Thursday 4 April 2013

Sepia Saturday 171: Before the humble postcard


Sepia Saturday by Alan Burnett and Kat Mortensen

Although the picture postcard is almost as old as the postage stamp, it wasn't until the 1890s that postcards with pictures of scenic views and landmarks were published in large numbers. After the United Kingdom and United States postal services gave a green light to the use of divided backs, in 1902 and 1907 respectively - message on one half, address on the other, thus freeing the entire one side of the card for the picture - the craze reached fever peak in the decade up to the Great War. Due to two world wars and the introduction of the telephone in most private households, postcards were never again produced in quite the number and variety as during the pre-war heyday, but they remained enormously popular for most of the remainder of the century.

The widespread availability of email, text, skype and smartphone services has understandably been followed by a decline in the use of postal services, and postcards have likewise diminished in popularity. A study last year claimed that the proportion of British tourists sending postcards home had declined from a third in the 1970s to an astonishing 3% (although another survey gives a more believable figure of 16%). Similar trends have been reported elsewhere, such as in India, and I can report that I struggled to find any postcards, let alone decent ones, in Honiara last year.

Image © and courtesy of Library of Congress
Conway (Conwy) Castle, Wales, c.1890-1900
Photomechanical print by the Detroit Photographic Company, 1905
Image courtesy of Library of Congress

I think it's still a little early to assume the complete extinction of the postcard - viz. Alan and his Twitter for Gentlefolk campaign, and the huge Postcrossing project, responsible for almost half a million postcards a month - but I'll sadly admit the chances of a major revival are slim. On a more positive note, and prompted by this week's Sepia Saturday Photochrom image of Conway Castle in Wales, I thought we'd take a look at what people kept as mementos from their vacations before the advent of postcards.

Image courtesy of National Gallery of Canada
The Great Pillars, Baalbek, Lebanon, c. 1857-1860
Albumen silver print, 203 x 153mm, by Francis Frith
Image courtesy of National Gallery of Canada

Albumen-based cartes the visite were the first popular and affordable medium for portraits in the early 1860s, which tends to overshadow the fact that albumen prints were already well established in photography by then. Developed in 1850 by Blanquart-Evrard the albumen print quickly superseded the calotypes or salt print. Paired with the wet plate collodion process, many print copies could be made of a single photographic glass plate negative. One of the first to take advantage of this was Francis Frith, who established a huge business selling both mounted and unmounted prints of views produced from three trips to the Middle East between 1856 and 1860.

Image © and courtesy of John Bradley
Dovedale, Derbyshire, c. 1850s
Stereoview by the London Stereoscopic Company, 54 Cheapside
Image © and courtesy of John Bradley

The sale of paper prints was boosted considerably by displays of the stereoscopic photograph at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851, and the subsequent production of views in enormous numbers by firms such as Francis Frith and the London Stereoscopic Company. The stereoview - also referred to as a stereogram or stereocard - used two images of the same scene, taken from slightly different view points, mounted side-by-side on card which, when viewed with a special device with lenses, gave the appearance of a three-dimensional picture.

After a revival in the 1890s, stereoviews remained popular well into the twentieth century, but seem to have fallen from favour after the Great War.

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
Buxton Crescent from The Slopes, Derbyshire, c.1860s
Carte de visite by Francis Frith (Frith's Carte Series)
Image © and collection of Brett Payne

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, c.mid- to late 1870s
Carte de visite by William Potter of Matlock Bath
Image © and collection of Brett Payne

For the duration of the carte de visite's heyday, in the 1860s and 1870s, many countrywide firms like Friths, as well as local photographers such as William Potter of Matlock Bath produced views of the countryside in great numbers. These two Derbyshire views showing the popular Victorian tourist destinations of Buxton and Chatsworth are typical examples.

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
View of unidentified building, possibly in Derbyshire, c. mid-1880s
Cabinet card by Alfred Seaman of Chesterfield
Image © and collection of Brett Payne

The larger format of the cabinet card, first introduced in the late 1860s, but which did not really catch on until a decade or so later, lent itself to scenic views, so it is perhaps a little surprising that they are not more common. This example from Chesterfield photographer Alfred Seaman depicts an unidentified building, possibly a hotel or a hyrdopathic establishment and presumably somewhere in northern Derbyshire; it is from the mid-1880s.

Image © and courtesy of Nino Manci
Wallis' Furnishing Ironmongers shop, Bakewell, Derbyshire, c.late 1880s
Collodion positive (ambrotype) by unidentified photographer
Image © and courtesy of Nino Manci

It is clear from Seaman & Sons' display of mounted scenic photographic views in the shop window of Wallis' Furnishing Ironmongers shop (click image above for a more detailed view of the display) in Bakewell, where they did not have a branch studio, that they did offer scenic views.

