We have discussed hereintofore the ways in which postcards were the texts of their generation: a quick message (which, in some areas, allowed a person to send a message in the morning, get an answer before lunch, and reply by sunset). We have also discussed how the characters on the card could speak for the sender in both caption and image, rather in the vein of people who reply to a text with a film clip of a sitcom star palming his forehead in response to a fine old joke.
But it must be almost weeks since we have discussed how the characters on the cards also provided a shield for the sender. Children were especially ripe for this kind of protection. A kid could say something meaningful (though the meaning here is a little obscure) which you could, if the recipient of the card responded badly, could be denied. (“Ah, that was just the first postcard I picked up. I didn’t even look at the picture.”)
Which could be very useful when it came to affairs of the heart. You could use the cute kid card as a hint, if your chosen was someone susceptible to hints.
And if not, not. You could always just say “Well, I thought it as a cute card myself.”
This was also important because postcards had one feature which, in a perfect world anyhow, electronic love notes do not. ANYBODY could see them: the mailman (always labeled in cartoon and comedy as an incurable gossip), any neighbors who happened to be on hand when the mail was delivered, your parents and/or siblings if you live with them…and this was true at both ends of the message. The sender ran the same risks as the recipient (and don’t forget the good old boys sorting mail at the post office.)
This may help explain why so many postcard albums were sold during the Postcard Fad Years of, oh,1905 to 1912 or thereabouts. It was very handy to have everybody know you were a postcard collector. This would hide the occasional blush-making card among the other cards your other friends kept sending you AND gave you the excuse “Oh, good! Another card for my collection of cute kids!”
Who could object to pictures of cute little children? Especially if they added another layer of security by talking in baby talk.
Your parents might be dubious about your excuses, but this pretense provided THEM with a reason to ignore the occasional not-very-subtle caption. Cute card: that’s why she ran upstairs with it. She wanted to put it in the album right away. Cute card.
There was a vast variety when it came to cuteness
And subtlety. The cute kids postcard became like any other part of the courtship process. You try this style, and if it doesn’t work, you move on to some other artist who might have a lighter touch.
Or not.
And, if worse came to worst, there were options for that.
For all customers. Maybe YOU couldn’t say it, but the kids on cards could.
Blogsy Babbles 