157 Years Of Postcards: From Austria’s First Card To India’s Digital Era

The humble postcard, once a familiar sight in households across India, completed 157 years of its global journey on October 1, 2026. First issued in Austria on October 1, 1869, the postcard has witnessed the evolution of communication from handwritten messages and letters delivered by postmen to the era of telephones, the internet and social media.

More than just a piece of paper, postcards have served as a means of sharing personal messages, wedding invitations, greetings and well-wishes, while also documenting historical events and social movements.

Austria Issued The World's First Postcard In 1869

The idea of a postcard is attributed to an Austrian official, Kolbensteiner, who shared the concept with Dr Emanuel Herrmann, a professor of economics at the Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt.

Herrmann wrote an article about the proposal in a newspaper on January 26, 1869. Following the proposal, Austria's postal administration introduced the world's first postcard on October 1, 1869.

The first postcard was yellow and measured 122 mm in length and 85 mm in width. One side was reserved for the recipient's address, while the other provided space for a written message.

India Introduced Postcards In 1879 At Three Paise

Postcards arrived in India in 1879, when the first cards were introduced at a price of just three paise. Printed in a light brown shade, they carried the inscription “East India Postcard”.

The cards featured the coat of arms of Great Britain in the centre and a portrait of Queen Victoria in reddish-brown ink in the upper-right corner.

The format quickly gained popularity. During the first three quarters after its introduction, postcards worth approximately ₹7.5 lakh were sold, according to historical accounts.

Four Postcard Categories Merged Into One

Indian post offices previously offered four categories of postcards at different prices:

• Meghdoot postcard: 25 paise
• Ordinary postcard: 50 paise
• Printed postcard: ₹6
• Competition postcard: ₹10

From December 20, 2024, these categories were consolidated into a single “Postcard” category.

Ahmedabad Campaign Sets Guinness World Record

The postcard also made headlines in Ahmedabad in October 2025, when the Gujarat Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Cooperation Department, along with the Department of Posts, organised a “Dhanyavaad Postcard Abhiyan” at the Sabarmati Riverfront.

During the campaign, citizens wrote more than 1.11 crore postcards expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister. The initiative was recognised with a Guinness World Record, according to the information provided by the organisers.

The campaign demonstrated how a traditional communication medium could still be used for large-scale public participation in the digital age.

As communication continues to evolve, the postcard remains a reminder of a time when a handwritten message carried personal meaning, travelled across distances and often became a keepsake long after it was received.