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Greeting cards have been in use for many generations.
Early twentieth Century Greeting Cards were usually posted from,
and often depicted, favourite tourist locations.
There are however some examples of non-tourist
locations in the views selected for this article.
During the era prior to the First World War greeting cards were
available for small localities such as ordinary suburbs in Sydney. This
was an era when people travelled only small distances for work and
recreation. Cards were often sent to adjacent suburbs - multiple mail
deliveries per day and a reliable postal system ensured effective
communications in the largely pre-telephone era.
This selection of period greeting cards demonstrates the rich variety
of design styles and early use of tinted colour. Some of the images are
sepia or black and white. Featured in this article are cards from
Leichhardt, Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Kensington, Randwick, Manly,
Balmain, Mosman and even one from George Street. Clearly Manly and
Mosman were favourite tourist locations – but the same cannot be said
of George St or Leichhardt !
Each card contains a topographic element for the relevant locality.
Some are composites with a variety of views presented. For suburban
locations principal views usually include the local post office, main
street, church or public buildings, railway station or tram terminus.
Naturally these cards can act as a simple catalogue for future
purchases and also give an indication of other cards in the series that
are (hopefully!) out there waiting to be found.
Unfortunately not all greeting cards identify the producer or
photographer. This adds an element of mystery to their origin.
The quality of greeting cards was highly variable. Some of the cards
were made by well known firms of the day eg Crown Studios in Sydney or
certain UK publishers.
Note the use of colour on the Balmain card. It appears very modern to
contemporary eyes. This card was posted to France and survives in very
good condition as it was placed in an envelope.
It is perhaps ironic that many cards sent locally survive in a poorer
state than those sent abroad - the protective envelope assisting in
preserving the best features of cards posted to far away places long ago.
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