India In July 1879, the
Post Office of India introduced a quarter
anna postcard that could be posted from one place to another within
British India. This was the cheapest form of post provided to the Indian people to date and proved a huge success. The establishment of a large postal system spanning India resulted in unprecedented postal access: a message on a postcard could be sent from one part of the country to another part (often to a physical address without a nearby post office) without additional postage affixed. This was followed in April 1880 by postcards meant specifically for government use and by reply postcards in 1890. The postcard facility continues to this date in independent
India.
Japan , 1912|alt= Official postcards were introduced in December 1873, shortly after stamps were introduced to Japan. Return postcards were introduced in 1885, sealed postcards in 1900, and private postcards were allowed from 1900. gives the following definition: Post Card is a standard rectangular form of a paper for public postings. According to the same state standards, cards are classified according to the type and kind. Depending on whether or not the image on the card printing postage stamp cards are divided into two types: • marked; • unmarked. Depending on whether or not the card illustrations, cards are divided into two types: • illustrated; • simple, that is non-illustrated. Cards, depending on the location of illustrations divided into: • Vector card at the location on the front side; • on the reverse side. Depending on the walking area cards subdivided into: • cards for shipment within the Russian Federation (internal post); • cards for shipment outside of the Russian Federation (international postage).
United Kingdom History In Britain, postcards without images were issued by the
Post Office in 1870, and were printed with a stamp as part of the design, which was included in the price of purchase. These cards came in two sizes. The larger size was found to be slightly too large for ease of handling, and was soon withdrawn in favour of cards 13mm ( inch) shorter. 75 million of these cards were sent within Britain during 1870. Two postmarked examples of the September 1894 ETW Dennis card have survived but no cards of Stewarts dated 1894 have been found. Early postcards were pictures of landmarks, scenic views, photographs or drawings of celebrities and so on. With
steam locomotives providing fast and affordable travel, the
seaside became a popular tourist destination, and generated its own souvenir-industry. In the early 1930s, cartoon-style saucy postcards became widespread, and at the peak of their popularity the sale of saucy postcards reached 16 million a year. They were often bawdy in nature, making use of
innuendo and
double entendres, and traditionally featured
stereotypical characters such as vicars, large ladies, and put-upon husbands, in the same vein as the
Carry On films. A notable artist of seaside postcards, often saucy, was the illustrator
Thomas Henry, most known for his portrayal of William Brown in the
Just William book series by
Richmal Crompton. He started drawing postcards as early as 1913, continuing well into the 1950s. In the early 1950s, the newly elected
Conservative government were concerned at the apparent deterioration of morals in the UK and decided on a crackdown on these postcards. The main target of their campaign was the postcard artist
Donald McGill. In the more liberal 1960s, the saucy postcard was revived and later came to be considered, by some, as an art form. Original postcards are now highly sought after, and rare examples can command high prices at auction. The best-known saucy seaside postcards were produced by the publishing company
Bamforths of
Holmfirth,
West Yorkshire. Despite the decline in popularity of postcards that are overtly "saucy", postcards continue to be a significant economic and cultural aspect of British seaside tourism. Sold by
newsagents and street vendors, as well as by specialist souvenir shops, modern seaside postcards often feature multiple depictions of the resort in unusually favourable weather conditions.
John Hinde used saturated colour and meticulously planned his photographs, which made his postcards of the later twentieth century become collected and admired as
kitsch. Such cards are also respected as important documents of
social history, and have been influential on the work of
Martin Parr.
United States The
United States Postal Service defines a postcard as: rectangular, at least high × long × thick and no more than high × long × thick. However, some postcards have deviated from this (for example, shaped postcards). ==Controversies ==