Sizes of photograph

Photo Post Cards

Comments from 1903

Sales Increasing

The Edinburgh photographic dealer, A H Baird  gives an interesting insight into the early use of photographic postcards.

In the January 1903 edition of his journal 'Photographic Chat', he comments on the high level of sales of sensitised postcards late in 1902, and on the use of these cards to send Christmas and New Year greetings.

Are Personal Postcards Acceptable?

The answer to this question appears to be:  'Perhaps not yet'.  A H Baird wrote:

"There are very many people who look on the receipt of a post card dealing with other than business matters almost in the light of a gross insult - and we confess to some sympathy with them.

There is little enough of privacy that can attach to the message on a post card, so long as human nature remains what it is;  and one has no moral right to decide in advance for one's correspondents what shall, and what shall not, be made known of their affairs to those servants and other inquisitive persons by whom they may be surrounded."

Are Personal Postcards Acceptable?

Despite the concerns above, A H Baird predicted a healthy future for the photographic postcard.  He wrote:

"How many more of those little social debts we owe as correspondents will be liquidated when photographic post cards are at the disposal of all.

The amateur can have his cards printed by scores at a time, from favourite negatives, and this will furnish him with a positive inducement to communicate with his friends from time to time;  as new triumphs fall to the all-conquering eye of the camera."

[Photographic Chat:  January 1903, p.6]