If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 746

 

 

 

 

 

View of Cairo, Egypt, ca early 1900s

 

This unused divided back postcard has a tinted or dyed black & white photograph featuring a view Cairo, Egypt.  As has been seen on other cards from this era, the predominate color agent is red and shades of red printed over the original picture.  The photographer, printer, and publisher are not identified.  However, there is a blurb on the left side on the reverse that says: “View of Cairo.—Cairo is one of the great historic cities of the known world. It is built on the ruins of one of the most ancient cities, and it still maintains all the characteristics of narrow streets, and is the typical home of the Star and Crescent.” 

The use of some color on postcards can be noticed beginning as early as around the 1860s.  Various methods and mediums, such as dyes, watercolors, oils, crayons, pastels and pencils have been used to enhance black and white pictures.  This postcard appears to have used a dye that was printed over the image, then run through a printer more than once, allowing for easier mass production.  I think the card made two or three extra runs through the printer in order to achieve the different colors.  The outline around the red colored building in the foreground looks almost like a stencil cutout.  The lighter tinted or dyed building at the left has less color bleeding into the background.  It is possible that a light blue dye or tint was added to the sky.  The card would be considered a souvenir card. It was among several others found in a jumble box at a local antique mall.  

There is scaffolding around the towers on the mosque seen at the left side of the photo.  Without identification of the building it is difficult to tell if this is a new structure that hasn’t yet been fully completed, or a very old one that was undergoing some renovation. 

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Cairo_Citadel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand-colouring_of_photographs 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_and_crescent