Postcard with canceled stamp (France, 1914)
Sent from Saint-Quirin, France, 1914

?The Language of Stamps?
Unsent postcard (Great Britain, circa 1910)

Brown University Library Special Collections

Affordable postage and standardized deliveries cultivated increased interest in informal communication methods like the postcard. Postcards developed concurrently with the postage stamp and were used for business transactions, travel souvenirs, and personal messages of affection. The postcards displayed here show the international trend known as the ?language of stamps?, where the tilt of a stamp added an unwritten sentiment to a note sent by mail.