The Paper Girl

Antique & Vintage Ephemera Since 2019

A Lovely Coastal Scene Postcard

Good day, everyone. I come to you bearing a very pretty postcard that I think you’ll like.

This is an antique from my collection, of course, and completely unrelated to the Camel & Rider Real Photo Postcard from several weeks back. There are lots of neat little details: the ships and boats sailing along what’s likely the Nile River, the camels and riders greeting the two people walking along the shore, a little village nearby. Two little villages, perhaps.

What I really love about this postcard is how calm and relaxing it is. Just another day on the Nile Delta. Layers of plants and trees and that lovely sunset. Just beautiful.

I cannot make out the signature of the artist, so if you’re reading this and are familiar with the original piece, let’s chat! I’d love to know more.

Enjoy this week’s image, I’ll be back next week with some more interesting little pieces.

5 Free Vintage Envelopes

Old envelopes make for great digital vintage ephemera, especially if they’ve been used; there are stamps to cut out, fun borders, all sorts of fancy writing—lots of creative opportunities! I especially love old British air mail envelopes. Anyway, check out this week’s batch of free vintage images.

Although these two are going to the same person, their details differ enough to justify posting both. These are the envelopes that went with the letters from Scotland that I wrote about a while back—remember Olive and her dislike of The Beatles? They were mailed in 1965 via air mail, with a slight disagreement on the postage amounts.

What I love most about air mail envelopes is the red and blue (or black, occasionally) border. I tend to associate it with travel. So many people use them for vacation-related printables, and it’s easy to see why—air mail is bold!

In 1993, Father Arthur Smith mailed a letter from Antofagasta, Chile, to a Mrs. Helen Smith in Toronto. His sister, perhaps? We have a nice selection of stamps here, and what’s really cool is the address written on the typewriter. I grew up with electric typewriters, but was young enough that I don’t remember using them on a regular basis. I did use a dot matrix printer. Remember those?

The back of the air mail envelope.

Here’s the back of a plain envelope that y’all can use, too. A little wear, some scuffing, more interest.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s selection. See you next time with some more free vintage images for your collections.

Birch & Calla Lily Easter Card

One of my favourite postcards is from the early 1910s. The background looks like it’s patterned off the birch trees of my hometown, and calla lilies are laid over it as if they belong there. It says, “Wishing you a happy Easter”. Simple. Beautiful.

It’s from the first lot of postcards I ever purchased.

I even removed the message so that it could be turned into a card for… pretty much anything. Sure, calla lilies do have a special place in Easter card lore, but there’s no reason that this piece can’t have a new life as… perhaps a birthday message?

What do you think?

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