Victorian Halloween Card, 1908, Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd. Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Canada.
Who doesn’t enjoy receiving a postcard from a loved one? An alternative to sending formal letters, postcards were first introduced during the Victorian age, expanding the ways in which Victorians communicated with one another. Today, we cherish that legacy and continue the long tradition of sending postcards and cards to our friends and family members, especially on special occasions. In this article, we look at the fascinating world of Victorian cards and postcards by exploring their history.
The first British postcards appeared in 1870. They came in two different sizes and were inspired by Austro-Hungarian cards, which were the first ones to be introduced in Europe the previous year. Renouncing the seriousness of formal letters, this informal and inexpensive type of correspondence rose in popularity in the following decades. By 1910, near the end of King Edward VII’s reign, more than 800 million postcards a year were sent within the country.
Postcard (front), 10 January 1893. The Postal Museum.
Their design changed over time, reflecting changing moods of society. Although private publishers produced illustrated postcards earlier, the Post Office did not officially welcome them until 1894. Also, because one side of the card was reserved solely for the stamp and address, the message had to be tightly written alongside the image, making the design somewhat awkward.
Besides urban landscapes, the first examples of illustrated postcards featured pictures of the seaside. As more and more people were able to afford a day off work to travel to the British coast, postcards were used to send messages to loved ones. These were decorated with images of the British seaside, piers, deckchairs, and donkeys (donkey riding was quite popular back in the day!).
Palace Pier, Brighton Postcard postcard, 1902. The Postal Museum.
Similar to regular postcards, a creative and amusing way to spread the joy of the holidays were Victorian Christmas cards. Initially these were quite costly for the average Victorian to buy. However, through technological innovation and progress, by the end of the 19th century they could be produced cheaply and purchased for as little as one penny.
Greeting card, John Callcott Horsley, 1843, England, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Though the typical Christmas imagery depicted on Victorian cards included robins, wintry scenes, and feasts, some cards were more peculiar, featuring dead animals, for instance.
Many cards also revealed images of numerous beloved Victorian Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas cracker. They came in different shapes and sizes and incorporated joyful, cordial, or humorous Christmas messages. Some of these might seem unusual today, like this one: “Cheshire Cheese/Your dinner to ease/When you spend a Jolly Xmas.”
Victorian Christmas Card with a Police Constable and a Clown, Museum of London, London, UK.
The Compliments of the Season Card. CBC.
Victorian Christmas Card with Three Foxes and an Owl, Museum of London, London, UK.
Paix, Joie, Sante, Bonheur Card. Hulton Archive/GettyImages
Popular Lectures on Cookery Card. Whitemay/Digital Vision Vectors/Getty Images.
Victorian Christmas Card. Pitch Black Printing Co.
Wishing You a Happy Bright New Year Card, c. 1880, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
In this scene, we see a police constable being attacked by a clown with a goose! The text below says: “May you enjoy the best of Christmas fare, But take this hint, of too much goose beware!”
Clowns were a popular Christmas motive in the United Kingdom.
This Victorian Christmas Card presents mice eating… a cat.
The text below this humorous scene says: “This troupe has come, without a question, to wish to you a good digestion, and to this lot of dainty dishes I add the best of Christmas wishes.”
Here we see a mouse riding a lobster. The text on a paper says: “Paix, Joie, Sante, Bonheur” (English translation from French: “Peace, Joy, Health, Happiness”).
Here’s another unusual Christmas scene. Two robins with chicks are preparing to eat a humanoid pudding.
“By loving friends you are surrounded,
Oh, be not blind to this, I pray.
That wish that joy mirth unbounded
May Crown your happy Christmas day.”
Many cards revealed images of numerous beloved Victorian Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas cracker.
Halloween was another important holiday often featured on Victorian postcards. These were illustrated with pictures of famous Victorian Halloween beliefs and traditions, including much-adored fortune-telling games, or ducking for apples.
Divination was also associated with this pagan celebration. At the time, many believed that mirrors were portals to the spirit world, allowing young women to view their future spouses.
Ducking for Apples postcard, 19th century. Mark Lawson Antiques.
Victorian Halloween Card, 1908, Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd., Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Canada.
A Merry Halloween Card, 1900, Bettie La Barbe Postcard Collection, Charlestone Archive at Charleston County Public Library, Charleston, SC, USA.
A Thrilling Hallowe’en Card, 1910, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, MO, USA.
The Joys of Halloween Be Yours Card, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
A Happy Halloween Postcard, 19th century. Mark Lawson Antiques.
Halloween Card, 1910, Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Canada.
This postcards presents one of Halloween traditions – apple ducking.
What we see here is a merry Halloween bunch – a bat, witch, cat, and humanlike pumpkin, riding a watermelon cart!
Here we see the symbols of Halloween – a black cat, broom, and Jack-o’-lanterns. The text says: “For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain’ Watch out!”.
Another card with typical Halloween elements – Jack-o’-lanterns, this time flying in white robes on black cats.
Victorian Halloween card with a witch, bats, and Cupid.
The girl in the image is attempting to see her future husband in a mirror.
Here we see two children playing with Jack-o’-lantern.
Illustrated postcards were delivered without an envelope. As a result, Victorian correspondents found ingenious ways to keep their personal lives private. For example, they invented a new mode of communication by angling stamps in different directions to convey various secret messages, such as “I love you”.
Pictured postcard with the poem You ask me why I love you, 28 June 1906. The Postal Museum, London, UK.
After the first postcards were introduced in Europe, other parts of the world soon followed in its steps, including one of the former British colonies, Australia, in 1875.
Despite the increase in mass production of inferior quality postcards, artists continued to be commissioned to create images for postcard series. Many of these showcased Australian locations as well as local flora and fauna.
Australia. Manly Beach. Sydney postcard, 1905-1906. Jesof Lebovic Gallery.
The postcards issued in Australia from this period are also incredibly informative, revealing the relations between the two countries. One particular set of cards is the “Hands Clasped across the Sea” series, designed to illustrate the great distance between the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including Australia and New Zealand. These were very affectionate, with many of them including tender messages.
Hands Across the Sea postcard, c. 1910, National Library of Australia. ABC.
These colorful and imaginatively designed Victorian cards and postcards provide a clearer image of the past by offering us surprising insights into the lives of Victorians. Ranging from sentimental to morbid, Victorian cards, simple as they may be, enrich our understanding of the Victorian world, with their subjects, purposes, and humor varying from series to series in unexpected ways.
If you want to feel more like a Victorian, send your loved ones a postcard too! From Italian Renaissance to Japanese Art, we invite you to explore our broad selection of artsy DailyArt postcard sets in the DailyArt Shop.
150 years of the postcard, Australian Post Collectibles, 2019. Accessed: 6 Sep 2023.
A brief history of (weird and wonderful) Victorian Christmas cards, 2022, Victoria and Albert Museum, Youtube. Accessed: 6 Sep 2023.
Postcard History, Postcard Traders Association. Accessed: 6 Sep 2023.
Postcards, The Postal Museum. Accessed: 6 Sep 2023.
Georgina Tomlinson, Seaside Postcards, 2021, The Postal Museum. Accessed: 6 Sep 2023.
Victorian Halloween Postcards, Mark Lawson Antiques, 2015. Accessed: 6 Sep 2023.
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Ruxi reads Law at the University of Cambridge and enjoys writing about art history in her free time. She is interested in Dutch Golden Age painting and the work of the Pre-Raphaelites.
Bec is an art nerd, bicycle enthusiast, cat mom, artist/crafter/maker from sunny Toronto, Canada.
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