Other Publishers
An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcards is the standard reference book on embroidered silk postcards. It contains references to over 2600 different cards with over 270 illustrations. The publishers, The Inter-Art Company and Raphael Tuck & Sons have sections to themselves, but so little additional information has come to light on their cards that they are included here. There is no section on the City Embroidery Company of Leicester in the book and this listing is the only reference available to their cards. The latest additions are shown in RED.
New information on the postcard publisher known by its logo "JJ" has been discovered and is a new addition to this page. The company was a major publisher of military embroidered silk postcards in the First World War period.
Allen & Sons from Oldham in England published a small range of embroidered silk greetings cards that were made in France and they all seem to be numbered, so they are easy to categorise. Most of them are greetings cards. They are rarely seen and I add them to the list as I discover them. The gaps in the numbering indicate that there are more cards to discover.
The Inter-Art Company has an extensive section in the book and only a few additional card have been discovered since.
In the book, there is a list of 32 embroidered silk postcards published by Raphael Tuck & Sons, who were one of the foremost publishers of postcards at the time. A small number of newly discovered embroidered silk postcards are listed below.
Cards produced by the City Embroidery Company come from the 1960s and most of them have embroidered images of landmarks at seaside and tourist locations in Britain. Some of the cards are printed with "Patent Applied For" with a 1961 date, although it is not clear what was so unique about the cards that they deserved to be granted a patent. The cards do have a distinctive appearance with a wide border carrying a printed caption. They are also a different size at 5.90 x 3.25 inches, whereas the standard size of postcards was agreed to be 5.5 inches x 3.5 inches in about 1905. The later-introduced "Continental Size" is 150 x 100 mm. (5.90 x 3.95 inches), so there is some connection with this size.
Images of a representative selection of cards are shown beneath the listings.
Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2021.
No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.
JJ PUBLISHED CARDS
JJ is a logo on many military embroidered silk postcards from the First World War period. It stands for Jean-Jean, a French publisher from the town of Saint Omer in the Pas-de Calais region. The company published postcards of Saint Omer and its vicinity from about 1900.
From October 1914 to March 1916, the General Headquarters of the British Army was based in Saint Omer. The Royal Flying Corps also established their headquarters in the town, at the aerodrome next to the local race course. Most RFC squadrons used the town as a transit camp before moving to other locations. The town remained the focal point for air operations throughout the war which grew in importance as they increased their logistical support to the army in northern France.
The substantial military presence in the town probably encouraged Jean-Jean to publish military embroidered silk postcards as they were ideally placed to sell cards to the servicemen of many the British units based in, or passing through, the Saint Omer area. Cards of embroidered military badges formed the major part of their output, both in their own right and in collaboration with Gale and Polden (a major British postcard publisher).
There is at least one JJ published card for almost every unit in the British Army for which a card is known, and for the Air Forces. A few cards are known for British Empire Forces, but none for the French Forces. They also published two cards with the town crest of Saint Omer, and cards from a few local towns: Hazebrouck, Poperinghe, Wattau, Waterloo, and Ypres.
Apart from that, I have records of 24 other JJ cards: 19 patriotic cards; 2 cards for England; 2 cards for Royal Navy Units; and one card each for the Red Cross, the Munition Workers and 1918.
ALLEN & SONS
There is little information on the publishers, Allen & Sons. They gave their address as Oldham and other picture postcards have been seen by them of local scenes in and around Oldham. Their embroidered silk postcards are mainly greetings cards and are numbered, although at least one number has been used twice. They are all printed: "Made in France".
CARD NUMBER CAPTION
1134 A HAPPY CHRISTMAS
1235 DUKE OF CORNWALL'S LIGHT INFANTRY
1235 A HAPPY CHRISTMAS
1277 A HAPPY CHRISTMAS
2359 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
2361 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
2362 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
2379 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
2380 HAPPY NEW YEAR
2381 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
2462 WISHES FOR YOUR 21st BIRTHDAY
2465 21st BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS
2465 BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
THE INTER-ART COMPANY
CARD NUMBER CAPTION
(No Number) A MERRY CHRISTMAS
(No Number) BEST WISHES
136 2 LIFE GUARDS
152 THE DEVONSHIRE REGIMENT
500 GOOD LUCK TO YOU
501 GUID HEALTH AND AYE GUID LUCK
508 A SPRIG OF HEATHER FOR GOOD LUCK
509 FOR AULD LANG SYNE
510 FOR AULD LANG SYNE
511 TO MY DARLING
540 FOR AULD LANG SYNE
542 (Butterfly with Union Jack segment and flowers)
544 (Butterfly with Union Jack flowers)
RAPHAEL TUCK & SONS
CARD NUMBER CAPTION
(No Number) NEW ZEALAND KIA ORA
(No Number) ROYAL AIR FORCE
(No Number) BEST WISHES
(No Number) BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
4410 A HAPPY CHRISTMAS
724 A HAPPY BIRTHDAY
751 TO MY DARLING
752 THINKING OF YOU
755 MY LOVE
760 LOVE TO MY BRAVE BOY
762 FROM ONE WHO LOVES YOU
765 TO MY DEAR SISTER
776 FOR MY DARLING
781 GOOD LUCK ATTEND YOUR WEDDING
782 FOR HAPPINESS
E100 EASTER GREETINGS
E103 EASTER GREETINGS
E104 EASTER JOY
R412 GORDON HIGHLANDERS A TOKEN O’LUCK
R718 A HAPPY BIRTHDAY
R720 HAPPY RETURNS
R723 YOUR BIRTHDAY
There are a large number of different designs by Raphael Tuck in their Broderie d'Art series, and the majority of these do not have a series number.
THE CITY EMBROIDERY COMPANY
ENGLAND
BARMOUTH BEAULIEU ABBEY BEAUMARIS BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER
BUDE
CANTERBURY CHRISTCHURCH CLOVELLY CORFE CASTLE
CORNWALL
EVESHAM
FELIXSTOWE FLAMBOROUGH
GLOUCESTER
HELL'S MOUTH CORNWALL
LINDISFARNE LONDON LOWESTOFT LULWORTH COVE
NEW FOREST
PICKERING PORTLAND BILL PORTSMOUTH
RUNSWICK BAY
SCARBOROUGH SKEGNESS SKIPTON STALHAM, NORFOLK BROADS
THE MALVERNS
WATCHET WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA WEYMOUTH WINCHESTER
SCOTLAND
ABERFOYLE
BALMORAL BRAEMAR BRIG O’BALGOWNIE ABERDEEN
CAIRNGORMS, LOCH MORLICH
DUNVEGAN
EILEAN DONAN
GRANTON-ON-SPEY GRETNA GREEN BLACKSMITH'S SHOP
LOCH LOMOND
INVERNESS
PORTREE
St ANDREWS SPEAN BRIDGE
TOMINTOUL
WALES
BALA
CAERNARVON CASTLE, CAERNARVON CEMAES BAY, ANGLESEA
DUNVEGAN CASTLE
HOLYHEAD
LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH
PENSARN
RHOSLLANERCHRUGOG
