A Message From the Past

Before texting or DMs, there were postcards...

In collaboration with

Le Carton Voyageur - Musée de la carte postale

The history of postcards in 60 seconds

The epic adventures of the tiny card

Where it all started

Discover how postcards became a cultural phenomenon

A snapshot in time

How postcards were at the center of everything

How to spend your free time in 1900

Postcards of Breton people at play

24 hours in the life of a Breton kid

School, family, and fairytales

Postcards in brief

A story that could fit on the back of a postage stamp

A quick guide to the history of the little card

Who invented the postcard?

Austria, Germany and France fight it out...

Did you know... 140,000 postcards were sold on the first day they went on sale in France - other countries adopted the concept following this huge success.

TIPS AND TRICKS

How to write a postcard

The ways people communicated in times gone by

Postcard chat

Take a peek into a bygone era

"Flirting with the Countess on Easter day"

"Kisses..."

"When we were leaving for war"

"Stop sending me original postcards"

"I want to prove (oooove!) that I'm not forgetting you"

"A word from the butcher's"

"Don't forget me, I love you always"

"I'm a bit sick"

"Thinking about you, your brother"

"Thanks darling for giving me the pleasure of seeing my dear friends again"

"It's harvest time..."

"While we're eating and drinking"

"My dear wife..."

The art in your pocket

ART AND DESIGN

Art Nouveau Illustrations

Women, advertising and an artistic movement

Did you know... The most expensive postcard ever auctioned was sent by Picasso to Apollinaire in 1918 and featured a cubist portrait.

Quirky postcards

Out-of-the-box and off-the-wall

Novelty, scandal and kitsch

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Postcards you'd never receive today

Did you know... The Eiffel Tower is the monument most featured on postcards: 5 billion postcards of it have been sold since 1889!

The little stories that made history

Individual stories told in postcards

POSTCARDS AS HISTORY

Postcards as proof of life during the Great War

Correspondence and World War I

POSTCARDS AS HISTORY

Faster than a newspaper

The postcard as media and document

Did you know... In 1917, 1,700,000 postcards were exchanged every day in France.

Spotlight on: Brittany and postcards

EXPLORE

How did Bretons spend their free time in 1900?

Bretons at play

EXPLORE

At the height of tourism in Brittany

On the trail of artists and writers

EXPLORE

Beyond the famous 'crepe': food in Brittany

Dinner is served

EXPLORE

Brittany-on-Sea

Capturing coastal landscapes

EXPLORE

A day in the life of Breton children in the 1900s

24 hours in the life of a young Breton

EXPLORE

Mystery, legend and fairytale

Carnac and its megalithic sites

Postcards in the Breton language

Explore more...

Stories

Images

Street View

Le Carton Voyageur

See more of the postcard museum's collections

View

In collaboration with

The history of postcards in 60 seconds

The epic adventures of the tiny card

Where it all started

Discover how postcards became a cultural phenomenon

A snapshot in time

How postcards were at the center of everything

How to spend your free time in 1900

Postcards of Breton people at play

24 hours in the life of a Breton kid

School, family, and fairytales

Postcards in brief

A story that could fit on the back of a postage stamp

A quick guide to the history of the little card

Who invented the postcard?

Did you know... 140,000 postcards were sold on the first day they went on sale in France - other countries adopted the concept following this huge success.

How to write a postcard

The ways people communicated in times gone by

Postcard chat

Take a peek into a bygone era

"Flirting with the Countess on Easter day"

Read more...

"Kisses..."

Read more...

"When we were leaving for war"

Read more...

"Stop sending me original postcards"

Read more...

"I want to prove (oooove!) that I'm not forgetting you"

Read more...

"A word from the butcher's"

Read more...

"Don't forget me, I love you always"

Read more...

"I'm a bit sick"

Read more...

"Thinking about you, your brother"

Read more...

"Thanks darling for giving me the pleasure of seeing my dear friends again"

Read more...

"It's harvest time..."

Read more...

"While we're eating and drinking"

Read more...

"My dear wife..."

Read more...

The art in your pocket

ART AND DESIGN

Art Nouveau Illustrations

Did you know... The most expensive postcard ever auctioned was sent by Picasso to Apollinaire in 1918 and featured a cubist portrait.

Quirky postcards

Out-of-the-box and off-the-wall

Novelty, scandal and kitsch

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Did you know... The Eiffel Tower is the monument most featured on postcards: 5 billion postcards of it have been sold since 1889!

The little stories that made history

Individual stories told in postcards

Postcards as proof of life during the Great War

Correspondence and World War I

Faster than a newspaper

The postcard as media and document

Did you know... In 1917, 1,700,000 postcards were exchanged every day in France.

Spotlight on: Brittany and postcards

How did Bretons spend their free time in 1900?

Bretons at play

At the height of tourism in Brittany

On the trail of artists and writers

Beyond the famous 'crepe': food in Brittany

Dinner is served

Brittany-on-Sea

Capturing coastal landscapes

A day in the life of Breton children in the 1900s

24 hours in the life of a young Breton

Mystery, legend and fairytale

Carnac and its megalithic sites

Postcards in the Breton language

Explore more...

Stories

Images

Street View