H.M. Queen Elizabeth II – 1977

This lovely full length portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was taken by photographer Peter Grugeon F.R.P.S. at the time of Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee in 1977, and was issued as a commemorative postcard by John Hinde Ltd. She is wearing a tiara hung with pendant pearls known as the 'Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara', which was allegedly smuggled out of Russia during the Russian Revolution, whilst her necklace was originally created to honour Queen Victoria during her Golden Jubilee in 1887. The pale pink Royal Family Order of King George VI is seen pinned to the blue sash just below her the left-hand shoulder, with the pale blue Royal Family Order of King George V, of which Queen Elizabeth II is the only surviving member, immediately below it.

I remember that particular Jubilee, celebrating Queen Elizabeth's first 25 years on the throne, very well – it was one of the first Royal occasions to have made a real impression on me as a child, with summer street parties and Union Jack bunting flying everywhere.

This year, of course, sees the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II with celebrations throughout 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. In the UK a four-day holiday this weekend will honour her Diamond Jubilee, coinciding with the Queen's Official Birthday on 4 June. Hip Hip Hooray!

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The Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel – 1957

Vintage hotel advertising postcards are a fun specialisation for postcard collectors as they really seem to sum up the fashions of the day so beautifully – the advertising blurb on the back of the card will be sure to list all the mod cons, whilst the image often shows not only the hotel, but local sites too. This Plastichrome postcard printed by major Boston publisher Colourpicture (active 1938-1969) featuring the Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel in Indianapolis is a classic: all the Indianapolis landmarks are there – the downtown skyline, the 284-foot Soldiers and Sailors' Monument, and of course, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway illustrated by a wonderful 1950s racing car - whilst the reverse of the postcard promises “Free Sheraton Hotel Reservations” via the quaint-sounding and today very nearly obsolete “Teletype”.

The hotel itself, however, is the star of the show. Formerly known as simply the Hotel Lincoln, it was built in 1917-1918 by Chicago-school architects Rubush & Hunter, and was situated at 2 Kentucky Avenue. The tallest flatiron building ever built in Indianapolis, it was sadly demolished in 1973 to make way for the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis/PNC Center.

For comfort, convenience and sincere hospitality it's Sheraton-Lincoln – in the heart of Indianapolis. Each room has private bath, television, radio and circulating ice water. Air-conditioned guest rooms in season.

The postcard is rather flimsy and was probably issued as part of a picture booklet as the top edge has been cut in a way that accidentally includes a little of the following image. The print is a little off-kilter too, but this doesn't detract from the boldly stylish design. Posted in November 1957 it carries a lovely joined pair of 2 cent Thomas Jefferson postage stamps.

A great memento of a lost architectural gem.

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Vintage Russian Easter Card – 1911

I bought this lovely embossed Russian Easter postcard on a market stall in Rome some months ago and have been patiently waiting for Easter to come by again in order to share it here on the blog. I was attracted to the delicate hand finishing on the embossed catkins and pink background wash, but wasn't immediately aware that it was an Easter card. Luckily the woman who ran the stall was actually Russian and immediately translated the words "Христос воскрес!" as meaning “Christ is Risen!”

Catkins, of course, are a traditional Easter decoration being the very first signs of new plant life after the winter; as any allergy sufferer will confirm, catkins herald the coming of spring! According to Wikipedia, Russian Orthodox and various other Eastern European peoples also carry pussy willows on Palm Sunday instead of palm branches, blessing both palms and pussy willows in church.

If you'd like to read more about Russian Easter cards there's a wonderful resource here: Russian Easter Postcards.

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Happy Birthday Debbie Reynolds!

American actress and singer Debbie Reynolds is celebrating her 80th birthday today so this seems like an excellent occasion to post this vintage Italian postcard featuring the film star as she looked in the 1960s, when she appeared in a series of successes, most notably perhaps the 1964 movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Rotalfoto, Milano logo

No.97 in a series of Hollywood portraits printed in “Rotalcolor” from a Kodak Ektachrome photo by prolific Milan-based publisher Rotalfoto, the uncirculated postcard is undated, but the reverse of the card carries a few clues as to when it was issued: the company's distinctive logo – a scroll with the name Rotalfoto wrapped around a globe - includes the title “Rotalcolor” written above it, an extra detail which was added to the insignia during the late 1960s.

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Italian Track Cycling World Championships Maximum Card - 1968

In 1968 the UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held in Rome and the Italian Post Office (Poste Italiane) issued a pair of commemorative stamps to mark the occasion. Issued on the first day of the championships on 26 August of that year, this vintage postcard is an excellent example of a “maximum card” - a postcard carrying a postage stamp on the picture side, rather than the reverse of the card, where the stamp, cancellation and postcard are in concordance.

The 25 lire postage stamp was designed by R. Ferrini and features a dramatic view of a racing bicycle as it flies around the Olympic Velodrome (Velodromo Olimpico) in Rome. Constructed for the 1960 Summer Olympics, the Velodrome was little used in subsequent years and the 1968 track events appear to have been its last. It was eventually pulled down in 2008.

The first day of issue postcard was produced as a philatelic collectors item by the Circolo Filatelico Numismatico “G.Piani”, a stamp and coin collectors circle based in Imola, and was stamped and numbered by them as No. 1529 on the reverse, although I have no idea as to how limited the edition might have been. The artist signed postcard was printed by another local Imola firm Galeati. Coincidentally, the other stamp in the pair – not seen on this postcard - celebrated the 1968 UCI Road World Championships which were held in Imola.

The Tour de France has its yellow jersey, the Giro d'Italia a pink jersey, but the UCI awards a rainbow jersey and gold medal to the winner, hence the rainbow badge in the bottom right hand corner.

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Find more vintage postcards over at Beth's postcard blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy and join other collectors on Postcard Friendship Friday.