History of postcards and historic images of Willesden

Postcards were the ‘mass communications media’ at the turn of the 20th century. With up to 7 collections per day, you could send a card in the morning, inviting a friend for dinner, they would receive it in the afternoon and be with you in the evening.

With the development of printing technology and postal system, the golden age of postcards saw every imaginable subject being printed on a postcard, from actors and royalty, Valentine’s and Christmas, to the detailed photographic record of major landmarks and even the newly built London suburbs.

We look at the history of the postcard, its key figures and their connections to Willesden, and how the postcard mania left us a visual record of what Willesden was like all those years ago.