The Picture Ipswich collection contains a number of postcard images from the early 1900s. These postcards range from pictorial views of early Ipswich through to wartime correspondence. Some are promotional with business details and advertising, while others were produced by photographic studios and display portraits or family photos.
‘Greetings from Ipswich’ postcard of Ipswich buildings and scenes, Ipswich, ca. 1910 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
The Queensland Government first issued official post cards in 1880. These early cards were quite plain, with the message on one side and address on the other. Privately printed post cards were permitted from around 1895.
Post cards quickly became popular due to being cheaper than letters to send and, as many areas had multiple mail deliveries each day, were a quick and effective means of communication. Early examples show postcards being used in much the same way we would use email or SMS messaging today. In fact some of the same issues were encountered, for example an 1876 newspaper article, titled “Post Card Persecution”, speaks of post cards being misused in NSW as a means of harassment or to spread misinformation.
As post cards grew in popularity pictures or illustrations were added to the message side. On some cards the picture would be so large that only a small area was left for the message. This card in the Picture Ipswich Collection is an example of a large image and small message area.
Postcard of Sheep Drinking, Queensland, 1905 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
By 1905 the format we know today was adopted, with a picture on one side and a divided area on the other for the message and address. A post card collecting craze began soon after. From 1907 the Queenslander newspaper ran a regular column that allowed collectors to advertise for postcard trades.
A particularly nice series of coloured postcards, the SHELL series, were printed from mid-1905. These cards were printed in Germany using high-quality colour printing techniques and were a huge leap forward from the existing black and white or hand tinted post cards. There are a number of scenes of Ipswich in this series, including this view of Brisbane Street.
Brisbane Street West, Ipswich ca. 1906 – Shell Series postcard – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich.
Other cards in the SHELL series can be viewed in the book Coloured Shell Series of Queensland Post Cards.
Information taken from: Picture Ipswich; “The Coloured Shell Series of Queensland Post Cards” by The Queensland Card Collectors’ Society Inc., 2009; “Early Days – Postcard Persecution”, The Daily Northern Argus, 8 Feb 186, p2; “Post Card Exchange”, The Queenslander, 31 Aug 1907, p6; Australian pictorial postcards, the Powerhouse Museum.