Irish Historical Material · Personal Correspondence · Edwardian Era
An Edwardian Schoolgirl’s Letter — London Bridge Postcard to Dublin, c. 1903
Original illustrated postcard · London to Dublin · Raphael Tuck & Sons
Catalogue details
Description
Original Raphael Tuck London Bridge colour postcard with a handwritten schoolgirl’s letter to Miss Byrne, 12 Wellington Road, Dublin. An intimate snapshot of games, music, school activities, friendships and correspondence across the Irish Sea.
- Date
- c. 1903 (manuscript dating provisional)
- Destination
- 12 Wellington Road, Dublin
- Publisher
- Raphael Tuck & Sons, London Series 770
- Illustration
- Colour view of London Bridge and the Thames
- Series
- London, No. 770 (as printed)
- Recipient
- Miss Byrne, 12 Wellington Road, Dublin
- Writer
- Apparently signed Edith Howe; reading provisional
- Postage
- King Edward VII halfpenny stamp with cancellation
- Extent
- One original colour-printed and handwritten postcard
- Dimensions
- Measurements gladly provided on request
- Reference
- TBH-IRL-PC-BYRNE-LONDON-BRIDGE-1903
- Condition
- Please consult the photographs for condition. Additional photographs are available on request.
Shipping quoted by destination before payment
Historical context & sources
An Edwardian Schoolgirl's Correspondence
Addressed to Miss Byrne at 12 Wellington Road, Dublin, this colourful London Bridge postcard preserves an unusually detailed personal message describing school and social life in the years before the First World War. The writer mentions the playground game Prisoners' Base, a school concert, literary meetings, French lessons, mutual friends and plans to return home.
A Dublin Residential Address
The address is a specific residential location on historic Wellington Road in the Ballsbridge/Pembroke district of Dublin. The full identity of Miss Byrne has not been established, and no proven personal association with an identifiable household has been established. The address adds local social-historical interest, but not a verified notable provenance.
Present-day building photographs have not been included: no freely reusable photograph verified as showing precisely No. 12 Wellington Road was located. Images of other buildings on the road would be misleading.
Publisher and Dating
The illustrated side records Raphael Tuck & Sons, London Series No. 770. The printed depiction of London Bridge captures the Thames waterfront and river traffic of the period. The original British King Edward VII halfpenny stamp remains affixed. The handwritten dating appears to be November 1903, but the weekday and calendar date are not in full agreement; therefore the precise date is left unconfirmed.
Collecting Interest
Irish postal ephemera, Edwardian school life, women's correspondence, London Bridge views and everyday Anglo-Irish connections. The original object is illustrated front and reverse.
