Who sent postcards?
Tourist
The number of postcards showing the town of Settle suggest that it was primarily tourists driving the use of postcards. One of the frequently seen publishers in the collection indicates to us why so many postcards of Settle were produced, a clue as to why why tourism was so high, a key player in the creating the golden age of Postcard Popularity. Francis Frith & Co actively photographed every town and village in Britain, creating a business model for the postcard industry, more information about Francis Frith & Co can be found here[1]. Their carefully added Francis Frith & Co logo to either the front or back of the postcard would have aided the popularity of tourism in areas such as Settle, Yorkshire[2].
Settle Resident
There are many examples in the Postcard Gallery relating to not only views of Settle but postcards of the local residents themselves, celebratory gatherings and football teams published on postcards. In one example shown here a woman writes to her sister on the back of a postcard showing her house. Although it is not stamped it may have been handed over in person, a substitute for sharing a photograph. Using the postcard she can provide a visual description of where she lives and reference surrounding businesses.
Young Person
The last example shows that people of all ages were using postcards to communicate with friends and family. A Settle boarding school resident uses a postcard of her school to show her aunt where she is residing within the building, drawing arrows on the front to make this clearer. The younger user of postcards is at ease with communicating in this way, showing us that postcards were for everybody.
