postcard.co.uk

I'm writing a short account of postcards and would welcome comments on the very earliest. Vaguely 1896 comes to mind as a date for the first British topographical picture cards and the very early 20th century as the time when their production became prolific.

I have a card postmarked May 24, 1902 of Park House Camp, near Amesbury, with a small photo of the military tents, and another, posted two days later of army tents at Bulford, one of a small issue of cards showing military subjects in Wiltshire. (These are what I call - wrongly? - vignettes with no distinct border to the image.) Then I have a dozen or so Wiltshire postcards of traditional design of 1903, with many more for the following years.

I would think that Stonehenge would have been a very early subject for a card, but I can't recall seeing any that are evidently of the first couple of years of the 20th century or before.

And a bonus would be if anyone can offer a very early date for a British photographic postcard showing military activities.

September 1st 1894 was the start of the Picture Post Card in Great Britain

A Post Office Circular dated August 28th 1894 stated “On and after the 1st of September next the public will have the privilege of sending through the post, as postcards, private cards bearing halfpenny adhesive stamps.”

The first publisher of post cards 'views' is believed to be George Stewart of Edinburgh. These were generally seaside towns. Another early publisher is Dennis of Scarborough ... examples are hard to find, especially postally used.

Picture Postcard Monthly began a listing of earliest postal usage in the UK in 1995 and carried it on in their Annuals in recent years, adding Subject and Overseas to the list ... interesting information and worth checking them out.

Can you provide more details about the publisher or printer of your 1902 Park House Camp and Bulford military postcards,Block Blast and whether they were part of a larger series, to help pinpoint their place in the timeline of early British photographic postcards?

The Bulford card was published by Peacock, a brand name of the Pictorial Stationery Co Ltd, which started trading in 1902. It appears to have been one of a small series published around then by Peacock of army camps on Salisbury Plain. There are no publishers' details on the Park House card, which has an image of the camp that's smaller than usual, but with a printed caption.

I have a few from 1900.

Publisher unknown, PM 01 Jun 1900


FF & Co, PM 19 Jun 1900


Valentine, PM 01 Nov 1900