Postcards were first introduced in the
late 1800's and quickly became a very poplar means of communication.
Soon people were collecting them. In the old days it was very
typical to find a postcard album sitting prominently on a table,
in a Victorian parlor. Because of this many have been saved over
the years and can be found in very good condition. Dogs were extremely
popular during the Victorian era and none more so than the Collie!
As a result Collies can frequently be found on beautiful cards
as either the primary or secondary subject. He was a popular companion
to children and beautiful ladies. Postcards are easily stored
and still very affordable. They can be kept in albums or matted
and framed for wall hanging. Typical postcard variations are "Real
photos", "Studio photos", reproductions of oils
and drawings or commissioned artwork. They also came in the form
of greeting cards for birthdays and holidays. A popular usage
was advertisement. Many old time kennels used postcards featuring
their latest dogs or puppies. Since postcards have been around
for more than 100 years, they can present a visual record of the
breed's history and development. Sometimes famous artists were
commissioned to do oil paintings or drawings of particuliar dogs.
Many paintings were done for the sole purpose of reproduction
on postcards. Some companies found postcards so popular that they
published entire series devoted to specific breeds of dogs. A
common practice in the early years of this century was for families
to print family pictures on postcards...frequently the family
Collie was included! Because of the great popularity of dogs,
many businesses used them on their advertising cards. Thanks to
this practice Collies can be found on cards advertising dog food,
biscuits, cigarettes, coffee, fruit, candy, and even cars. Postcards
are still popular today, but unfortunately not the lucrative business
they once were. Today the widely-used Chrome postcards are generally
mass produced with little attention to the setting and detail,
that became so typical of the early postcards.
