16.00 USD
We love it when postcards were addressed, as this one was, to someone "at the house of their parents." Our card's recipient was also titled by the sender a "couturiere!" a dressmaker, or seamstress, or sure, why not? a fashion designer! What fun! We might guess this was sent by a kind and supportive auntie to a young girl who was fashioning a dress for herself, but in those times, it might easily have been a young girl who had just been apprenticed to a dressmaker, labor laws being what they were...or weren't...back then. Either way, a great prompt for a piece of short fiction :)
A bit longer than an ordinary postcard and about half the width, this bookmark sized postcard was yet another creative attempt by the printing and publishing industry to circumvent fixed governmental mailing rates on postcards. In France "Imprimé," and in Germany "Drucksache" were terms applied to printed matter that could be shipped at the lowest possible rate.
These cards must have been used as bookmarks, just as we do, when we find older somewhat beat up and beautiful ones that are a little too tattered for the shop! By their very nature they tend to be rare, simply because their odd shape made them more easily lost, more susceptible to damage, and well, they were an idea that didn't really catch on, and there just weren't as many of them produced as postcards of a standard size.
Imagine a collection of particularly nice ones, carefully color printed in reproduction, encased in a protective transparent material, and offered as Belle Epoque fashion bookmarks in your own online shop! We won't promise not to do it ourselves, but we're kinda busy as it is, and it's a pretty neat idea :) The ones that were postally used would probably make the best subjects for this, as they convey the period so well.
Lovely image that is very Heinrich Traut of Munich in style...very Jugendstil!
Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!