14 Antique Postcards 1900s Language of Flowers Edwardian Ladies Poetry Lot For Sale

A wonderfully cohesive little collection of flowers, poetry, and Edwardian sentiment — fourteen authentic pieces of everyday beauty from more than a century ago. It would be difficult to assemble the same combination again, and the cards are especially lovely kept together as a collection.Rather than a random group of old postcards, these work beautifully together as a small collection. They capture the softer, more romantic side of the Golden Age of postcards — a time when flowers carried meanings, verses were exchanged between friends and sweethearts, and beautifully illustrated cards were kept as treasured mementos.The group appears to date primarily from the early 1900s into the 1910s, with at least one card clearly copyright-dated 1907.Several cards come from the lovely “Language of Flowers” series, combining floral artwork with sentimental poetry by C. Preston-Wynne. Several also appear to carry the artist signature of J. Leslie Melville.The floral subjects include lilies, chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, daisies, forget-me-nots, and other garden flowers, with poetic references to love, remembrance, happiness, grief, and devotion.Also included is a particularly appealing 1907 “An Old Sweetheart of Mine” postcard, marked The Soule-Peterson Co., featuring a romantic verse from James Whitcomb Riley.Other cards in the collection feature:* Elegant Edwardian women in large hats and period fashions
* A softly colored courting couple
* Birthday Greetings and “My Wish” cards
* Floral “Greetings” imagery
* A charming Forget-Me-Nots still life
* Romantic and sentimental poetry
* Early lithographic and photographic-style portrait artThese would be beautiful framed together as a gallery wall or large collage.The muted blues, greens, pinks, and sepia tones work especially well together and would fit naturally in a cottage, Victorian, Edwardian, grandmillennial, library, or collected-home interior.They could also be used individually in small antique frames, incorporated into a vintage scrapbook or ephemera display, or given as thoughtful little gifts to someone who loves flowers, poetry, or family history.There is something especially appealing about reading these century-old sentiments today. The flowers and fashions may belong to another era, but messages about love, remembrance, birthdays, friendship, and affection remain remarkably familiar.ConditionThese are original antique postcards, not modern reproductions.They show varying degrees of age-related wear consistent with pieces more than a century old, including possible:* Toning and discoloration
* Edge and corner wear
* Foxing or spotting
* Small creases and surface marks
* Fading
* Writing or postal use on some examplesPlease study all photographs carefully, as they show the actual 14 postcards included and form an important part of the condition description.DetailsQuantity: 14 postcards
Approximate era: Early 1900s–1910s
Known date: At least one copyright 1907
Themes: Flowers, poetry, romance, women, courtship, birthdays, and greetings
Style: Printed lithograph / illustrated / portrait postcards
Original/Reproduction: Original period postcards
Sold as: One complete lot of 14