Study on German artist's Maltese postcards

The Malta Study Circle, a UK-based society dedicated to Maltese philately, postal history and postcards, has just issued a study paper on the postcards published in the 1930s by German artist and photographer Geo. Fürst.

Fürst took beautiful pictures of the island, many of them depicting Valletta and Grand Harbour and other coastal scenes, and turned them into a postcard business.

The 40-page study paper illustrates and meticulously records details of all 207 Fürst postcards known to the author, British circle member and dedicated postcard collector Derek Mann.

The paper has a foreward on Fürst by Giovanni Bonello, who says the postcards rank among the best in the 1930s, while Fürst's paintings of the islands also reached consistently high standards.

Records indicate that Fürst was married to a Maltese and was arrested and interned at the outbreak of the First World War together with other Germans and Austrians then present in Malta.

In the inter-war years he settled in Malta and dedicated himself to painting - specialising in seascapes - and "exploited his outstanding photographic skills in the postcard business, with a very high quality product...", says Mr Justice Bonello.

The paper is aimed at circle members interested in old Maltese postcards and is sent free to every member requesting a copy.

It is also available on sale to non-members from the Sliema Stamp Shop, Manwel Dimech Street, Sliema.

It is the second in a series of study papers on the subject of old postcards published by the Malta Study Circle and compiled by Mr. Mann.

The circle has almost 200 members, most of whom live in the UK. Other members come from Malta, Europe, the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Enquiries about study papers should be addressed to M.H. Lloyd, 61 Dovedale Avenue, Long Eaton, Nottingham, NG10 3HT, UK; email: m.lloyd@messages.co.uk

Anyone interested to join the circle should write to A. Webster, 50 Worcester Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 6QB, UK; email: alecwebster50@hotmail.com or to H. Wood, 52 St. Dominic Street, Sliema SLM 06.