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
Ashby Castle, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, c.late 1860s-early 1870s
Albumen print by J.W. Price of Derby & Ashby-de-la-Zouch
(mounted on card, later roughly trimmed)
Image © and collection of Brett Payne

Seaman and many others published loose and mounted prints of landscapes and other views in a large variety of formats. This example of a mounted print (roughly trimmed) depicts the ruined Ashby Castle and has the backstamp of photographer J.W. Price. At 138 x 98mm, it is slightly larger than the size of a postcard. A scene in Sir Walter Scott's popular historical novel Ivanhoe is set in Ashby Castle, and this attracted visitors to the town of Ashby throughout the 19th Century. Harrod & Co.'s 1870 directory states,
Ashby is highly celebrated on account of its baths and springs, and its ancient castle ... Tradition states that Mary Queen of Scots was confined within one of the upper chambers.
Price no doubt sold this print and others from his studio on Ivanhoe road.

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
All Saints Church and St Mary's Gate, Derby, 1884
Albumen print (126 x 171mm), attributed to Richard Keene of Derby
(mounted on album page)
Image © and collection of Brett Payne

Loose prints, such as this 1884 view of All Saints church - now Derby's cathedral - were sold by Derby photographer, printer, publisher and stationer Richard Keene from his premises just around the corner at number 22 Irongate, still within full view of the church. A visitor could then paste the print into a large format album together with others from his trip. This particular print sits alongside two other Derby views on an album page, with photographs of Bournemouth on the reverse.

Image © and collection of Brett Payne Image © and collection of Brett Payne

(Left) Unidentified view of ruined building on cigarette box, by Davis & Sons, Barrow-in-Furness (Right) View of The Promenade, Matlock Bath on glass, mounted on velvet frame, by William Potter of Matlock Bath
Images © and collection of Brett Payne

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
Cover of Buxton and Derbyshire booklet of views, publ. F. Wright, Buxton

Image © and collection of Brett Payne
Matlock Dale and High Tor, Derbyshire, c.1892, published mid-1890s
Photomechanical print by Valentine and Sons of Dundee
Images © and collection of Brett Payne

It was also possible to buy sets of photographs, either loose or in booklet form, such as this collection of 24 Derbyshire views published by Francis Wright, stationer and bookseller of Buxton. The photographs were taken and printed by the Dundee firm of Valentine and Sons, and sold by Wright from his premises at 1 Spring gardens and Devonshire colonnade.


High Tor and Dale, Matlock, c.1892
Colourised postcard by Valentine & Sons, Dundee
View #17206, registered 1892, published c.1905-1906

A decade or so later this exact view was republished a number of times by Valentine and Sons in postcard format, a colourised example from c.1905-1906 being displayed above. Although other print formats would continue to be sold, nothing would rival the postcard for many decades.

Next time you're on holiday and send a postcard to someone back home - and I hope you do (a few each year can't be too bad for your carbon footprint) - spare a thought for its forerunners. If you head over to Sepia Saturday, you may well find a few more ancestors to the postcard on display amongst this week's contributions.

References

Spiro, Lisa (2006) A Brief History of Stereographs and Stereoscopes, on Connexions

J.G. Harrod & Co.'s Postal and Commercial Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Staffordshire, 2nd Edition, 1870, from the University of Leicester's Historical Directories

Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Rutland, 1895, Kelly & Co. Ltd., from the University of Leicester's Historical Directories

34 comments:

  1. OMG i have tonnes of these similar cards, photos. Its eiri as i was seeing these i thougth straight away to my collection. Cool

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  2. Great post as always Brett. Topographical CDVs are becoming more and more expensive these days. I love the Wallis' Furnishing Ironmongers shop photo.

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    1. Yes, I have noticed that the prices are creeping up, which is why I don't buy them very often. Occasionally I'll purchase a view in Derbyshire that might have had particular relevance to one of my ancestors, or is an example by a Derbyshire photographer that I don't have in my collection, but they don't come up frequently.

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  3. On return from overseas I always end up with mint foreign stamps bought for post cards never sent!

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  4. Now that's interesting aboit the photographer selling prints for people to paste into their own albumss. Did that continue into the twentieth century do you know? I've a couple of prints (one of Clovelly and one of Norwich) with my Mother's handwriting on the back, but they look like stock images. The Clovelly one I've seen on the web, but with slight variations.

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    1. Yes they did continue with this practice well into the inter-war years, perhaps even after the Second World War, selling small prints in little envelopes.

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  5. Your post certainly makes me want to run right out and purchase some postcards of Fallbrook. I think there are still some available and they'll be collector's items someday.
    I love receiving postcards from my friend's trips. I guess I have some really old-fashioned friends. I'm going to look into Postcrossing. Sounds interesting.
    Why no mention of ViewMasters? Or are they just too modern for Sepia Saturday?
    Nancy

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    1. There's a thrill to getting a postcard from some faraway place that you've only seen in National Geographic (or on TV or the web, nowadays) that can't be matched by email or anything that comes via the computer screen.

