My love of paper began when I was a kid and whiled away hours in stationery and office supply stores. But it didn't really kick into full collecting mode until I began making holiday cards with my daughter using images from antique postcards sent to my husband's family.
Eventually, we needed fresh images and the hunt lead to an even more expansive search for all kinds of antique paper. The collection is a mother lode for my work as a collagist. Yes, the postcards are used in my collages, but only cards in bad condition go under the X-acto knife. So, these are safe. Well, the one with daisies might be a goner.
All were printed in Germany and they're part of a series of "dear" postcards that's become yet another obsession. There are cards for just about every family member, as well as for lovers, friends, pets, you name it. The postmarks on these range from 1908 to 1913. I wish I could tell you that there are fantastic messages on the backs - which are scanned into my archive. But they're mostly along the lines of "thinking of you," "miss you," "hope you visit." Come to think of it, those are fantastic messages!
