A year abroad project.
Bought by: me
In: Colchester, England
This represents a turning point in my relationship with Terrible Postcards, since it’s the first postcard I’ve bought with the express purpose of putting on this tumblr. What a strange reflection of our postmodern postdigital world, you might say. You also might say, what a horrendously tacky portrayal of cream teas and union jacks, accompanied by a truly unforgivable font. And I would have to agree with you there.
Sent by: S
From: Valencia, Spain
‘Huerta’, I am told, means ‘local produce’. This cheeky little missive assures us that the local produce of Valencia is boobs shaped uncannily like fruit. Well, everybody’s got to be good at something…
Bought by: Al
In: Brittany, France
I’m pretty sure this could be grounds for arrest in the right context.
Translation:
GUESS WHO’S WRITING TO YOU FROM BRITTANY?
…CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?
Bought by: Al (but I also bought several copies of this one)
In: Lyon, France
I’m pleased to offer you the first in a series of submissions by Al (as you can infer, we are quite the incestuous little group of freaky postcard-senders). This is the original and best: the coucou baby. WHY is that baby so pleased? WHAT is it looking at? WHO on earth would buy this postcard? Well, apart from us, but we bought it ironically so THAT’S FINE.
Bought by: Al
In: Lyon, France
This might seem innocuous enough to you… not everyone agrees with me that it, like the cat, is FREAKING TERRIFYING. But try and imagine that someone has stuck it to the wall just by your bed without you realising… that, I think, is when you start to notice the fox’s eyes, slightly open…
Sent by: Al
From: Angers… er, France.
Hey, you know what? I love France too. But I also love well-chosen and tasteful fonts, and judicious and appropriate use of colour fill. Unlike whoever designed this card…
Sent by: E
From: Toulon, France
This classic design - four pictures, hearts, lips, cat - is in fact used on postcards all over France in various tourist towns. But note the little local customisation - the cat is wearing a sailor hat. ‘Random kitsch!’ you may say, but in fact no - the hat denotes Toulon’s maritime history.
Sent by: E
From: Berlin, Germany
I’m in two minds as to whether this counts as a terrible postcard or not. On
the one hand, teddy bears. And rainbow fill. But on the other, the font is reasonably sober (it’s at least Word 2000), and… I don’t know. I think there’s a hint of class in it, somewhere.
Sent by: E
From: Lyon, France
This lovely ‘kiss machine’ will sell you an ‘extra fresh kiss’, an ‘extra hot kiss’, an ‘extra tender kiss’ or a ‘super sweet kiss’ for the tidy sum of a penny (or a sou, I’ve no idea of the current value of a sou). ‘Bisous’ (kisses) are extremely popular on French postcards, appearing in various surprising permutations, which can initially be alarming to the anglophone postcard-sender.
