18.00 USD
Prior to the Meiji period in Japan (1868-1912), the kago was pretty much the mode of public transport for anyone not of the Samurai class in Japan. By the 1870s, the rickshaw, or "jinrikisha," was replacing the kago as urban transport, but Japan is a mountainous country, and the rickshaw was often impractical in the countryside, so the kago remained in use as a means of transportation into the 20th century, and well after the introduction of travel by railway in the late 1900s.
Our postcard was probably produced sometime between 1895, and 1904, and is a fine example of an early picture postcard. Just as a guess, since this is a French postcard, it seems possible that this photograph was made at the World's Fair in Paris, the Exposition Universelle of 1900, in the Japan Pavilion, or for sale there.
Note the backside. Undivided by a central vertical line, the entire space was by law restricted to the recipient's address, and the small photo image on the front allowed space for a message from the sender. This was the case on French postcards into 1904 (1902 in England), when the divided back cards were introduced in France.
Please examine our high res scans for detail.
The item you are considering for purchase is, unless otherwise noted, a vintage postcard of approximately 5 and 1/2, by 3 and 1/2 inches. 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 refund the 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!