Novelty Postcards of the Early 1900s

Jul 20, 2011
Wendy Craig

Novelty Postcard Made of Celluloid and Hand Coloured - Wendy Craig

In the vast range of postcards available in the early 1900s, novelty postcards stand out as being humorous and ingenious. They are highly collectible today.

The postcard craze was at its peak in the years from the beginning of the 20th century to the end of World War 1. Real photo cards, embroidered silk cards, advertising postcards and greetings postcards were sent in the millions every week. Novelty cards were among the most popular.

What are Novelty Postcards?

Novelty postcards differed from ordinary postcards in that they had something extra special about them. These might be the materials from which the cards were made, the items attached to them or the way they were constructed with moving parts.

Novelty postcards were often fragile and easily damaged. They were usually sent in envelopes to protect them in the post rather than just being written on and mailed as ordinary postcards often were.

Examples found today in good to excellent condition are eagerly sought by collectors and may command high prices in the market.

Novelty Postcards Made of Unusual Materials

Not only paper or light cardboard was used in the manufacture of some novelty postcards. Thin cork, card coated in sand, leather and celluloid are examples of other materials in which cards were produced.

Celluloid is a translucent, synthetic material made by combining camphor and nitrocellulose. The celluloid postcards had a front made of this and a back made of light card. Decorative details and wording were embossed in the celluloid then hand-painted.

Postcards made of light-sensitive card gave a 'trick' effect. When the postcard was held up to the light, a drawing might be revealed. Or if the card was turned slowly from side to side, a different picture might come into focus from the one that was obvious.

Perhaps the most novel of the novelty postcards is one I saw in a museum. It was a biscuit, part of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers' rations at Gallipoli. Known to the troops as 'dog biscuits' because of their size and density, these biscuits were so hard that they could break teeth. This one had been written on and sent home as a postcard!

Attachments to Novelty Postcards

A whole sub-set of novelty postcards was produced, ones with attachments. Extra bits and bobs were stitched or glued to the cardboard to give a 3-dimensional effect designed to delight the recipient.

The most common attachments were:

real feathers on a photograph or drawing of a bird
real hair on a picture or photo of a woman
brass ornaments such as a tiny pair of clasped hands or a cross
hats made of felt, perhaps adorned with a single feather
squeakers embedded in the card with instructions to 'press me'. For example, a photo of a baby might have a squeaker attached. When pressed it sounds as if the baby cried.
sequins, lace and glitter were stuck onto greetings cards

Mechanical Novelty Postcards

Another very popular category of novelty cards was the 'mechanicals'. These were postcards with moving parts. Some were very ingenious. Many were humorous.

Examples of how mechanical postcards worked are:

a turning wheel spun to give a different view or character
fold-out or flip-up layers to reveal inner messages
levers to change a picture into something different
paper tabs or strings pulled to make one part of the postcard move, eyes to move from side to side, part of a scene to slide back and show an inside view or a dress to move on and off a woman's body.

Collecting novelty postcards can be fun to do as there was such a variety of forms produced. They are an interesting category of early 20th century paper and ephemera collectibles.