Continued Connections
Postcards of Luxembourg and America
Today, postcards are usually purchased as souvenirs of a place or event, and the collection of postcards (deltiology) is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Not only do postcards connect people, they show how a place or people changed over time using the pictures depicted on the postcard. Although postcards are no longer one of the main ways to communicate, they still bring a smile to the recipient and create a connection across great distances.
Since the early 1800s, postcards have been a way for friends and family to connect with each other even though they may be separated by thousands of miles. Many of the postcards in this exhibit were sent between Luxembourg and the United States, showing a continued connection between the homeland and those who immigrated. As can be seen in this exhibit, postcards have continuously developed and changed, just as the friendship between Luxembourg and the United States has developed and grown stronger.
The Importance of Postcards
Postcard popularity grew due to Great Britain’s introduction of the uniform penny postage stamp in 1840. Before this, the postage for mail would be based on how far the mailman had to travel, not the weight of the letter or package, and the postage would be paid by the recipient. Sending an international letter was a luxury when the average laborer would make less than 50 cents an hour in the United States and Europe.
Because postcards were guaranteed to cost one or two cents, it was an easier way for friends in different countries to share news without spending a lot of their hard earned money. This is why a few of the postcards in this exhibit are filled to the edges with writing.
Postcards and Luxembourg
The Postal Administration of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was created in 1842, and issued their first postage stamp ten years later. After Austria first issued a postcard in 1869, Luxembourg was one of five nations that distributed postcards the following year. With the growing popularity of postcards, an international postal union was created. Luxembourg was one of twenty two founding nations who attended the conference hosted by Switzerland. In October 1874, the Treaty of Bern was signed, which established the General Postal Union. Membership grew so quickly that the name was soon changed to the Universal Postal Union. Postcards marked with the words “Postal Card - Carte Postale” were allowed to be mailed internationally through the Universal Postal Union.
Jerome Perl: A Luxembourg American
A selection of the postcards in this exhibit were sent to Jerome Perl from friends and family who lived in Europe. Jerome was born on October 14, 1869 in the town of Fouches, Belgium. Fouches is in the part of Luxembourg that was seceded to Belgium in the Treaty of London in 1839. Jerome sailed out of Antwerp, Belgium and immigrated to the United States in December of 1896. He became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. on June 1, 1921. Jerome travelled to Luxembourg and Belgium in 1920 to settle his family estate and visit relatives. While he lived and travelled throughout the United States and Europe, he received postcards from relatives and friends sharing the latest news. He resided and worked as a farmer in Calumet County and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin until his death on April 17, 1957.