategies, including hundreds of postcard images of scenic landscapes and historic cultures in New Mexico and...