Antique & Vintage Postcards

Five saddled donkeys stand patiently in a line on a sandy Irish beach, their colorful panniers and bridles bright against the blue of Killarney's waters, in this charming Edwardian souvenir card that captures a quintessential image of early Irish tourism — the famous jaunting-car donkeys of Killarney, County Kerry, beloved by Victorian and Edwardian visitors who rode them through the Gap of Dunloe and along the shores of Lough Leane. The printed caption reads simply "Just a Line from Killarney," a play on the accordion-fold leporello insert concealed within: a miniature pull-out strip of black-and-white photographic views of Killarney's scenery, including a stone bridge with water reflection, a ruined castle with jaunting car, and the dramatic mountain vista labeled "Eagle's Nest" — one of Killarney's most celebrated viewpoints. The publisher's slip inside reads "Killarney — Valentine, Dundee, London, Dublin," confirming this as a Valentine & Sons production, a companion piece to the Dublin Irish Stew novelty card in this lot. The card is unused and unposted, with the leporello insert intact and fully functional, making it an especially complete example of this desirable novelty format.