History of Postcards in Canada

Pre-Postcard Era, 1867-1871

The author Frank Staff, in his excellent book, The Picture Postcard & Its Origins, has suggested a number of precursors to the postcard. They include trade cards, visiting cards, pictorial headed writing paper and pictorial envelopes. While never as plentiful as in Europe, similar printed ephemera was in circulation in Canada.

Official Post Card Era, 1871-1895

With the issuance of an official postal stationery card on June 1st, 1871, Canada became one of the first dozen countries in the world to issue these cards and the first country outside Europe.

Unofficially, private postcards had been produced in several countries, the North German Confederation, France and the United States of America. Austria, however, was the birthplace of the postal stationery card in 1869. The concept was proposed by Dr. Emanuel Herrmann, professor of political economy at the Military Academy of Weiner-Neustatt, and under his prodding, Baron von Maly, the Postmaster General of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, had a postal stationery card issued on October 1st, 1869. The first ones were an immediate success. Soon after their introduction small views of resorts and interesting places began to be printed on the cards. In Canada, postal regulations accompanying the introduction of the official postal stationery card in 1871 made it clear that the front or engraved side of the card was intended for the address and that nothing else was to be written, printed or otherwise impressed on it. Canadian regulations also barred the use of private postcards.

Private Post Card/ Undivided Back Era, 1895-1903

On January 1, 1895 Canadian postal authorities announced that private post cards might be sent by mail within the Dominion of Canada at post card rates. It was, however, stipulated that: “On the address side, upon which the postage stamp used in payment must be affixed, nothing may be affixed, nothing may be written, printed or otherwise impressed, except the name and address of the person to whom the card is to be delivered, and the name and address of the sender of the card, and the words, ‘Private Post Card’.” Within a short period the regulations were relaxed to permit ornamental printing (1896) and the omission of the ‘Private Post Card’ (1898), provided that ample space was reserved for the address of the card and for postmarking. This did not discourage publishers from printing views or advertisements on the reverse as long as white space was reserved for a message. The distinctive arrangement of two or three small unbordered, vignetted views in an ornamental frame around a white space is what distinguishes the postcard in the undivided back era.

Post Card/ Divided Back Era, 1903-1914

On December 18, 1903 Canadian postal authorities announced that divided post cards would be permitted. By combining the communication and address sections on one side of the postcard, publishers were now free to cover, what has now come to be called the front, with advertising or a picture. Those few national publishers who were already in the field: i.e., Illustrated Postcard Co. (1902), Montreal Import Co. (c.1901), and Warwick Bro’s & Rutter, Ltd. (1893), had first to use up their undivided back stock and then develop a design for this new era. Divided back postcards, postally used before 1905, are not common. As new publishers entered the field, such as Valentine & Sons in 1903 and W.G. MacFarlane in 1905, the popularity of the new more visually appealing postcards increased and the “Golden Age” of postcards in Canada was ushered in.

White Border Era, 1914-1930

Because of the war in Europe, traditional manufacturers of postcards (particularly those in Germany and Great Britain) were unavailable to Canadian publishers/ distributors and many turned to American manufacturers. Despite an improvement in the printing technology available, competition in the industry caused most publishers to print and distribute inferior cards. Most of the view cards of this era have white borders; commonly known as white border cards. The cards are generally half-tone engravings with a limited range of low-contrast inks and a matte finish. Valentine & Sons Publishing Co., who were responsible for a great number of Hamilton views, is a case in point. During the war years they moved their printing orders from Dundee, Scotland, to the United States and made the change to a white border format.

Linen Era, 1930-1945

Linen postcards were typically printed in vivid colours on paper with a linen-textured surface and tended to have a shadowless, airbrushed appearance. They largely dominated the postcard market in the period 1930-1945. Few were issued in sets and series as had been the case in previous eras. This type of printing was favoured by Jack H. Bain and Royal Specialty Sales, who issued a number of Hamilton views.

Chrome Era, 1939 to Present

Today we think of chromes as any modern, glossy surfaced card. The term “chrome” originated with Kodak’s Kodachrome film. This colour-reversal film that could be used to produce positive images was first introduced in 1935. It was not long before photographers and printing firms (including postcard manufacturers) began to use colour positives. Chromes were the first colour postcards produced from colour film and printed with the photo-mechanical halftone process. The “chrome era” begins with the publication of a series of 85 chrome postcards by the Union Oil Company of California in 1939. The cards originated in the San Francisco office and were sent out to dealers to be given out free at their gas stations. Large national postcard publisher/ printers such as Mike Roberts, Plastichrome, Dexter Press, Curt Teich and others followed in the production of modern chromes. In the beginning, the traditional 3 ½" x 5 ½" size of postcard was adhered to but by the 1960s the continental size of approximately 4" x 6" was becoming more popular. Canadian Colour Card Co. of Toronto/ Burlington, Canadian Productions Company (Curteichcolor) of Hamilton, Philips Post Cards (Panorama) of Brantford, and Royal Specialty Sales(ColourpicturePublication) of Toronto were some of the first publishers to bring out modern chrome cards with Hamilton subjects.