When did this kind of postcard cease to exist? The answer, as with most questions of culture and history, isn't clear-cut. French postcards with photographic images of happy couples continued to be made into the 1960s, with hand-tinted examples at least into the 1940s. However, the "look" is quite different, even putting aside fashion (I currently don't own any examples from later than about 1940, but I may post on these descendants sometime in the future). Though for simplicity I generally call my cards "1920s postcards", they were absolutely being made into the 1930s, with some of the most stunning examples dating from early years of that decade. I don't have outside research for dates, and the date a card was written/mailed does not neccessarily mean the card was made that year (I've mailed 100 year old cards myself!), but I have a large enough sample size to see some trends. The number of these cards mailed between 1924 and 1933 is fairly constant; after 1934, it drops off significantly, with only a couple mailed after that year. At the same time, a different "look" of card starts to become common. From the mid to late 1930s, uncoloured cards are common, while they are rare in the preceding period. Tinting still exists but is much more subtle.
Dye-toning disappears entirely. The most common models from the 1920s and early 1930s are no longer seen. Matte photographic paper gives way to glossy. Deckle-edges are sometimes used. There are less publishing houses in the market, though leader PC Paris continues in force. Why these changes occurred I don't know; perhaps it may have been affected by economic depression, although the fanciest postcards I own come from the early 1930s. I suppose the ultimate answer is probably a simple "that's the way trends go."
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