Postcard with applications....

A wide field indeed. You can stick almost anything onto a postcard. The earliest form was perhaps to affix a photograph, but then people as well as firms tried out almost everything. Cloths, wooden/metal figures and pieces or ornaments, dried plants, feather, hair....you name it.

Often seen are postcards partly covered with mica. This could consist of some sort of (glitter) minerals (or a mixture of), tiny glass balls/pearls, and other odd dust type stuff (which in most cases tends to fall off easily). When mailed in quantity not very healthy for the workers, too. Postal authorities soon banned cards covered with mica from being sent through the post under postcard rate.

> Girl with butterfly wings covered heavily with ‘pearls’. Germany 1901. Heavy card!

“Ladies on the beach” - chromolitho, not signed, p/u in Hungary in Oct. 1900.

The entire dress of both ladies is covered closely with very small “glass” pearls. Being almost transparent it is difficult to show here. The colours of the detail illustration were worked on, especially the darker portion gives you some idea of the unusual look. Not a glitter effect as with mica, but these “pearls” appear to stick better.

Greetings from ... with space to fill in any name. Chromolitho printed, the embossed white ornaments being hand-painted. The highlight of this card however, is the oval shaped illustration of a castle with bridge in front. This piece of fine handwork was glued onto the card. A excellent done relief, designed to stand out. Carefully handpainted too. Guess it ought to be a cork art work imitation. The card was p/u 1903 in Germany. No publisher nor printer mention. But I have seen some very similar done cards showing the name of E. Buettner, Berlin.

My final tax-free match – dedicated to the tax payers. Attached is an original match, guess it still works? Interesting card showing a couple of matchbox labels. Published by ‘Themal’ who did run a publishing business at the  city of Posen/Poznan (Tx. code). Printed by collotype with litho colouring and caption imprinted by letterpress process. Not p/u, divided back, should date from pre WW1 years. Wonder if the match was still affixed when card was delivered by post man...

Sevilla - with flamenco dancer and bull-fight poster in background. The blouse and skirt are embroidered, very carefully, with a metallic-look thread. The card itself was offset printed. There is also illegible signature found at lower right corner. If the number “39” found next to Sevilla, is a card number or perhaps stands for the year is unclear. Not p/u. Printed in Spain. Publisher: Postales CEME, Madrid.

< ‘Felt Card’ - most of the design made of felt, velour and other textiles Carefully arranged, hand-coloured, sprayed (airbrush), glossy buttons, not to forget the feather. Unusual card that was made/published by the Berlin bromide photographic printer ‘Photochemie’. No. 118, not p/u, guess from 1920’s. Bears 3 D.R.G.M. (design/make protected) numbers: 473,060; 482,068; 505,217.

< Forget me not - a card that has definitely seen better days. Embossed flower border, steel-engraved imprint, some dried plants together with silk-like flowers affixed. Some parts of the arrangement already missing. Plenty of glue used, dirt stuck to it. Was sent through the mail as postcard, stamp and postmark missing. Post-1905 date.