1946 The Harvey Girls MGM Movie Postcard Santa Fe Train Fred Harvey Co. 6

1946 The Harvey Girls MGM Movie Postcard Santa Fe Train Fred Harvey Co. 6

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📜 Description

Original 1946 postcard featuring a Technicolor promotional scene from the MGM musical “The Harvey Girls,” starring Judy Garland, John Hodiak, and Ray Bolger. The image shows a vivid depiction of an 1890s Santa Fe train arriving at a lively Western frontier town — part of MGM’s grand set used for the film.

Issued by The Fred Harvey Company, whose chain of hotels, restaurants, and railway dining cars inspired the story, the reverse text promotes the movie and the Harvey legacy.

Postmarked October 31, 1946, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a 1¢ green stamp, this postcard was mailed to Alhambra, California. The sender’s handwritten note adds charming period authenticity.

• Title: “A Santa Fe Train of the 1890’s, in a Scene from the Motion Picture ‘The Harvey Girls’”

• Date: 1946 (postmarked Albuquerque, NM)

• Publisher: The Fred Harvey Company

• Theme: Hollywood film, railroad history, Americana

• Condition: Excellent color, light corner wear, fully legible writing and cancellation

• Size: Standard 3.5” x 5.5”

A classic piece of Hollywood and railroad advertising history, beautifully representing MGM’s Technicolor era and the Fred Harvey Company’s branding partnership with Santa Fe Railway.

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🏆 Historical Value

Released in 1946, The Harvey Girls was an MGM Technicolor hit celebrating the pioneering women who staffed Fred Harvey restaurants along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. These postcards were distributed through Harvey House gift shops and onboard trains to promote both the film and the Harvey brand.

Such pieces blend railroad memorabilia, movie promotion, and mid-century advertising — making them highly collectible among film and transportation historians alike.