Postcard history

According to an article on Expatica.com, the postcard dates back to 1865 when German Post Counsellor Heinrich von Stephan designed the first one even though many people had their doubts about sending "open" cards via the post.

Norbert Mankiewicz, 63, a noted Berlin philatelist and trader in German picture postcards, is quoted as saying that in the early history of postcards there was no space for penning messages or endearments, so Germans created "space" of their own by writing above, beneath or down the sides of cards.

It wasn't until around 1906, when there was a huge boom in postcards in Europe, that was space provided on the reverse left-hand side of the card where one could write a greeting.

Shown above is a early German postcard from 1905.

To read the entire article, click here.

For more on the history of postcards, click here.