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Issues of 2008

The northern Palmyra in postcards

Postcards have always been the witnesses and the signs of time. Being an integral part of life, a postcard reflects many of its aspects. Nowadays few ones are keeping received postcards, but in the beginning of the XX century the letters were carefully kept throughout the whole life of an addressee as a memory about friends and the dear ones; indeed, people valued postcards much more than today.

Tradition of writing letters, once very popular, was replaced by fashion for sending postcards with brief messages, while nowadays producers of postcards print prepared messages and greetings; thus, a sender has only to inscribe his or hers name and address in the postcard.

View of the Fontanka River. Ekaterininsky Institute in the center [zoom (60k)]

In the end of XIX century, European countries were ready to simplify the post contacts and introduce postcards. First postcards were made of thick paper, (size 123 x 83 mm) with a stamp in the right upper corner, featuring no pictures or photographs.

Development of commercial contacts, perfection of means of transportation and the reanimation of post-contacts between the countries demanded the reorganization of the postal business. The representatives of 22 countries, including Russia, gathered in 1876 in Bern, established the International Post Alliance, and signed The International Post Convention, in which the standards of postcards were introduced ≈ 90 x 140 mm; those standards existed for half a century.

Illustrated postcards were invented by a German citizen Shwarz from Oldenburg and a Frenchman Besnardo from Bretagne. Enterprising publishers noticed that some senders supplied the text with pictures. Both persons issued postcards with engravings of patriotic content. The idea proved to be a success with buyers starting the new age of polygraphic industry.

First illustrated postcards were black-and-white. Colored postcards were introduced later. Many methods were used to color postcards: collotype, zincography, xylography, heliography, photography, photocopying.

In Russia, publishing of illustrated postcards was launched in 1898. First postcard were meant as ⌠congratulations■ for Easter or Christmas holidays, but very soon appeared series of printed postcards, executed by M. Rundaltsev using the originals from the Hermitage▓s collection, and in August 1898, the Publishing House of R. Luterman and O. Kirchner published the series of St. Petersburg views after pictures of N. Karazin, a popular artist at that time. Thus, city views became the favorite subject for illustrated postcards. For many of the poor citizens of the Russian Empire it was often the only way to see the capital.

Among the renowned series of postcards were the ones published by St. Petersburg-based Publishing House of A. Felten, which was the series of prints, devoted to 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, executed by famous Russian engraver M. Runaldtsev. The most interesting pieces were created by the Publishing House of St. Eugenia Community.

Zagorodny prospect. View from the Five Corner square of Vladimirsky square. The bell tower of Vladimirsky Cathedral in the center [zoom (63k)]

The Community published a wonderful series of postcards dedicated to history and architectural monuments of St. Petersburg, after the sketches by A. Benois, E. Lansere, M. Dobuzhinsky, A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva.

Usually Publishing house organized thematic contests of publishing post-cards and received in result the original pictures of artists. The destiny of many originals is unknown, because the Publisher House sold them out periodically. That is why reproductions in post╛cards are of great value.

In 1902 took place the contest of drawings for postcards devoted to 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The head of Publishing House I. Stepanov wrote in his memoirs, that due to that contest they managed to establish relations with many of the artists ≈ members of one of the most important art movement of the early XX century ⌠The World of Art■.

Among the member of the jury of the jubilee contest was Alexander Benois, famous artist, art critic, one of the leaders of ⌠The World of Art■.

Multicolored postcards with views of the Northern Palmyra were published even by major foreign Publishing Houses, operating at the Russian market. Besides author▓s post-cards were published so-called aspectual post-cards with photos of St. Petersburg and environments.

In the course of 20 years thousands of postcards depicting St. Petersburg were published in the pre-revolutionary Russia. The average price for a black-and-white postcard was 5 kopecks, while the colored one cost 10 kopecks. Postcards were sold in bookshops and stationer▓s, in post-offices and in station-stores.

Postcards give us an opportunity to learn more about the appearance of the city in past times. After World War II thanks to the collection of N.S. Tagrin researchers and engineers managed to restore the sculptural group of the fountain ⌠Samson■, plundered by fascists from the occupied Petergof, and the facades of buildings, destroyed during the bombardment of the city.

In May the residents of St. Petersburg celebrate. On the threshold of this date, we offer to your attention photo-post-cards with images of those monuments in St. Petersburg, that do not exist today.