VINTAGE EASTER POSTCARDS
from the collection of Bonnie A. Shockey
The Golden Age of Postcards went from 1898 to 1918. The earliest known piece in the collection is a circa 1890 German die-cut, lithograph of five rabbits playing on top of and around a giant egg. It may possibly be an early, unsigned Raphael Tuck and Sons Ltd, Publishers by Appointment, to Their Majesties the King and Queen Alexandra. Although Easter greetings are not printed on the piece, it most certainly was printed with Easter in mind.
Tuck and Sons was a well-known English publisher which had studios in London, Paris, Berlin, New York, and Montreal. The Tuck trademark is an easel and artist’s pallet. The Tuck cards on display here were designed at the studios in New York and printed at the Fine Arts Works in Saxony or in Germany. Tuck cards are well sought after for their artwork, color, and charm.
John O. Winsch of Stapleton, New York produced high quality postcards between 1910 and 1915, which were printed in Germany and imported to the U.S. The demand for Winch postcards peaked in 1911. Although Winsch postcards were only printed for five years, over 3,000 designs were copyrighted.
Some of the other postcards are simply marked, “Made or Printed in Germany” or “Made in the U.S.A.” with no trademark or company name indicated. Other publishers whose postcards are on exhibit include Adolph Selige Publishing Company, St. Louis, Missouri; John Finkenrath of Berlin (P.F.B.), a German company with U.S.A. patents; the International Art Publishing Company with studios in New York and Berlin, but printed in Germany; the Gibson Art Company, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Gottschalk, Dreyfuss, and Davis with studios in London, Munich, and New York with postcards produced in Germany.
In addition to the Easter postcards are a few baskets decorated for Easter along with a collection of contemporary Easter eggs that were hand painted by Jean Jimick of Greencastle. The Easter egg collection was started in 1989.
Symbols of Easter
The following
explains a few of the many definitions behind the symbols of Easter which appear
in the designs on the Easter postcards.
Each year the date of Easter is symbolic to the rite of spring. Roman Emperor Constantine established the date in 325 A.D. when it was assigned to the Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox, March 21. Constantine based the date of Easter on the lunar calendar, as were many of the early celebrations, which were based on equinoxes, solstices or lunar cycles.
Scholars believe the word Easter is derived from the Saxon word Oestar (also Eostre), goddess of spring and renewal. There is little written folklore available on Eostre, but Bede and Jacob Grimm both affirmed her existence based on folklore and the traditional German Easter festival Ostarun.
Stories of Eostre say she saved a bird whose wings were frozen from the harsh winter by turning it into a rabbit. This magical rabbit or bunny could actually lay eggs. In legends associated with Eostre, she is nearly always accompanied with a hare, so it would be easy to see the connection between this myth and the story of the Easter Bunny.
Rabbits are symbols of fertility in spring when many young are born. Another source states that the rabbit first mentioned as the Easter Bunny with eggs came from Germany in the late 1500's. In many sections of Germany, the belief was that the Easter Bunny laid red eggs on Holy Thursday and multi‑colored eggs the night before Easter Sunday.
The egg is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations around the world and represents new life. It is nature's perfect container, providing everything needed for the nourishment of a new life. Because the egg has been the symbol of creation, fertility and new‑life it has been honored in many rites of spring by the Romans, Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians and Persians who have exchanged decorated eggs at the spring equinox.
The decorating of eggs has been historically documented from the accounts of Edward I in the year 1290 ‑ when expenditure of 18 pence was recorded for the purchase of 450 eggs to be gold‑leafed and colored for Easter gifts. Different cultures have developed their own style of decorating Easter eggs, from the red dyed eggs of the Greeks to honor the blood of Christ to the beautiful pysanki eggs of the Ukraine. One custom refers to one person knocking their egg against another's ‑ the first to crack their egg shell will have good luck.
Today, the gift of an egg does not carry the deep symbolic meaning it once had, and few people realize that they are taking part in a ritual that goes back thousands of years. Yet the giving of the Easter egg remains a beautiful antique gesture, to be renewed every year when the sun rises again on a new spring.
The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity because it is the device upon which Jesus died, thereby redeeming all humankind from their sins. The empty cross reminds us of the risen Lord who concurred death.
The lamb represents Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed for our sins. The white lily is a symbol of purity and represents the pure new life Christians are promised through the resurrection of Jesus.
