Postcard - Glossary of Postcard Terms

Glossary of Postcard Terms

3 D postcard - 1970's

Appliqué

A postcard that has some form of cloth, metal or other embellishment attached to it.

Art Déco

Artistic style of the 1920s, recognisable by its symmetrical designs and straight lines.

Art Nouveau

Artistic style of the turn of the century, characterised by flowing lines and flowery symbols, yet often depicting impressionist more than representational art.

Artist Signed

Postcards with artwork that has the artist's signature, and the art is often unique for postcards.

Bas Relief

Postcards with a heavily raised surface, giving a papier-mâché appearance.

Big Letter

A postcard that shows the name of a place in very big letters that do not have pictures inside each letter (see also Large Letter).

Composites

A number of individual cards, that when placed together in a group, form a larger picture. Also called "installment" cards.

Court Cards

The official size for British postcards between 1894–1899, measuring 115 mm × 89 mm (4.5 in × 3.5 in).

Divided Back

Postcards with a back divided into two sections, one for the message, the other for the address. British cards were first divided in 1902 and American cards in 1907.

Django Fontina

A postcard written to a stranger, typically as a means of disseminating poetry.

Early

Any card issued before the Divided Back was introduced.

Embossed

Postcards with a raised surface.

Hand-tinted

Black-and-white images were tinted by hand using watercolours and stencils.

Hold-to-Light

Also referred to as ‘HTL’, postcards often of a night time scene with cut out areas to show the light.

Intermediate Size

The link between Court Cards and Standard Size, measuring 130 mm × 80 mm (5.1 in × 3.1 in).

Kaleidoscopes

Postcards with a rotating wheel that reveals a myriad of colours when turned.

Large Letter

A postcard that has the name of a place shown as a series of very large letters, inside of each of which is a picture of that locale (see also Big Letter).

Midget Postcards

Novelty cards of the size 90 mm × 70 mm (3.54 in × 2.76 in).

Novelty

Any postcard that deviates in any way from the norm. Cards that do something, or have articles attached to them, or are printed in an unusual size or on strange materials. An example is cards made of leather.

Oilette

A trade name used by Raphael Tuck & Sons for postcards reproduced from original paintings.

Postcardese

The style of writing used on postcards; short sentences, jumping from one subject to another.

Real Photographic

Abbreviated to "RP."" Postcards produced by a photographic, rather than a printing, process.

Reward Cards

Cards that were given away to school children for good work.

Standard Size

Introduced in Britain in November 1899, measuring 140 mm × 89 mm (5.5 in × 3.5 in).

Topographical

Postcards showing street scenes and general views. Judges Postcards produced many British topographical views.

Undivided Back

Postcards with a plain back where all of this space was used for the address. This is usually in reference to Early cards, although undivided were still in common use up until 1907.

Vignette

Usually found on undivided back cards, consisting of a design that does not occupy the whole of the picture side. Vignettes may be anything from a small sketch in one corner of the card, to a design cover three quarters of the card. The purpose is to leave some space for the message to be written, as the entire reverse of the card could only be used for the address.

Write-Away

A card with the opening line of a sentence, which the sender would then complete. Often found on early comic cards.