Figure 1.--Many British postcards did not have stamp boxes. This 1923 divided back postcard is one of he many styles. Click on he image to see the photo side.

At the turn of the 20th century, two photographic developments occurred at about the same time . First Kodak introduced the Brownie camera, making family snapshots possible (1900). Kodak was an American company, but The Bronie quickly reached Britain and heir were domestic competitors. At he same time, we begin to see postcards being done with these snap shots. In America we see stamp boxes which can be used to estimate the date of these cards. Most American cards in the 20th century had these stamp boxes. We also see these stamp boxes in Britain, but they were not nearly as common as in America. But there were different styles for the backs which can help date the cards. Post cards appeared in the mid-19th century. but they did not have pictures on them for some time. hey were purchased from he Post Office and had a stamp printed on them (1870). the term 'Post Card' is used on these cards. It was on the Continent that we first see picture postcards. These were printed images, no photographic images. he Pot Office allowed some illustrated and advertising cards with pre-printed stamps The Post Office finally allowed private companies to print postcards to which an adhesive stamp could be affixed (1894). They were no at first a major item. They seemed popular at seaside resorts to show the folks at home where you were. There were not many subject themes. his began to change after the turn of the century, in part bcause of the Boer War and important Royal events, At the same time, the Post Office allowed both address and message to be written on one side of the card, freeing up the whole of the other for the picture. Britain was the first country to introduce this 'divided back' postcard format By this time, we also see the size of the cards standardized. We see postcards on virtually every possible subject along with personal snapshots. Studio portraits were also dome as postcards postcards. World War I changed the emphasis of the subjects featured (1914-18). The first two decades of the 20th century were at the peak of popularity for postcards. The telephone tended to reduce postcard usage. Major eras included: Pioneer Era (1873-1898); Private Mailing Card Era (1898-1901); Undivided Back Era (1901-07); Divided Back Era (1907-14); and White Border Era (1915-1930). It is the 1900-40 era we are most interested in because this was when snapshots and studio portraits were done as postcards.

Created: 9:50 AM 3/28/2025
Last updated: 9:50 AM 3/28/2025