Postcards from Paris.

In May 2023 I visited Paris, France and got to go on a bit a treasure hunt for Parisian postcards. Regular readers may know that while the archive is predominantly vintage love letters we do dabble in the rare postcard for a bit of 'something different'! If you'd like to learn more about the postcard as a means of communication, you can check out our blog on the history of the postcard here.

In October of 2021 I visited Parisian landmarks with postcards that matched them. That trip was part of a series where I return to locations with letters or postcards from there, throughout history. So far I've had the pleasure of visiting locations in France, Switzerland, Ireland and the U.S.. This time I wasn't as focused and instead just enjoyed browsing for unique designs and handwriting that spoke to me.

Early on during our visit I was delighted to find one vendor even had a selection available for purchase from the literal banks of the Seine, but as I didn't have any cash I had to leave those beauties for another collector.

It was on our last day in Paris that my husband and I found a web of covered market avenues. The labyrinth included a series of shops specializing in stamps and 'covers', or envelopes, and eventually I found a few boxes of postcards. Happily I dug in and came away with a lovely little loot to share with you today!

Now, because I don't speak or read French you'll have to forgive me as I can't translate what these beauties say but they in themselves are an art form! Click to see the front of the card and swipe for the backside.