A previous pictorial only covered pre-war postcard maps of Malta and Gozo, those issued to carry brief messages through the mail and to serve as functional pocket maps.

Today, the post-war crop of cards, which include maps of the islands on the picture side, will be looked at.

The first noticeable difference is a marked improvement in the graphics – meant to hit the eye, sometimes perhaps over the top. 

A map postcard by the Import & Export House

I find it disappointing that publishers fail to identify the artists who created the artwork – most predate computer graphics.

With their inherent limitations, in my view, the picture sides range from good to excellent, and creativity always deserves recognition.

A greetings postcard by Perfecta showing a map of Malta.

Before the war, publishers of Malta postcards produced almost all their sets abroad – Italy, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, etc. But, post-war, the situation changed.

Map postcard by Alfred Galea Zammit

Colour printing in Malta improved dramatically and many publishers started producing and printing in-house. We know almost nothing of their designers.

Alfred Galea Zammit included this map postcard in his issues.

The ABC Library, Valletta had this map postcard in their sets.

Most leading post-war postcard producers included maps in their sets – all stridently coloured, eye-catching, not necessarily accurate as survey sheets. Starting from the Cathedral Library in Sliema, to the ABC Library in Valletta, Joseph Calleja, the Import and Export House, Alfred Galea Zammit, to what was likely the most prolific producer – Perfecta.

Malta suffered no dearth of map postcards in stationers, tourist or souvenir shops.

A Perfecta card showing the itinerary of harbour cruises.

The first post-war map postcard by Ralph Laver

I have, so far, failed to mention the pioneer – Ralph Laver, who issued the very first post-war map of Malta postcard.

Elegant, chaste, faultless graphics, his card, a one-off, exceptionally does not fit in a larger Malta set. Does it form part of a foreign series? Later designers took no inspiration from his restraint – they all headed in the opposite direction.

Map of Gozo in a Perfecta postcard

All postcards from the author’s collection

Another postcard map by Perfecta

A more recent Gozo map postcard