Greetings from Queen's Park: Early Postcards

The world’s first postcard was mailed in Vienna, Austria, on October 1, 1869.  Just two years later, Canada became the first country in North America to use them.  The earliest postcards had no pictures, just a space for a short message and the address. Pictures were added in the 1890s. 

Postcards were a cheap, easy way to keep in touch, and they reflected the growing tourist industry and consumer culture of the early 20th century.  During WWI, Canadian troops sent over 50,000 postcards home to their loved ones every day – over 18 million each year.  Between 1900 and 1920, close to 300 billion postcards were sold worldwide.