The first officially released postcard was in Austria on October 1, 1869. In France during the war of 1870, the "Company of Help" (future Red Cross) were allowed to circulate postcards without stamps to the wounded. At the same time, the government was trying to reduce the transport of mail by balloons. They authorized the use of a "Chart-Station" in the format of 7 X 11 cm, referring to the postcard. Officially on December 20, 1872, the French National Assembly voted a finance law which mentioned for the first time the concept of "postcard". The law was enacted January 15, 1873.

In 1878, the standardization between the European states changed the dimensions of the postcard to the traditional format 3½" x 5½". This was referred to the "Sage Type" postcard. A tariff was imposed and marked on the postcard. The stamp (or tariff) for the "Sage Type" postcard is now directly printed on the front of the card. leaving the back without illustration, reserved for correspondence.

There were very few illustrated or photographic postcards before 1897. These rules applied to both illustrated and photographic images on postcards from Europe. In 1900, the image is allowed to occupy only one negligible part on the front of the card.

In 1903-1904, the image can now fill the entire front but must have a very small margin of white bordering the image. By 1905, the image now covers the entire front and does not change for 20 years. During mid to late 1920's, postcards were allowed to have a serated edge, though it was not mandatory.
Dating Your Postcards:

It is easy to date a postcard which travelled by the date of the postal seal or the handwritten indication of its correspondent. It is more difficult to know the date of the photographic postcard, especially if it does not present a precise event and is in the largest majority of French postcards.

In spite of these facts, we have several means to date these cards:

The Back of the Postcard:

On November 18, 1903, the postal service authorized the address on the right part and the correspondence on the left. Thus, if the back of the card is NOT divided it was published before December 1903. If the back IS divided into two parts, the card was produced after December 1903.

The Stamp:

The stamp gives very little indication of the date because the value rate for stamps did not change until 1917. Many of the tariff stamps are under the postal stamp, making it more difficult to date the card. If you identify the tariff stamp on the card, note the lower the tariff, the older the card. A tariff of 1 centime dates 1900. A tariff of 5 centimes dates 1905. Stampings with 5 centimes were used only for nonpersonal correspondence and the mention of the word "Postcard" was often replaced by "Printed Paper Form".

If all else fails, send us an email. We will do our best to help you date your postcards.