I have actually sent a lot of postcards unprotected through
the post. From such diverse locations as Canada the UK, Northern Europe, Africa,
South Asia, Brazil and even far northern Queensland with just the stamp on the
back and an address, without problem. A few took a while to arrive,
particularly through the Covid 19 lockdowns. In one late delivery, I had
forgotten to add the postcode!
Being watercolour and paper many people worry they are not strong enough and will suffer water damage to smudge or lift the painting. Yes, water damage is a real potential problem but within Australia, the Postal Service does have a pretty good track record. Of course, providing the recipient has a waterproof mailbox!
Concerning the robustness of any watercolour postcard it
depends mainly on the thickness and weight of the paper. Cotton-based
watercolour papers are actually quite robust but I have not tried sending
anything less than 200 gsm homemade postcards. Most of the commercial cards are
either 230 gsm or 300 gsm. As far as I know, none have arrived scuffed, creased or damaged. Some wood-pulp-based paper in cheaper watercolour pads
feels a lot softer and may require posting in an envelope.
Speaking of which you can always put your postcard in an
envelope. Standard envelopes available for letters might prove a little tight.
Just refold the top flap to accommodate the card’s width. Given
envelopes are also made of paper they will not guarantee that there is never a possibility of water or physical damage.
As far as future provenance is concerned, I romantical have
the view that future generations, even art historians or curators might enjoy
researching the postmarks and stamp designs. Even today something sent through
the post is considered quaint and more authentic.
No comments:
Post a Comment