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| 10c stamp takes the place of the sun |
I've very few postcards on show at home. The vast majority are filed away in albums and shoeboxes. Deliberately, they lie out of the reach of sunlight, and beyond the chance of accidents.
There is the odd exception, however.
I keep this card - sent in 1908 from the French port of La Rochelle - in a clear perspex block on the top shelf of a bookcase.
Like many postcard collectors, I’ve a soft spot for cards published by Léon & Lévy (or "LL"). Their format is reliably appealing: a standard framing of image and title, a shadowy photograph, and the familiar LL font.
But here, what makes the postcard is how the sender has enhanced the publisher’s efforts.
During the Golden Age of postcards before World War One, it was forbidden in Britain to put a stamp on the front of a card. In France, it was common practice.
Above, the stamp completes the picture. On its side, an inch above the horizon, it takes the place of the sun.
LL was unfamiliar to me, but I obviously still have a lot to learn about older postcards!
ReplyDeleteHow cool is this? I learned many new things from your post today! I had not heard of LL before either. I have many postcards printed before WW1, so I will check to see if they were printed by Leon & Levy. I also adore the interesting history of where the stamp was placed. I love the innovative use of the stamp as the sun in this postcard. LOVELY
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, and Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!