Postcards were the e-mails of the 19th century

"The postcards from the 19th century are like the e-mails of today," so says Yoel Amir, 72, an electrical engineer and stamp collector, who specializes in collecting picture postcards from 19th-century Israel.

"Around 1880 paintings began to be printed on postcards, which increased their popularity and relayed visual, in addition to textual, information," says Amir, whose collection consists of postcards dating from 1880 until 1930, a period during which the art of photography was gaining momentum and printing methods were improving.

An article on the Ha'aretz.com Web site points out that since painters found it difficult to earn a living from their canvases alone, painting on postcards became an accepted way for increasing their income.

Shown above is 19th century Spanish portrait postcard by an unknown artist.

To read the entire piece, click here.