Postcard

A postcard is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard.

Most are rectangular, though non-rectangular shapes exist. They are designed for writing and mailing without an envelope. In many regions, sending a postcard costs less than a standard letter. Collectors of these items practice a study called deltiology. This term comes from the Greek words for "small writing tablet" and "study."

Collectors distinguish between two specific types of cards. A postcard requires a postage stamp to be mailed. A postal card has the postage pre-printed on it.

Usually, private companies produce and sell regular postcards. In contrast, a postal authority issues the official postal cards. This distinction helps organize how mail is processed and paid for.

The history of these cards began with individual efforts. The earliest known picture postcard was hand-painted by Theodore Hook. He posted it to himself in 1840 from Fulham, London. The card featured a caricature of post office workers.

In the United States, advertising cards began appearing in 1848. John P. Charlton created the first commercial card in 1861. He sold the rights to Hymen Lipman. Lipman marketed "Lipman's Postal Card," which featured decorated borders but no images.

Official postal cards grew due to military and government needs. In 1865, Heinrich von Stephan proposed an "open post-sheet." He wanted one side for addresses and one for messages. Officials rejected this idea because they feared a loss of privacy. However, Austria-Hungary accepted a similar idea in 1869. They mailed 3 million cards within three months. During the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Germany issued postals for soldiers. This allowed troops to send inexpensive messages from the field.

Many nations adopted postal systems throughout the 1870s. Great Britain, Switzerland, and Canada introduced postals during this era. The first printed picture postcard appeared in France in 1870.

It was created at Camp Conlie by Léon Besnardeau. These cards featured lithographed designs of armaments and the Duchy of Brittany. In Germany, August Schwartz is credited with inventing the illustrated postcard. He mailed a card with an image of a man and a cannon in 1870.

Postcards entered a "golden age" between 1890 and 1915. This era was driven by new photography and mass production. The Chicago World's Fair in 1893 helped popularize souvenir postals. In the United States, the government lowered the postage rate in 1898. This change caused a massive boom in the private industry.

By 1905, 7 billion postcards were sent worldwide every year. In the United States, nearly a billion cards were mailed annually from 1905 to 1915.

Economic and political shifts eventually ended this golden age. In 1909, the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act placed taxes on German imports. This made high-quality German cards more expensive in America. Hostilities in Europe also made it hard to import ink and cards. World War I disrupted production, though cards were still used for propaganda. As telephones became common, the demand for postcards began to fall.

Postcard styles have evolved through several distinct stages. Between 1915 and 1930, "white border" cards became common in the United States. These used less ink than previous versions. In the 1930s, "linen" postcards used a new printing process.

The modern era began with "Photochrom," or "chrome," postcards in 1939. These are the glossy, colorful cards used today. Today, social media has further reduced postcard sales.

Many long-standing printers have closed because of these digital changes.