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The Mexican Revolution:Photo Postcards by Horne

In the early 1900s, Kodak introduced roll film cameras enabling everyone to easily make their own photos; the postcard craze was in full swing; and along the U.S Mexican border the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution was imminent. In 1910, the bloody battles began and scores of amateur photographers crossed the border to photograph the war and turn their negatives into photo postcards for sale.

Generals Fierro, Villa, Ortega and Medina,
from Border Fury, A Picture Postcard Record of Mexico's Revolution and U.S. War Preparedness, 1910-1917 by Paul J. Vanderwood and Frank N. Samponaro, "From the outset of his career as a postcard photographer, Walter H. Horne demonstrated an ability to get good-quality close-up pictures of the leaders of the revolution."

Close-up Mexican Generals,

On Commercial St. Juarez, Mexico,
from Border Fury, "As proved to be true for the entire revolution, the early fighting was ferocious; no holds barred. Capture usually meant public execution, and, to avoid it, thousands opportunistically switched allegiances. Ciudad Juarez was battered by rebel attacks. Identifying dead federals and collecting them for burial was ongoing. After a truce had been called, curiosity seekers and looters arrived from El Paso to inspect the damage and to partake in the spoils."

Executed in Mexico,
from Border Fury, "Like others in his business Horne knew that scenes of death sold particularly well and sought to capitalize upon public fascination with the macabre."

Dead on Battlefield, 1913
from Border Fury by Paul J. Vanderwood and Frank N. Samponaro,"An eyewitness to the battle recounted, the real horror lay in the streets and on the sidewalks. Villa's men who had fallen lay dead and dying. Some twitched, some mumbled, most were sprawled in the abandoned posture of death. Except for an occasional curse, they were left ignored. Later in the day they were gathered, stacked and burned."

Battlefield Scene In Mexico,

Triple Execution Series, #1-The Execution of Francisco Rojas, 1916
from Border Fury by Paul J. Vanderwood and Frank N. Samponaro,"The triple execution series was particularly profitable for photographer Water H. Horne, and he reissued the three popular postcards repeatedly during 1916 to fulfill demand along newly arrived National Guard troops"

Triple Execution Series, #2-The execution of Juan Aguilar, 1916

Triple Execution #2 Backside,

Triple Execution Series, #3-The Death of Jose Moreno, 1916
from Border Fury, "The postcards of their executions gave Rojas, Aguilar and Moreno far greater notoriety in death than they ever attained in life."

Bodies of Men, 1916
from Border Fury, "In addition to photographing the three executions, Horne took other pictures in Ciudad Juarez and turned them into postcards. Many of those who purchased the triple execution series bought these cards as well. The spectacle attracted a huge crowd that gawked at the corpses."

Burial Scene After a Big Battle, c.1916

One Grave for 63 Men after the Big Battle, c.1915

The Mexican Revolution:Photo Postcards by Horne - More about the exhibition

One of the most successful photographers who made and sold real photo postcards of the Revolution was Watler H. Horne. He was born in Maine and as a young man went to New York City . There he contracted tuberculosis and in an effort to find a better climate and job opportunities, he moved West- first to Denver and then to Los Angeles. In 1910, Horne arrived penniless and by boxcar in El Paso, Texas. He took odd jobs and became interested (along with everyone else who lived in El Paso, a border town across from the Rio Grande from Cuidad Juarez) in the violence between the Mexican federal troups and the rebels near Ciudad Juarez.

In Border Fury, A Picture Postcard Record of Mexico's Revolution and U.S. War Preparedness, 1910-1917, authors Paul J. Vanderwood and Frank N. Samporano write: "Horne shrewdly saw the connection between the military conflict and the possibility of a profitable picture postcard business. With no apparent previous interest in photography, he bought an inexpensive camera and the equipment necessary to turn out photographic postcards."

There was a growing need in the United States for new and different postcards and along the border there were 200,000 American soliders stationed but not fighting and therefore a captive audience to buy postcards and mail them home. As interest in the war increased in the U.S. so did the demand for Horne's postcards. His photographs during the period of the Mexican Revolution run the gamut, from photos of the soliders stationed in El Paso to posed images of politicians and war heroes to raw and violent images including stark executions, and bloodied, dead soldiers.

Over the years from 1910-1920, Horne created an enormously successful postcard business from making photographs of the Mexican Revolution. In 1921, he died a very rich man. According to authors Vanderwood and Samporano, "Horne started out on a shoestring but at the right time and place. To this fortunate circumstance he applied a relentless determination to make money and his motivation in turning out literally hundreds of thousands of postcards was exclusively financial. There is no suggestion in his correspondence that he had the slightest interest in the Mexican Revolution or its international political ramifications, except as they related to his business. He did not intend to record history, yet he did so."

The Revolution turned out to be a very lucrative spectacle for Horne and many other amateur photographers. You might say it was the beginning of engineered news for profit and more importantly, the first instance of “embedded” reporters.

NOTE: This exhibition is currently being installed -- be sure to visit again to for additional text and images.