Description
HOW MUCH of a nation's history is enshrined in its picture postcards? Usually a great deal more than people realise and since the early 1900s, there is often a lot more revealed by these postcards than the mere bare bones of historical events.
These postcards were not only used for correspondence by travellers, but were also collected by enthusiasts along with matchbox labels and cigarette cards. It became a popular hobby from the early 1900s and in the years following the Second World War. Today these postcards are much sought after by collectors and many examples are now preserved in collections here and abroad.
Picture postcards of the Straits Settlements were first produced by photographers and private printers in the 1880s. However, their usage did not increase until after 1894 when postage rates for these postcards were made the same with official postcards issued by the Post Office.
Today, these early scenes not only provide a unique pictorial source of information for historians, but also give an immense pleasure to collect for the hobbyists. Comparing these old views with the modern scene can also be fascinating, if one is old enough to remember it as it was. When postally used, many of them become unique items to postal history collectors as well.
The postcards reproduced in this book show a wide variety of views, i.e. buildings, street scenes, transport, people and occupations, and rural scenes covering the major towns of Malaya between the period 1900 to 1930. The towns include Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Johore Baru and selected scenes of Singapore (formerly part of the Straits Settlement). ISBN:MALAYAARETROS
