The 2000s

The mobile phone becomes ordinary. Email replaces the letter. Social networks gather friends in glowing rectangles. The postcard, already rare, becomes a deliberate gesture.

Print quality is sharp and glossy, the images often digital photographs of city breaks, gap years, music festivals. The handwriting is still there, but the message is shorter, sometimes just ‘wish you were here’ with a smile.

Cards from this decade are survivors of a transition. They were written despite the easy option, carried home from a shop, stamped and posted with intention.