In pictures: Early Bonello Art Magazine Malta postcards

Apologies for cheating. My paternal grandfather counts among the earliest postcard publishers from the last century. His sets of cards carry various imprints – under his name Giovanni Bonello, but also as Art Magazine and John Bonello. Maybe anglicising his name earned him the commission to paint the corridors in the Governor’s Palace. I found it distasteful to advertise my name in the heading.

A Bonello postcard of a ‘Lady in Għonnella’ in the blue Art Magazine set.

Tragedy hit Giovanni Bonello Sr (1850-1920) early. When relatively young, with six children to feed, a massive stroke paralysed him, and he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He opened an art emporium close to St Barbara’s church, at no. 6D, Strada Reale, where he sold his paintings, tourist souvenirs, artists’ materials and the cards he published. The business later moved to no. 59, South Street. He died long before I was born. I have never seen a portrait or photo of him.

Bonello’s postcards first appeared in 1903, and he went on producing up to World War I. He printed all his runs abroad to the highest contemporary graphic standards. That probably accounts for the many typos and misprints in the captions.

A windmill from the 1903 embossed set by Bonello.

In his first set, embossed frames enclose his images. He also had small – and expensive – runs of appliqué Malta postcards with gilt embossing. Bonello went to town with wide-angle panoramic multi-view cards. I speculate Richard Ellis would have supplied most of his images, but have not studied this sufficiently. Maybe the Grand Studio also provided some.

Though his cards do not overlook the obvious monuments and hackneyed land and seascapes, he did not neglect the unusual, the curious and the non-touristy angles. To meet the demands by his main customers, seamen and servicemen, he included a colorised set of British warships.

A WWI Bonello postcard showing a painting of a karozzin, probably by the publisher. All postcards from the author’s collection

A Bonello Art Magazine postcard overprinted as a Christmas card.

A 1907 composite postcard by J. Bonello.

The Art Magazine included this map of Malta in its set of postcards.

Embossed postcard

Landing Place, Marina. Coloured postcard by Bonello.

Portes des Bombes and the new tram figure in this Bonello postcard.

Saqqajja Notabile from the first 1903 postcard set by Bonello.

Bonello postcard of the old parish church of Birkirkara. Note typos in the caption.