The origins of the postcard

Officially, the postcard called "note card" appeared on October 1, 1869, in Austria, in Vienna with Emmanuel Hermann, professor of political economy. However, the true precursor of the postcard is Heinrich VON STEPHAN, advisor to the Prussian State. Indeed, in 1865, it offers at the 5th conference of the German Association of posts in Karlsruhe "a cardboard sheet correspondence to circulate short". But his idea was not convinced of the value of this support.

On 1 October 1869, the Austrian postal administration produced the first postcard. It is a rectangular sheet (120mm * 85mm) resisting the front of which is printed with a text administrative and reproduction of a stamp. As for the back, it is dedicated to the correspondence. Although this concept meets a real success, it does not appeal much to the rest of Europe including France judging the lack of discretion of this new means of correspondence.

The postcard in France

It was not until the war of 1870 to see circulate the first postcards in France. Indeed, the Society of relief to wounded soldiers - the forerunner of the Red Cross - provides the Prussian General von Werder to allow the wounded and the besieged to communicate with their families. The latter agrees on condition that the cards are franked with a Prussian stamp Kreuzers 6.

A little later, the postcard is officially recognized by France with the law of 20 December 1872. The first sale started January 15, 1873 at 10 cent price for postcards circulating within the same city and 15 cents for others.