Christmas Cards: Season’s Greetings from Edwardian New Zealand

I’m delighted to share with you these colourful Christmas cards from the antipodes! This brief selection dates from 1900 – 1919 and the originals are stored in various repositories in New Zealand. A parrot instead of robin redbreast? A parrot is not usually associated with the northern hemisphere Christmas. The exotic bird on this card would give a shot of brightness to the grey and dreary … Continue reading Christmas Cards: Season’s Greetings from Edwardian New Zealand

HistorianRuby15/12/201815/12/20188 Comments

Blogmas, History

Postcards: Jenny Nyström’s Christmas Art

I’ve had a lot of fun researching my #Blogmas posts this past week. I had to hit the ground running as it was a spur of the moment decision to participate and I had no planned posts! My first port of call was to Wikimedia Commons, a site I use for free photos when I haven’t taken my own snaps to illustrate a blog post. … Continue reading Postcards: Jenny Nyström’s Christmas Art

HistorianRuby09/12/201813/12/201814 Comments

20th Century, History, Postal History

Edwardian Postcards: a Glimpse into an Earlier Life

At my last visit to a postcard fair, I bought a small bundle of twenty-two postcards dating from 1910-15. Individually they weren’t expensive, just 50p each (the seller sold them for £10) and I hoped to be able to share a snippet or two from the collection. The address of one of the cards initially attracted me to them, ‘Mr Cyril Smith, Post Office, Sudbury, … Continue reading Edwardian Postcards: a Glimpse into an Earlier Life

HistorianRuby14/10/201815/10/201828 Comments

20th Century, History, Postal History

Using Postcards for History: Suffragettes

In my post Suffragettes – Pictures say a Thousand Words, I touched on the subject of Edwardian propaganda. The battle (as at times it was a battle) for women to achieve the vote, is remembered this centenary year of the Representation of the People Act which permitted some women who met property rules, the right to vote. Suffragists, like Millicent Fawcett, used diplomacy and law-abiding methods to … Continue reading Using Postcards for History: Suffragettes

HistorianRuby29/08/201815/10/201820 Comments

Family History, History

Using Postcards for Family History

In my article The Many Ways to Consume History, I gave examples of ways that I consume history, most examples were of public history and from a non-academic source. One of the ways I stated I consume history is by collecting antique postcards. This Easter Monday I visited a Postcard and Collectable Paper Fair that is scheduled for my local recreation centre once or twice a … Continue reading Using Postcards for Family History

HistorianRuby04/04/201819/09/20188 Comments

20th Century, History, Women's History

Suffragettes – Pictures Say a Thousand Words

One hundred years after the Representation of the People Act, which gave some qualifying females the right to vote in the UK, the exploits of the women at the vanguard of the suffrage movement still capture the the country’s imagination. Thankfully, we have a robust photographic and news archive that can take us back to pre First World War Britain when the uprising of militant … Continue reading Suffragettes – Pictures Say a Thousand Words

HistorianRuby06/02/201803/03/201814 Comments