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EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARDS
Welcome to my website.
This site provides extensive additions to the information published in my book, The Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcard (ISBN 0-9540235-0-1). The book lists over 2600 unique cards with over 270 illustrations. It is widely regarded as the definitive reference book on embroidered silk postcards and an essential resource for everybody who collects or is interested in them.
The main purpose of this website is to complement my book with new research and information discovered since its publication. The site lists thousands of newly discovered cards, images of over 1400 cards, and includes articles that further explain the background to the cards. It is kept up to date regularly to provide the best information available on embroidered silk postcards. The information in the book is NOT listed on this site. You need both to get the most complete information.
The site has undergone an major upgrade as it has been converted to the latest version of Google Sites. This has allowed me to add new information and increase the number of images, to give an even better experience for collector's of embroidered silk postcards. There may be a few glitches that remain to be fixed and I will see to these as I find them. There are now nearly three times the number of images than in previous versions of this website. Many of these are cards listed in my book and not just the newly discovered ones listed on the site.
I have introduced new sections that were not covered in my book, especially for Sentimental Greetings Cards and Early (pre-1914) cards. The vast majority of the information on these cards has not been published before and expands my work to include every type of embroidered silk postcard ever produced.
Many people believe that embroidered silk postcards were only produced during the First World War. This is wrong. The first known cards appeared in 1899 and there were many publishers from this date up to 1914 as each of them created their own variation of designs and styles.
In about 1908, the style that is recognised as the standard was finally established. This is: a card made of three layers, a backing card printed for the address and message; a layer of silk or fine cotton or similar material that carries the embroidered design; and a embossed frame of about 1.5 cm. around the vulnerable silk panel to secure and protect it. The final product is a distinctive, miniature embroidered work of art.
The golden period of the embroidered silk postcard was between the years of 1914 and 1920, and they are widely associated with the First World War. Thousands of different designs were produced during this period for a ready market among the Armed Forces of the British Army and its Allies during the First World War. By about the middle of the war, cards were at the height of their popularity and being sold within the countries of the British Isles.
The images on this website demonstrate the vast range of different styles, designs and subjects covered by embroidered silk postcards. Incredibly, most of these were produced in the short period between 1914 and 191, so the majority them are now over one hundred years old and are genuine antiques.
Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2022.
No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARD
LAST WEBSITE UPDATE: 30.04.2024
THIS WEBSITE LISTS 4681 NEWLY DISCOVERED CARDS THAT ARE NOT IN MY BOOK: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARD
THE WEBSITE AND MY BOOK COMBINED DESCRIBE MORE THAN 7287
UNIQUE EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARDS
UPDATES TO THE LISTINGS ON THIS SITE ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN RED
THERE ARE 1583 IMAGES ON THIS SITE
An example of a embroidered silk postcard of a rare British Army regiment from the First World War period. It is an excellent representation of the original in my collection. I class this card as in excellent condition, despite the faint discolouration around the edge and the small crease.
It is extremely rare to find embroidered silk postcards in original condition, as they are made of organic materials that can deteriorate if they are not looked after properly. Fortunately, many were treasured keepsakes, often kept as a reminder of a deceased relative. Consequently, many are in excellent condition considering the majority are over 100 years old, and genuine antiques.
The cards tend to yellow as they age and this seems to depend on the quality of the paper originally used and how they have been stored in the past. Brown spotting (foxing) is common and caused by fungal growths in damp storage conditions. It has to be accepted at times and is mainly on the card and not the silk panel. It can be seen on many of the images of cards on the website.
NOTE ON POSTCARD IMAGES
I have collected images of embroidered silk postcards over many years from a range of sources, mainly my own collection which reached over 10,000 cards at its peak. The quality on reproduction can vary, depending on: the quality of the original card; the technology used to copy the image; the limitations of reproducing colours on this website; human error; etc. This variation can be seen throughout this website.
I have done my best to ensure the proportions of the images remain constant, and this new Google Site shows the images at about the same size as the original card.
I have illustrated a range of cards from the common to the rare to give the widest cross section of cards possible, with a tendency towards cards that are difficult to find and may not be in many collections. Most of the cards illustrated are from my collection.
Collectors should remember that the images on this site are a representative sample only. Many cards exist with the same caption. Common captions such as: To My Dear Mother, or Happy Christmas, or Happy Birthday, can possibly be on up to one hundred different designs.
I HOPE YOU ENJOY BROWSING THIS SITE.
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