In the Works

You might have noticed this blog has been really really quiet lately. Well! The thing is, I've decided that I want to do something different with the sharing of this collection. I feel it would work better not as a theme/subject-based blog, like this, but as something more like an online collection. So I am going to work towards a site more like that, with different, more meaningful ways to explore and see connections. I've been making plans and figuring out Wordpress, as well as properly catalouging all my postcards, both for this project and for my personal research purposes (this is my pet research project as well). It's been a bit slow, since I've been doing it in between writing a master's thesis and writing a novel, because I'm that kind of person, but progressing! So stay tuned!

Meanwhile, since you came all the way here and all, here are some wonderful recent acquisitions:

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Love Stories: Willy and Aline

Today's love story is Willy and Aline. Willy lived in Paris, at least at the start of the postcard romance; in fact, he includes his address in two of them: 5 Rue Legouvé, 10th arrondisment. Thanks to Google Earth you can look up this exact spot, on a very short street near Canal St. Martin. Amazingly, today the exact address belongs to a gallery... of photography. In the 1930s it was an Art Deco bathhouse. 

Willy's cards to Aline are exceptionally endearing. Every single one is packed with words, and he almost inevitably runs out of room and has to finish and sign upside-down at the time... every time, for over a year! He often addresses her with a ridiculous amount of endearments, the equivalent of "Darling Aline my beloved dearest darling." Best of all... on every single one he has labelled the figures with both of their names. Awwwwww.

The majority are dated, from March 25, 1927 to May 15, 1928, although a few aren't. I suspect these three undated ones come first, since they are the only ones that have his last name and address, but I've left all the other undated ones at the end. 

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Though Willy lives in Paris and always writes in French, his last name is Ropp, which is German, which is interesting. 

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Love Stories: Albert and Lucie

While there are many, many things I love about these postcards, there's one that stands out to me more than any other. These aren't just pictures. They're objects out of people's lives, very personal objects. While some aren't written, and some were sent between family and friends, the vast majority are, in fact, sent between couples. These are parts of real love stories. Most of them stand by themselves, but sometimes, when I'm very lucky, I end up with groups of postcards all sent from the same person to another, or even between two people. I treasure these more than any others, no matter what the pictures are. I feel honoured to hold these pieces of a love story. 

For the next few posts I am going to share some of these cards. They're only the slightest glimpses into lives and loves, but those glimpses can be incredibly moving. 

Today is just a small set-- just three. However, they are a fascinating trio. All come from the same photoshoot, featuring our favourite male model in his youngest years, plus a horse (I've actually managed to find images of the other two postcards from the shoot--there were usually 5 published per shoot). They were written from a woman, Lucie, to a man, Albert, in the spring of 1924. 

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Interestingly, through Lucie is writing from France (Charleville[-Mézières]), she's writing in German (except for the "Avril" of the date). In the letter she says she is travelling to Paris on Thursday. The postcard has a bit of ribbon tied in the lower right corner, which is curious....

The Blue Girl in the Yellow Hat

Strikingly tinted blue-toned postcards.  This series appears to have been quite popular-- I have seen more examples from it than any other!

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This one, interestingly, has a different publisher's mark than the other two-- Bleuet instead of A Noyer. 

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Stamps and Postmarks

The vast majority of these postcards were sent in envelopes.,and when they were sent through the post, French mail for much of the period required stamps to be affixed to the front of postcards. However, not all the postcards were sent from France. I have a decent amount of cards mailed from Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, as well as a couple examples from the days when French stamps did go on the back. Since they are colourful, informative, and enjoyable to look at, here is a selection!