South Dakota
Postcard & Image Gallery

The South Dakota State Capitol, Pierre, SD.
Antique postcard published by Raphael Tuck & Sons circa 1905. Printed in England.

The City of Pierre built this temporary state capitol in 1890. The permanent capitol was built from 1905 to 1910.

 
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State Capitol, Pierre, So. Dak.
Pre-linen postcard published circa 1920.

The partly cloudy, blue sky fading to pink is very typical of the pre-linen postcards. What looks like a statue on top of the dome is a completely copper-clad cupola.

 
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"Pasque," South Dakota State Flower
State Capitol, Pierre, S. Dakota
Antique postcard published circa 1910.

 
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State Capitol and Gardens, Pierre, So. Dak.
Pre-linen postcard published circa 1930.

The maturing trees on the grounds frame the capitol in this view.

South Dakota State Capitol Building, Pierre, S. Dak.
Antique postcard published circa 1910. R. I. Kelly, Photographer.

Early postcards were presented in many different, artistic ways. The textured frame around this image was probably glued in place.

South Dakota State Capitol, Pierre, S. D.
Antique, embossed postcard published circa 1905 by S. Langsdorf & Co. Publishing, New York, N. Y. Made in Germany.

Using the same artwork as the Tuck at the top of this page, this publisher placed the capitol in an embossed, patriotic border.

Capitol at Pierre, S. D.
Antique postcard published circa 1910 by the American News Company New York.

The capitol building fills the picture on this postcard. With no added pedestrians or riders, the trees have all the work of dressing up the simple building.

The State Capitol, Pierre, South Dakota.
Antique postcard published circa 1905. Postmarked 1909.

From the highly embellished Tuck to this simple black-and-white view, all of these old capitol views were produced from the same photograph. The location, size and angle of the roof line and many tree branches are identical in every postcard of the old capitol on this page. This is probably because it was widely known the building was a temporary capitol, and because the building was not exactly fancy. It would not have been worth securing more photos.

Capitol at Pierre, S. D.
Antique postcard published circa 1910.

Decorating views by embossing and adding gold tone accents like in this postcard was popular at the time this one was published.

State Capitol and Gardens, Pierre, So. Dak.
Historic photograph circa 1895.

This rare view of the old state capitol shows the building without trees. Constructed in an effort to secure Pierre's future as the permanent state capitol, this simple wood structure was intended as temporary from the beginning. The new capitol was built later next door.

 
 
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