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Joe D.just found this info about the photographer of my two postcards...
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/pnphtgs.html
Biography: George R. Lawrence (1869-1938)
After working briefly at a Chicago wagon factory in 1889, George Lawrence opened a studio for the production of crayon enlargements — large photographs, usually portraits, that have been enhanced by pastels or charcoal. Crayon enlargements were popular wall decorations in the late 1800s.
In 1893, Lawrence's studio partner left Chicago permanently. Lawrence inherited the equipment and learned to develop negatives from a local photographer's apprentice. He formed the Geo. R. Lawrence Company and quickly became an innovator in the field, using the slogan "The Hitherto Impossible in Photography is Our Specialty."
Lawrence designed his own large-format cameras and specialized in aerial views. He began by using ladders or high towers to photograph from above. In 1901 he shot aerial photographs from a flimsy cage attached to a captive balloon. Once, while flying more than 200 feet above Chicago, the cage tore from the balloon, hurling Lawrence and his camera to the ground. Fortunately his fall was broken by telephone and telegraph wires; he landed unharmed. Lawrence continued to use balloons until he developed a method of taking aerial views with cameras suspended from unmanned kites.
In the 1910s, Lawrence left the field of photography and pursued a career in aviation design. The Geo. R. Lawrence Company was succeeded by Kaufmann & Fabry, whose work can also be found in this collection.