      Viewmaster discs certainly do fit the bill as tourist memento, but they were contemprary with the mid-postcard era, rather than a forerunner (at least as far as I am aware), which is what I was looking at in this particular article. You have, however, come up with a good potential topic for a future article. I'm happy to discuss more modern "photographs, photographers and their subjects."

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  6. There has been a big decrease in the availability of new postcard views here in the last couple of years. There were already very few kinds compared to what was available in the 1980s.

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    1. Yes it is a sad fact, isn't it. I was disappointed in not finding any scenic postcards of a decent standard when in the Solomon Islands last year - a frustrating exercise which resulted in my only sending a couple.

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  7. What a great post and coincidence that you give the details to the type of photo I featured this weekend too. As my collection has a focus on people with musical instruments, I rarely acquire landscapes. I imagine that the growth in tourism in the 19th century created such a demand for these souvenir views, that photographers had to develop new ways for mass duplication.

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    1. Well, quite likely given that we study the same field, albeit slight differing focus and subject matter. The JV and GWW postcards are very prominent when studying Derbyshire views, as i imagine they are for everywhere in the British Isles. The advent of half-tone photomechanical printing meant that views could be produced in postcard form very, very cheaply - I think that was one of the main drivers of the postcard craze.

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  8. Thank you for another informative post. I wanted to have a good look at the items in the window in the Ironmonger picture but unfortunately the enlarged view didn't work properly.

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    1. Sorry, it works for me, but try to copy/paste this URL:
      http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brett/photosleuth/wallisbakewell01a.jpg

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  9. Lovely to have the history so well written. Thankyou.

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  10. Some of the old photos I have from my family look like they were used as postcards. Interesting..when I travelled round the world I sent my parents postcards from everywhere I went, but now I suppose I would just take a photo with my iphone and put it on Facebook!

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    1. I still like to send postcards, and even more, I like to receive them. I'm not sure they will have a great deal of relevance to my descendants, though, except to show that our circle of family and friends is very widely scattered and even more widely travelled.

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  11. I'm pleased to see places that I've visited although Chatsworth does not look so inviting as on your postcard. I worked in Derby for a number of years so feel I have stood where the photographer stood to take All Saints Church. The place I would really have liked to have seen is that Bakewell Ironmongers Shop (Ironmonger is a much more attractive name than Hardware which we see today.

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    1. Yes, I agree, the word "ironmonger" seems so much more interesting.

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  12. Thanks once more for sharing your vast knowledge and images. I'm going to make an effort to send more postcards!

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  13. Splendid collection!
    If postcards get a revival,
    it may be due to your enthusiasm.
    My fave is the Lebanon one.
    Wouldn't mind having that one...
    As for the window of Wallis Furnishing Ironmongers shop, this is a nightmare for me who used to do store windows... but quite typical on the time.
    :D~
    HUGZ

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    1. I've been to the ruins at Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, and that photograph really does convey how impressive they are. Frith was a magician, particularly considering the conditions he was working under and the equipment he had to lug around.

      As for the shop window display, it's that age-old quantity vs. quality argument, isn't it.

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  14. I agree with Ticklebear as I used to do store window displays while going to art school. I never had to stuff that much in the window, though!
    As usual, this was a fun and informative post. You must have the most wonderful collection.
    Barbara

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    1. Well, you have to appreciate that I choose the subjects of articles on this blog to suit the items in my collection, but I have been lucky to accumulate a good range of photographic material without spending a fortune. Little of it is really museum quality or rare, but it serves my purposes well.

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  15. The Buxton and Derbyshire booklet seems like it would have been a good souvenir. That would have been my pick.

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    1. Obviously I thought so too, because I bought it :-)

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  16. This sort of shows how superficial images have become. Once people had to go out of their way to find the perfect image that would bring back memories. Now thousands are taken with little thought and dispersed almost instantly around the world. Plus, I think too much of today is ego driven. Too much "Look at me" is involved. I think in time we'll pay dearly for this.

    Very enlightening post.

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    1. I think you have a good point T+L, and I suppose it's almost an inevitable product of unbridled commercialism. In my view, the ego-driven aspect has been very much fuelled by social media.

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  17. So much to think about here, Brett. I have collected a number of old postcards over the last few years, nothing like some of the major collectors, but still a nice little collection of photos and things I like. It struck me while reading your post that I believe I have only mailed two postcards in my adult life while in London in 2009 to my two grandson back in the States.

    I was also interested in your Cartes de Visite landscapes as I have only come across (in my own personal collection) one that was taken of a building; in this instance it was a church. All the other hundreds of CDV's I own are of people (in studios). I think I will have to keep my eye open for these in the future.

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    1. Teresa - I have seen quite a few carte de visite landscapes, but then I have been on the lookout for a while. They are certainly not as common as studio portraits.

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