Collection of postcards

The first postal card was suggested by Dr Emanuel Herrman, in 1869, and was accepted by the Hungarian government in the same year. The decision to introduce them in Serbia was made two years later, but they did not appear in post traffic before 1873. In 1881 correspondence cards, also plain, replaced them. They were issued by the post office, i.e. government, while the first cards bearing vignettes were privately printed. The first postcards that appeared in Serbia in 1896, showing the pictures of Serbian towns, won large public attention, resulting in the Rulebook for the postcards privately printed. Those first cards were characterized by undivided back and writing limited to the front (picture side) of the cards only. However, starting in 1906 the front was used exclusively for the design.

The postcard collection of the Historical Museum of Serbia was formed by its separation from the photograph collection, due to their specific qualities. In other words, the postcard appeared after the invention of the process of multiplying of photographs, which allowed numerous pieces of art as well as colored photographs, showing personalities, towns and events, to be published in large quantities.

The collection includes about 4200 postcards, the value of which is contained on its both sides. However, the Museum considers the front much more important and interesting then the divided back, usually used for address and writing messages, although some exceptions can be made. When acquiring new pieces for the collection, the card publisher or its documentary quality is one of the strict criteria a curator has to adhere to.

The King’s court, Greetings from Belgrade, published by Mosha Koen, Belgrade

Memory on HM King Peter’s coronation September 8/21, 1904, published by the Rajkovic&Cukovic bookshop, Belgrade

HM King Peter with his suite and the Hilandar monks before the Monastery baptistery, March 28, 1910, published by the Rajkovic&Cukovic bookshop, Belgrade

To make the insight into the collection easier, it is divided into several separate units, depending on their broad subject appeal: Towns and places; Towns abroad; the Balkan wars; World War One; Serbian

dynasties; Historical figures; Historical events; Visual arts, etc. The oldest cards in the collection are those depicting the towns of Belgrade, Nis, Uzice and Jagodina and date from 1899. Such cards, often printed in 14x9 cm size also prevail in the collection, although there are examples of postcards printed in a book form. Apart from these, the collection also reveals the postcards with pictures ranging from war scenes, national costume and rituals to the monuments of rural and urban architecture; outstanding figures of Serbian history, including statesmen, army leaders, artists, politicians, rulers from the houses of Obrenovic, Karadjordjevic and Petrovic-Njegos are also widely portrayed, as well as events related to their weddings, coronations, parades, etc.

Zanka Stokic, Atelier of M. Savic, Belgrade, published by S. Markovic, Zagreb