I grew up in Baton Rouge near “Delta”
country. The American Heritage on-line dictionary points out this region’s
relevance as “the home of some of the earliest blues music.” However, this
happy occurrence does not make me a deltiologist. Deltiology deals
not with the blues—at least not directly--but with the collection and study of
postcards.
Many things, in addition to family and friends, make me
happy. Potatoes, basset hounds, grocery shopping, and postcards come
immediately to mind. As a child, I remember developing my writing skills by
making grocery lists. However, I cannot remember exactly when I became enamored
with writing postcards. As a child, I had many pen pals. Perhaps once my pen
pals faded away in junior high school, I made up for this writing vacuum
through writing postcards. I keep postcard stamps in my wallet so that I can
spontaneously “postcard” someone easily.
Facebook
before the internet
Recently, I read an intriguing account of the life of a
vicar in Wales in the late 19th century, “Kilvert’s Diary,
1870-1879.” In the entry dated 4 October 1870, Kilvert wrote, “Today I sent my
first post cards, to my Mother, Thersie, Emmie and Perch. They are capital
things, simple, useful and handy. A happy invention.” This entry caused me to ponder
upon the history of postcards. According to the web site, The History
of Postcards, as their popularity grew, postcards became a
primary way to send friends and family a snapshot of surroundings while
traveling, an early form of Facebook, or even photographs of home, family, or
basset hounds during the Christmas holiday season.
In discussing postcard history, the web site Smithsonian
Institution Archives lists the “Pre-Postcard Period” as spanning
the years 1848 through 1870, so Kilvert in rural Wales, was using the latest
technology to communicate with family. Even in today’s Facebook world, postcard
clubs exist. After all, you cannot hang Facebook posts on your refrigerator. I
am a Facebooker. While technically I am not a deltiologist, I am very happy to
be first and foremost a postcard enthusiast.
