Editing Postcard (section)

=== United Kingdom ===
==== History ====
In Britain, postcards without images were issued by the [[Post Office]] in 1870, and were printed with a stamp as part of the design, which was included in the price of purchase. These cards came in two sizes. The larger size was found to be slightly too large for ease of handling, and was soon withdrawn in favour of cards 13mm ({{frac|1|2}} inch) shorter.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Willoughby|first1=Martin|title=A History of Postcards|date=1992|publisher=Bracken Books|isbn=1858911621|location=London England|pages=160}}</ref> 75 million of these cards were sent within Britain during 1870.<ref name=":2" />

In 1973 the British Post Office introduced a new type of card, [[PHQ Cards]], popular with collectors, especially when they have the appropriate stamp affixed and a [[first day of issue]] [[postmark]] obtained.

==== Seaside postcards ====

In 1894, British publishers were given permission by the [[Royal Mail]] to manufacture and distribute picture postcards, which could be sent through the post. It was originally thought{{by whom|date=December 2021}} that the first UK postcards were produced by printing firm Stewarts of Edinburgh but later research, published in Picture Postcard Monthly in 1991, has shown that the first UK picture card was published by ETW Dennis of [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]].<ref>Sept and Dec 1991 Picture Postcard Monthly</ref> Two postmarked examples of the September 1894 ETW Dennis card have survived but no cards of Stewarts dated 1894 have been found.<ref>PPC Annual 2015</ref> Early postcards were pictures of landmarks, scenic views, photographs or drawings of celebrities and so on. With [[steam locomotives]] providing fast and affordable travel, the [[seaside resort|seaside]] became a popular tourist destination, and generated its own souvenir-industry.

[[File:Bathing beauty 1908.jpg|thumb|upright|A seaside postcard|alt=|left]]
In the early 1930s, cartoon-style saucy postcards became widespread, and at the peak of their popularity the sale of saucy postcards reached 16 million a year. They were often bawdy in nature, making use of [[innuendo]] and [[double entendre]]s, and traditionally featured [[stereotype|stereotypical]] characters such as vicars, large ladies, and put-upon husbands, in the same vein as the ''[[Carry On films|Carry On]]'' films.

A notable artist of seaside postcards, often saucy, was the illustrator [[Thomas Henry (illustrator)|Thomas Henry]], most known for his portrayal of William Brown in the [[Just William (book series)|Just William]] book series by [[Richmal Crompton]]. He started drawing postcards as early as 1913, continuing well into the 1950s.

In the early 1950s, the newly elected [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government were concerned at the apparent deterioration of morals in the UK and decided on a crackdown on these postcards. The main target of their campaign was the postcard artist [[Donald McGill]]. In the more liberal 1960s, the saucy postcard was revived and later came to be considered, by some, as an art form.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|author=Nick Collins|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7928443/Bawdy-seaside-postcards-on-display.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7928443/Bawdy-seaside-postcards-on-display.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Bawdy seaside postcards on display|date=5 August 2010|newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=12 September 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Original postcards are now highly sought after, and rare examples can command high prices at auction. The best-known saucy seaside postcards were produced by the publishing company [[Bamforth & Co Ltd|Bamforths]] of [[Holmfirth]], [[West Yorkshire]].

Despite the decline in popularity of postcards that are overtly "saucy", postcards continue to be a significant economic and cultural aspect of British seaside tourism. Sold by [[newsagents]] and street vendors, as well as by specialist souvenir shops, modern seaside postcards often feature multiple depictions of the resort in unusually favourable weather conditions. [[John Hinde (photographer)|John Hinde]] used saturated colour and meticulously planned his photographs, which made his postcards of the later twentieth century become collected and admired as [[kitsch]]. Such cards are also respected as important documents of [[social history]], and have been influential on the work of [[Martin Parr]].