History of the postcard

Different sources provide different information about the history of postcards. Their invention is attributed to the French, the English, and the Chinese. But be that as it may, the first postcards, as we know them, were issued in Austria-Hungary in 1869.

First, let's look at two concepts.

A postcard (postkarte, carte postale) is a type of written message written on a special form made of thin cardboard. An envelope is not used, which is why the cost of such a postal item is lower than the cost of a regular letter. For example, the cost of the first postcards in England was half a penny and was half the cost of sending a traditional letter in an envelope.

The name "postcard" comes from the phrase "open letter" - this is what they were called in Russia. The back side was intended for writing the address. It also provided space for a postage stamp. Some postcards had no space at all for writing a message. Senders often wrote directly on or under the image on the front side of the postcard. At the beginning of the last century, space for the message was allocated to the left of the address on the back of the postcard. On some postcards, the stamp was printed using typographic method. In this case, its cost was immediately included in the cost of the postcard. Postcards became especially popular in the late 1890s.