Easter Greeting Cards by Achille Lucien Mauzan
The first Easter cards were created and delivered in the 1860s. They became truly popular around 1880 when the improvement of printing technology met with more effective postal service. From the very beginning, the religious and secular motifs were pretty balanced. Achille Lucien Mauzan was one of the artists who preferred Easter themes from nature with typical Easter symbols like eggs, chickens, and lambs with kids.
Children, especially girls, of course, symbolize new life, new beginnings, growth, and everything brought by Spring. While Easter is the most significant Christian celebration, we must not forget its pagan roots. Essentially, it's still a celebration of Spring. The use of young ladies on Easter postcards should not be a surprise, especially if we are familiar with Mauzan's posters, the work he is best known for.
Like most Easter cards from the Golden Era, we can clearly see the development of technology and rule changes in postal services. Older versions had one side reserved for address only, so the message could be written on the same side as the picture was printed. This means images were smaller than we are used today.
Did you notice? Some of these images were also used in the postcards already presented in the beginning. Postcard business was business like every other. Reusing, recycling, and other ways to maximize profit were often necessary to survive in the highly competitive market.
Still, the most interesting Easter postcards by Achille Lucien Mauzan are pretty ladies, his favorite motifs, in more or less Easter-related situations. As you can see, romantics and fantasy were Mauzan's choices, too.
Another interesting observation of Mauzan's Easter postcards is the lack of words. Bonnes Paques (in French), Buona Pasqua (in Italian), or Frohliche Ostern (in German) mean the same: Happy Easter! Just a simple greeting and that's it. If you are in need to write more, you can use one of the next Easter greetings.
Otherwise, this is the end for now!