Malacca River divided Malacca Town into two main quarters (c. 1919, Source: National Archives of Malaysia)


Pictures in the Post



The Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Egypt, the New York skyline, the Angkor Wat… have we seen them or haven't we, if we only saw 4R versions in photos? In an age saturated by images, we probably veer away from rotating racks of "cheesy" postcards captured from a ubiquitous angle and of dubious quality. But this was not always the case.

In the 19th century, cameras were unwieldy and photography was an expensive privilege. Channels of communication were limited, and people were less mobile. Postcards were therefore the cheapest and easiest way of sharing news, well wishes and picturesque sights with loved ones. The attractive designs also drew many collectors, further fuelling postcard production. Today, historical postcards are a visual record of the sights and scenes of a bygone era, providing documentation of images we would not otherwise have access to.

The National Archives of Singapore and the National Archives of Malaysia jointly organised the exhibition "Reminiscences of the Straits Settlements Through Postcards", which has travelled to Malacca, Penang and Singapore, attracting more than 80,000 visitors since its first launch in September 2004.
As the administrative centre, Singapore had many iconic buildings, including the Victoria Memorial Hall. Construction, shown in this postcard, began in 1902 (c. 1904, Source: National Archives of Singapore)

Although the postcard says Greetings from Singapore, the same scenes would apply to Malacca and Penang as well
(c. 1908, Source: National Archives of Malaysia)
We have also produced a publication based on this exhibition. Launched in April 2005, the pictorial contains more than 150 beautiful postcards, and supporting archival records from the Straits Settlements Era, many of which have not been previously published.



Do You Know?

  • Deltiology is the formal name for the study and collection of postcards.
  • The world's first "official" postcard, the 'Korrepondenze Karte' with an imprinted Austrian stamp, appeared on 1 October 1869.
  • The first Straits Settlements postcard was issued in 1879 by the Straits Settlements Postal Department. This was a blank card with no pictures.
  • In 1899, the number of postcards sent from the Straits Settlements totalled more than 180,000.
  • Many early postcards were devoid of people because early cameras could not capture moving objects sharply. Images of people were generally posed photographs or studio shots.
  • Early postcards only allowed senders to write on the front while the back was reserved for the stamp and address. The "divided-back" postcard, which enabled the front to be used exclusively for the design, did not appear until the early 1900s.
  • The "Golden Era" of postcards started from 1906 to just before World War I in 1914 as millions of postcards were produced and sold worldwide. When World War I ended, the telephone began replacing postcards as an easy and quick way to stay in touch.

Note: The travelling exhibition is open for bookings by schools and organisations
through NAS' web portal
Please contact Ms Eileen Ng at Tel: 63327973
email: eileen_ng@nhb.gov.sg
fax: 63323238 for booking enquiries.