Deltiology, My Personal Collection

History

May 17

Over the past few years and throughout my travels, I've collected vintage postcards from around the world. To deltiologists - or postcard collectors, these unique pieces have something magical about them. They offer a captivating glimpse to what travel was like many decades ago, refreshingly pre-Instagram. The postcards take you to a specific moment in time where our world was less global and cultures more vibrant and defined so that the sender may describe what they see in fine detail. In addition to the appeal of looking at a photo from the past, the writing on these century-old cards inspires me, describing what people saw and did on their travels so long ago, and reminds me of the curiosity we all still cherish.

Teachers with their students at Medrasa Ben Youssef in Marrakesh taken in the 1910s by Felix. This 14th century university is the largest in Morocco and is a famous historical attraction for its spectacularly preserved architecture. I have a soft spot for this one as I was born in Marrakesh and feel a deep connection with the Red City.

*Four ladies riding to Wartburg, Bavaria in 1911. I found this postcard in Potsdam, Germany.*

*A life we cannot even imagine yet we are totally mesmerized by: nomads. Here, we have a beautiful bedouin girl in Palestine. The photo has no date nor photographer.*

I love this one from Hotel Continental in Paris. It has no date but it certainly retains early, turn of the century charm. Those wicker chairs are totally back in style and I want them all for my terrace!

I walked by this site almost every week for the first 8 years of my life while I was living in Fez. It's a touching image of a pilgrim greeting the tomb of Moulay Idriss II, founder of Fez in Morocco around 1930. I wish I knew who took this but then again, you could capture this even to this day as it's an active religious and spiritual hub for Moroccans and West African pilgrims alike.

I love the sense of pride these four musicians carry on their faces. This is from 1920 by Flendrins. You can tell the woman on the far right is the singer, the next is the fiddle player, the following is the oud or lute player and the one to the left is holding a small adobe drum with camel skin. She has a slightly larger drum in front of her as well.

*A postcard from Istanbul in the early 1900, when it used to be called Constantinople. Anonymous. I love that it's titled Constantinople*.

Bunny's Travel Correspondence in 1910:

Here are some of my most prized postcards in my collection, written from an American traveler, Bunny, to her friend Bonny, on her world tour in 1910. I love Bunny's sense of humor and love for adventure.