A beautifully timeworn Edwardian postcard featuring a hand holding a generous posy of lily of the valley, set against a soft blue-grey background.

The simplicity of the image is particularly lovely, a single hand emerging from a dark pinstriped sleeve, holding stems of tiny white bells and deep green leaves. Lily of the valley has long been associated with happiness, good fortune and the return of spring, making this a particularly evocative piece of early twentieth-century floral ephemera.

The reverse is handwritten and retains its original green Edward VII halfpenny stamp, together with a clear Frankford postmark. It was sent to Miss Eggleston at Rodney Street, Hull.

There is wonderful evidence of its age throughout, including gentle foxing, surface wear, softened corners and a crease across the upper portion of the card. I would absolutely leave it just as it is. The wear gives this one a particularly beautiful, found-paper quality.

Details

• Original antique postcard

• Edwardian, early 1900s

• Lily of the valley illustration

• Handwritten correspondence to reverse

• Original Edward VII halfpenny stamp

• Frankford postmark

• Printed in Saxony

• Genuine age-related wear and creasing

• Over 100 years old

One original postcard supplied.