Transport postcards
Written by admin on 28 January, 2010 – 6:48 am -Wheels in Edwardian times were still mostly horse-drawn. Imagine, you hear the sound of a fire engine's bells, followed immediately by the clatter of 8, 16 who knows how many hooves. Motorised public transport wasn't commonplace until the 1914-18 period. There were some ambulances, as supplied by the Wolseley Car Company and these appeared in British cities between 1906-07. There are examples of these which do appear on postcards. Of course there were some cars. As Prince of Wales, Edward VII received his first Daimler in 1900 and there are scarce postcards featuring him and it. Of course his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm would also have been so endowed, so there must be postcards out there featuring him and his cars. By 1910 there were a few small... more
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Theatrical postcards
Written by admin on 19 January, 2010 – 9:49 am -Music Hall As well as being the golden age of the postcard itself, the Edwardian period was also the golden age of the music hall. Although popular, more refined nights out such as the opera or ballet had nothing on this form of entertainment. Knockabout fun is perhaps the most apt description of music hall. Actors Stars like Gladys Cooper, Marie Studholme, Camille Clifford, Henry Irving, Henry Ainley, Albert Chevalier, Gaby Deslys, Vesta Tilley and the great Marie Lloyd played to packed houses night after night. Postcards featuring them or their antics were produced by the likes of J. Beagles & Co. or the Rotary Photo Co. - both of London. They evoke the opulence of the theatres themselves and the smell of the greasepaint. ... more
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Sporting postcards
Written by admin on 4 January, 2010 – 9:15 pm -In the Edwardian heyday of the postcard, sports such as football and the like just weren't the multi-million pound businesses that they are today. Just as now, though, they were immensely popular amongst the general population and the industry produced postcards featuring many of the teams and stars of the day. Footballers, athletes, swimmers, rowers, rugby players, golfers, cricketers, jockeys and horses - all were featured, both in close up and in action. Sporting locations were also featured. Apart from the various stadiums, race courses were featured quite heavily - they were very popular amongst the race-going fraternity. It's interesting to note also that there wasn't the modern day squeamishness about blood sports. There are a number... more
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Shipping postcards
Written by admin on 4 January, 2010 – 6:54 am -Messing about in boats. What could be more pleasant? Of course these postcards will feature vessels which cannot be described as mere 'boats'. All of the ships owned by the large merchant and passenger companies appear on postcards. So, look out for the Titanic or The Queen Mary. Also, smaller craft will appear, from yachts to sailing boats through barges and paddle steamers. An interesting extension of the postcard hobby is the matching of vessels with postmarks which may or may not have been franked upon cards or other material. All in all, building up a collection of shipping postcards is a challenging and enjoyable hobby - although one does need to have a genuine interest in the subject. If not is may be better to stick to purely... more
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Railway postcards
Written by admin on 18 December, 2009 – 6:43 am -What a great complementary hobby for steam enthusiasts! However, that's not to say that steam enthusiasts are the only people who collect railway postcards. In the days before British Rail of course there were many different railway companies in the UK, and an equal number of advertising opportunities were offered by postcards. The companies published thousands of railway cards. Perhaps the most prolific was the London and North Western Railway Company - LNWR. Publishers included McCorquodale and (of course) Raphael Tuck & Sons. We had photos of engines and rolling stock, then series after series of views - overprinted by the companies, and of course shots of stations, both interiors and exteriors. In fact the closure of many stations... more
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Royalty postcards
Written by admin on 12 December, 2009 – 8:53 pm -Perhaps the first postcard monarch was Edward VII. Postcards were produced to mark his coronation in 1902, his funeral in 1910 and all points in between. Postcards featuring these bookend events were produced in great numbers and are therefore quite reasonably priced. With regards to publishers, the Tuck Company published many of the most desirable sets - including coronation sets for Edward VII and George V. Their Empire series was perhaps the most delightful. Sets were produced featuring many of Europe's Royal Families, so there are sets featuring, for example, the Belgian Royal Family, German Royalty and the Russian Royal Family. Modern Royalty postcards seem to focus extensively upon Princess Diana and the Royal Weddings of the... more
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Romantic postcards
Written by admin on 5 December, 2009 – 5:41 pm -Apart from their saucy seaside postcards, Bamforth & Co. were an extremely prolific producer of romantic song cards. Many of the songs featured were the sickly-sweet, overly sentimental type so beloved by the Victorians. Sweet Adeline and Don't go down the Mine, Daddy were but three such examples. In fact Bamforths were so prolific that the Floridian, Major Robert W. Scherer produced a list of all the song cards that they produced. Generally romantic postcards in the Edwardian era came in groups of six. Mostly they were photographic situations with titles such as 'Blossoming Romance' or 'Love on a Balcony'. The sets had a format which although not rigidly adhered to, was nevertheless a formula of some success. They followed a story... more
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Religious postcards
Written by admin on 4 December, 2009 – 6:54 am -I think that it's safe to say that people living in the Edwardian era were a lot more God fearing than nowadays is the case. Back then the majority of religious postcards produced embraced Christianity, sets such as The Ten Commandments were firm favourites, but other faiths were catered for too. Religious movements, structures and personalities were celebrated too. So organisations such as the Salvation Army were featured, as were pictures of Popes and views of Lourdes. Churches and abbeys, cathedrals and synagogues were pictured and found their way onto postcards. Bamforth's produced a series of Hymn cards, with sentimental pictures plus the words and score of hymns. Rock of Ages, The Old Rugged Cross and Nearer my God to Thee were three... more
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Political postcards
Written by admin on 3 December, 2009 – 6:57 am -As discussed with regard the military theme, the postcard has always been a handy propaganda tool due to its lightweight nature and potential for mass production. Of course it wasn't called satire then, but manufacturers also produced postcards poking fun at political figures of the day and making comment on political events. Joseph & Austen Chamberlain were deemed worthy of ridicule in the period prior to WWI and there were several excellent examples of cards produced which both celebrate and mock the Suffragette movement. As the twentieth century moved on through the terror and carnage of two world wars, countless other local and not so local conflicts, and the Cold War we saw a fine selection of political postcards from now defunct... more
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Patriotic postcards
Written by admin on 2 December, 2009 – 6:31 am -As distinct from military or political examples, patriotic postcards are very much a celebration of loyalty and devotion to 'the homeland'. Many were produced in the years following WWI, showing Allied flags, bulldogs and entente cordiale themes. Prior to the war, patriotic postcards had been produced but their distribution had been limited to the country which they celebrated. The United States has always been a country with many annual national events to celebrate and as usual, Tuck and Co. was in the vanguard with series such as Washington's Birthday, Lincoln's Birthday or Independence Day. US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Indian... more
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