Hens and baby chicks are symbolic of humankind’s relationship with Jesus, who wants to protect us as a mother hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. In Matthew 23: 37 and Luke 13: 33-35, Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
Baby chicks represent new life and the fragility of life, if not protected by God’s care and mercy. A baby chick hatching from an egg represents Jesus’ overcoming the death of the tomb.
Before the cock crowed, Peter denied Jesus three times. The rooster reminds us not to deny Jesus and represents Peter’s remorse and repentance when he heard the rooster crow. It’s crowing at daylight is also a symbol of “the daily victory of light over darkness and the triumph of good over evil.” Its bright red comb symbolizes fire, the sun, and Christ – “the Light of the world”, who ended spiritual darkness and despair.
Roses mean love. Violets symbolize faithfulness and watchfulness. Calla lilies represent beauty and the lily-of-the-valley symbolizes the tears of the Virgin Mary and return to happiness. Daisies represent innocence and purity.
Easter Customs
In the Ukraine and Czech Republic, the pussywillow has significance. Palm Sunday is known as Pussywillow Sunday in the Ukraine and in the Czech Republic Easter Monday is associated with the pussywillow. Both countries share a similar custom. In the Ukraine, Palm Sunday is called Pussywillow Sunday and people are permitted to lightly hit others with branches of pussywillow which will bring good health to them and will also produce fertile crops in their fields. Easter Monday in the Czech Republic “is a holiday to symbolize rejuvenation as sickness and malignant forces are chased off to usher in youth and health.” Men and boys lightly “whip” the legs of women and girls with pussywillow branches; whipping represents renewal.
Emperor Constantine was instrumental in establishing what we call the Easter parade or promenade... the wearing of new clothes. He asked his citizens to wear their best clothing to observe and honor the Holy Day. New clothes represent the new life given to us through the death and resurrection of Christ.
Whatever your belief, Easter and its legends and symbols are cherished throughout the world.
Exhibit
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| Here are two applied cloth padded eggs. The one with embossed baby chicks was printed in Germany and is an early postcard as it has an undivided back for address only. The other card with embossing and a padded silk egg with violets and a hanging ribbon is unmarked on the back and likely was printed in the United States. Both cards achieve the three dimensional effect by gluing two cards together with the padding added in the appropriate areas. |
This
Gottschalk, Dreyfuss, and Davis embossed, lithograph postcard was printed in
Germany. It has nine symbols of Easter depicted on it. They are the Easter
bunny, a red egg, multi-colored eggs, baby chick, cracked egg shell, the hen,
lily, roses, and new Easter clothes.
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Shown here is a lightly embossed, lithograph postcard with gold highlights which was made in Germany. It is an example of an undivided back which required any greetings or names to be signed on the front. It is also postmarked Greencastle, April 2, 1903 |
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| These two lightly embossed Raphael Tuck and Sons Ltd. postcards are prime examples of the Tuck process and style of postcard called oilette. Oilettes appear to look like oil paintings because of the noticeable brush strokes. The baby chicks postcard is a mechanical, pop-up postcard. The similarly designed one near it is a regular postcard. |
| This lightly embossed postcard was made in Germany and is postmarked 1915. It is a mechanical postcard which gives a three-dimensional effect when the silk ribbon is pulled down which lifts the design from the back. It is self-standing. |  |
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| Fade-away postcards are part of the puzzle category in postcards. One is required to imagine what the missing areas would look like. These cute fade-away cards with little children, and rooster and rabbit were made in the United States. Neither has been used. | |
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This lightly embossed German postcard with gold accents depicts a cross of violets and angels with Easter greetings that was mailed March 31, 1907. See the text for definitions of the symbolism. |
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The artist of this Easter Postcard, Lyman Powell, signed his name to the left of the bonnet’s pink bow. It was printed in the United States.
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| Shown here is an Adolph Selige Publishing Company postcard which was printed in St. Louis, Missouri. It is a hand-tinted reproduced photograph c. 1907. |  |
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| These three brilliant, embossed lithograph postcards with gold highlights were all made by John Finkenrath of Berlin (P.F.B.). They were from the same series of cards – No. 5837 and date to c. 1908. The lamb, child, and egg represent important messages on all three cards. See previous text for symbolism. |  |