PPM Jul 11 - Picture Postcard Monthly

It’s all Wendy’s fault!
David Rye
The second Saturday in April was always going to
be a difficult one for us, because our family calendar
showed that the South Wales Postcard Club was
holding its Spring Fair in Cardiff, my wife had a committee
meeting in Swansea and there was a Scottish
dance in the evening! Not only that - we live
nearly as far west as you can go, in Pembrokeshire.
OK, the answer is get up
reasonably early, breakfast,
and set off heading east
along the motorway! First
problem, we are having a
new kitchen fitted, and the
only water is in the bathroom!
Still it’s all good
exercise! Kneeling at the
bath to do the washing up,
Mecca and Jerusalem are
both behind me, the ancient
pilgrimage centre of St.
David’s is away to the right,
and only America is the way
I’m facing! Nevertheless, a
quick prayer to the land of
the automobile for a safe
car journey can surely do no
harm?
Prayers were obviously
answered, because the
motorway is smooth and
incident free, and skilful
directions from my wife Pat
lead us straight to the postcard
fair at Cardiff’s Roath
Community Centre, and a
warm welcome from the
two guardians of the door.
Minutes later I have
my first card. Being ‘into
traditional dance’ in a big
way, folk costume cards
especially Welsh and
Breton costume
Breton, are now my main
collecting interest. The
charming Breton card here
shows a mother teaching
her son to read, as she sits
in front of an ornately
carved box-bed. Although
there is no indication as to
where the costume shown
comes from, the caption is
an encouraging verse by
the Breton bard, Botrel.
“To dispel the gloomy
dreams,
Speak of glory to the
children,
And for the fine days of
triumph,
Let us prepare the heroes
on the shade.”
Somehow it sounds much
better in French! The card,
no.107, was published by H.
Laurant of Port-Louis.
Slowly I make my way
round the dealers’ tables;
even the English dealers
have made an effort to find
and bring some ‘Welsh’
stock, and soon I come
Photographic Welsh lady
postcard
across a rather strange realphotograph
postcard of a
woman knitting. Her ‘Welsh’
costume looks somewhat
unusual and I would think
that it is probably ‘homemade’.
As her black hat is
shorter and more square in
shape, perhaps she comes
from North Wales rather
than the South - if only
there was a photographer’s
name on the back!
In contrast to the postcard
of the previous young
lady, who is showing just a
touch of her petticoats, the
carte-de-visite of this formidable
woman shows her
dressed in her formal best.
Carte de visite from Williams &
Williams, who had a chain of studios in Wales and the west
of England
Her portrait was taken
by Williams & Williams
(who had studios at Bristol,
Cardiff, Newport, Bath,
Swansea, Pontypridd,
Shrewsbury and Hereford),
and this sepia carte-de-visite
still has the photographer’s
reference number and a
name ‘Morgan’ pencilled on
the back. So Mrs Morgan,
I’m glad that you have
come to live with me!
As you have gathered, I
have a soft spot for cartesde-visite,
so I was pleased
to be able to buy two more
of them from a local woman
who had seen the postcard
fair advertised, and contacted
the South Wales Postcard
Club about selling
some cards inherited from
her mother. The committee
had introduced her to some
of the local dealers, but
advised her to wait for me
as they knew that I would
like to see anything that
included Welsh costumes.
Sadly, Mrs Evans (the
vendor) could not remember
which of the two photographs
featured Mrs
Myfanwy Evans, and which
one was of Mrs Lizzie Mar-
Carte
from Edwin Lotte of Bridgend
shall, but just to be sure, I
bought both. In each case
the photographer was
Edwin Lott of Bridgend.
Buying the card below,
published by Valentine of
Dundee, reminded me
about lunch, and at the hall
there was a tasty selection
of sandwiches and cakes. In
continued.....
Valentine of dundee published this Welsh comic postcard,
sent from Pembroke in August 1914
Picture Postcard Monthly July 2011 39