Postcard

A postcard is a rectangular card mailed without an envelope, typically with an image on one side and a written message and address on the other.

Postal address: A written location used to direct mail to its intended recipient. The address side tells postal services where to deliver the card.
Postkarte: The official postal card introduced in the North German Confederation in 1865. It was an early proposal for sending brief messages on an open card.
Picture postcard: A postcard bearing a photograph or illustration, often of a place or subject of interest. The image turns a brief mailed message into a visual souvenir.
Ephemera: Printed or written items intended for temporary use rather than long-term preservation. Postcards often survive as everyday artifacts of travel and communication.
Postage stamp: A printed or marked token showing that postal service has been paid for. A stamp commonly pays for the card’s delivery.
Austro-Hungarian postcard: The first officially issued postcard, introduced in Austria-Hungary in 1869. Its launch established the postcard as a practical postal format.
Holiday greeting card: A card sent to convey seasonal wishes, often enclosed in an envelope. It shares the greeting function but usually offers privacy and more room.
Travel writing: Writing that describes journeys, places, and experiences of travel. A postcard compresses travel description into a few personal lines.
Postal card: A government-issued card with postage printed on it, intended for mailing without an envelope. Unlike a picture postcard, it commonly has preprinted postage and no image.
Heinrich von Stephan: A German postal official who proposed a low-cost open-message postal card in 1865. His proposal helped set the postcard’s early development in motion.

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