As I mentioned yesterday, postcards are ephemera, that is, they are transitory things.  Ephemera. I love that word. From the Greek it means lasting a day. To me it evokes those now you see it now you don’t kind of things like crystal-winged mayflies, toadstools in the lawn after it rains, diamond dewdrops on spiderwebs, and sky-spanning rainbows. Postcards are like that. They’re meant to tell someone you’re in their thoughts in that moment. They’re meant to make you smile. They were never meant to keep forever, yet people kept them as treasures until the day they died.

As the saying goes~ you can’t take it with you.

Hubby and I stumble across such keepsakes in our travels and treasure hunts all the time. People kept them because they held meaning. I collect them because to me they’re tokens of love and affection.  The precious sentiment surrounds them even if I never knew the people involved.  Who doesn’t love love?

Of all the cards we have to date, the brightest boldest images are found on vintage cards from Germany. Postcards were printed across Europe and the US, but the Germans excelled at lithography, in fact, it was a German invention. Because their colors were so lively and vibrant, and the images so clever, people tended to keep this ephemera and were hungry for more.

Needless to say, WWI brought changes to the postcard industry. After the war, Germany’s devastated print shops never regained their world-class footing. The impact of the war brought changes to other postcard printers as well. There were now shortages of ink. You can tell at a glance what postcard comes from this time after WWI. There will be a rather thick colorless border around the picture to save ink. See it in the card above.

Postcards lost some of their popularity when the world moved on. The telephone changed the way people said, I’m thinking of you. Cards and letters from the past are tangible snapshots of history. The sad thing today is people send email and rarely sit down with pen and paper to craft a letter. Treasure hunters of the future won’t find many ephemeral snapshots of our history. That’s sad.

Scroll down to see previous vintage Thanksgiving postcards and read the how postcards became popular greetings to send. Subscribe to get them in your inbox!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥New Release Today!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Exquisite Quills, my international readers/writers group brings you 21 charming holiday stories and even more delicious recipes.
http://www.amazon.com/Exquisite-Christmas-Romance-Authors-Holiday-ebook/dp/B018F4ACSC/

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ My Other Book News ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Four 5-star reviews of The Changeling!

♥My other recent release has shining stars too!
Entice Me – a multi-author collection. It’s a steal for 99¢.
My story is Heart of Stone
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Words worth mentioning for November

“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” ~Voltaire

Today is Author Suzanne Rock’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
Authors and Industry representatives all month long!

Romance Books ‘4’ Us
The December contest starts soon. Prizes often include $100 in gift cards for Amazon/B&N, ebooks, print books, audiobooks, additional gift cards, and non-book items. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

From my family to you and yours, have a safe and happy day.