POSTCARD HISTORY
When the world’s first postcard appeared in Austria in 1869 and in Britain
during the Paris Exhibition of 1889 they received a big boost in popularity
as a means of sending messages.It triggered off a craze for postcard collecting
and caught the public’s imagination, so much so in fact that in their heyday
between 1890-1920,they even took the place of traditional family photo albums.
Virtually every country in the world produced cards in ever increasing numbers.
In 1902 Britain was the first country to divide the back thus allowing
the address and message on the back and a complete picture on the other side.
The years before the First World War have been called 'The Golden Age' of picture
postcards as everybody used them for messages before the telephone was widely
in use.Cards of all descriptions and subjects were produced and personal
collections were popular,many of these cards being produced in Germany.
Of course with the outbreak of hostilities this supply came to an end.
After the war the hobby never recovered, understandably a nation trying to come
to terms with the enormous casualties found it very difficult to resume any
pre-war trivialities. The role of the postcard changed becoming increasingly
associated with the Seaside Holiday.
Picture cards became status symbols and would reflect a person’s position
in society. Cards such as those published by ‘Valentines of Dundee’ and
‘Raphael Tuck’ in particular,were especially sought after as these were of the
highest quality.During this golden period, postcards featured every conceivable
subject,after all these were exciting times.Notable examples included hand
painted picturesque views of famous sites and buildings, while fantastic
photographic images captured major political and sporting events, as well as
recordingand celebrating important moments such as early
aviation.
From another perspective these cards are historically significant because
they provide an insight into the social history
of the world, by visually depicting and charting the effects of defining
moments which include the First World War,
and the rise of industrialism.
minded collector.They are an excellent way of showing how a particular resort
may have changed over the years,how people dressed and which modes of transport
were available there at that point in time.Some collectors specialise in cards
from a handful of resorts only,thus building up a pictorial, social
history of each place.
Comic Cards. The British seaside comic postcard, with its own brand of risqué
humour was immensely popular. Many designs were adapted for each resort by
simply overprinting them with words of greeting from the resort in question.
After 1918, the seaside, postcard market was dominated by Donald McGill.
He reputedly designed more than 3000 different cards, the more popular ones
selling more than 1,000,000 copies. Little wonder that he was nicknamed the
'Leonardo' of the saucy postcard!
Another famous designer of these cards was Tom Browne, who initially made his
name as a cartoonist for Punch magazine. The signatures of these designers are easily recognisable.
Donald McGill always signed his name in full, marking it with three dots -
one before his christian name, one between his christian name and surname and
one after his surname.
Tom Browne signed simply as 'Tom B.' with a full stop shown after the 'B'.
