all original and well-maintained unsent united states postal card printed specifically for the northwestern terra cotta company and true, brunkhorst & company. the postcard is comprised of heavy cardstock with double-sided black print. the card design is attributed to p.c. lautrup, who did catalogs and brochures for true, brunkhorst & company, which eventually merged with the northwestern terra cotta works. the unique and early terra cotta advertising postcard dates to the 1880's. the unsent work order postcard remains in good condition, with wear along the edges and discoloration. founded in chicago in 1878 by a group of investors including john r. true, the northwestern terra cotta company became a major producer of terra cotta ornament used by the construction industry. the studios draftsmen (including the highly skilled fritz albert) transformed architectural blueprints into comprehensive shop drawings that identified exactly where and how each puzzle-like piece would be secured to its supporting structure. by the early 1890's, when northwestern terra cotta employed approximately 500 men, annual sales approached $600,000. by 1910, its large (still extant) plant at clybourn and wrightwood avenues had about 1,000 workers. the popularity of placing terra cotta moldings on building facades peaked in the 1920's, and northwestern terra cotta led the way, in chicago and around the country. around this time, the company opened plants in st. louis and denver. beginning with louis sullivan earlier in the century, prominent chicago architects like frank lloyd wright had extensive contracts with the company. included among the many landmark chicago buildings for which northwestern supplied extensive decorative moldings were the civic opera house, the chicago theater, the wrigley building, and the randolph tower. northwestern's operations in chicago declined alongside the construction industry during great depression and never returned to their 1920's levels. in 1965, northwestern terra cotta co.'s only remaining plant, in denver, closed.