A history of Maltese postcards

Post office authorities in Malta lagged behind the last in Europe in allowing postcards through the mail. The reason has never been properly explained.

Perhaps they feared a drop in revenue as the charge for postcards was cheaper than ordinary mail. The first Malta picture postcards only appear in 1898, almost 30 years late.

After their legalisation, Malta quickly caught up with the rest of the world. Thousands flooded the post, both incoming and outgoing. They fell under two main categories. The bulk, at first, were printed, in colour or monochrome, but gradually, the ‘real photos’ asserted themselves, not to mention those (very exceptionally) individually drawn by hand.

Postcards were also used to ridicule one’s opponent. This one shows sports rivalry between Sliema Wanderers and St George’s FC, Cospicua, 1920s.

Many real photo postcards were produced in Malta but all the pre-World War II sets, colour or monochrome, seem to have been printed abroad. European postcard publishers pounced on the Malta market, vying for a share, such as Tuck’s, Gale & Polden of Great Britain, Modiano of Italy and Stengel of Germany. Maltese entrepreneurs like John Critien, Vincenzo Galea, Antonio Micallef, Paul Sapienza, Richard Ellis, Giovanni Bonello, Cesare Bornaccini and many others, did likewise.

At first, one side of the card carried an image and the other side was reserved exclusively for the address. Any message had to be squeezed on the picture side. From 1906, the back was divided, half address, half message.

See Part 1 here. To be concluded on July 27.