Throwing Away

 Dear Reader,

 

The first cards were issued by Austria-Hungary in 1869, a proposal by Dr. Emanual Herrman, although he was not the first to propose the idea.

Postcards were introduced in Britain in 1870.  They were produced in two sizes and drew heavily on the Hungarian design.  Commissioned by the British Post Office the cards included an imprinted halfpenny stamp that covered the price of postage and was half that of a letter.  The were only printed on one side allowing the message or business correspondence to be printed on the other side.

The design of the British postcards changed over time with new cards being added for international postage.  Postcards sent within the former British Empire featured an image of Queen Victoria based on a painting by Heinrich von Angeli from 1885.   This design would become the only British stamp to depict the Queen in both her old age and standing.

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I love getting postcards and enjoy writing them too. Obviously it has gone the way of so much, not used because of emails, but I shall continue writing them and receiving them too I hope.

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From John Ruskin  August 7th 1874 in Warwickshire

'It rained hard while I staid in the cottage, but had ceased when I went over and out, and presently appeared such a bright far off streaky sky in the west seen over glistening hedges as made my heart leap again...  and the sun came out presently and every shake of the trees shoke down more light upon the grass; and so I came to the village, and stood leaning on the churchyard gate, looking at the sheep, nibbling and resting among the graves (newly watered they lay, like a field of precious seed)....'

 

From Gerald Manley Hopkins  August 7th 1872 in Isle of Man

'We went mackerel fishing.   Letting down a line baited with a piece of mackerel skin - tin or any glimmering thing will do - we drew up nine.   A few feet down the look like blue silver as they rise.'

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Throwing Away

 

the letters,

those billets doux,

the photographs,

the dance programmes,

the theatre tickets,

the postcards,

is a formidable task,

and weeping is not forbidden.

 

Before discarding

these once precious things,

the proof of special moments

lived in earlier times,

memorize them all with care.

And afterwards, relive

this solitary, remembered road,

and weeping is not forbidden.

 

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With best wishes, Patricia