A Passion for Postcards: The Postcard Collection of Miss Vera Bell

Our current library display draws from the postcard collection of Miss Vera Bell, a young Sydney woman, and provides a snapshot of an era: the golden age of postcards.

The first decade of the 20th century was the golden age of the postcard. Mass-produced and widely available, postcards became a quick and inexpensive means of informal communication between family members and friends – the ‘text message’ of their time. With postal deliveries made up to three times daily, a postcard could be sent in the morning to arrange plans for later the same day.

Postcards featured an almost infinite array of subjects: celebrities, holiday destinations, transport innovations, significant events, even small regional towns. With so many postcards in circulation, collecting became a popular and affordable hobby. Postcard albums were produced by a variety of retailers, and friends competed to acquire the largest collection.

Today, these collections present us with a snapshot of an era, as well as a window into the personal lives of those whose correspondence they capture – their interests, tastes, travels, and sense of humour. The postcards on display are a selection from the more than 1,000 collected by Miss Vera Bell of Marrickville when she was in her teens and early twenties.

View more from the Bell family papers.