Antique & Vintage Postcards

A misty hillside retreat materializes through the eucalyptus and cedar — the main chalet-hotel of Aïn N'Sour, a small hill-station resort in the Blida Atlas mountains south of Algiers, sits on a verdant slope with laundry lines strung between the trees and the forested ridgeline fading into the distance. Published by Éditions E. Rey and photographed under the Cliché Milandre–Alger imprint, the card was sent with warm regards ("Bon souvenir") to Monsieur Cage at the Mairie de Rovigo, Algeria — a charming slice of pieds-noirs social correspondence. The affixed 40-centime Algerian stamp, Scott Algeria #71 (Touggourt-Marabout design, R.F. overprint, issued 1926), is still uncancelled, and at an average catalogue value of around $1–2 used, it adds modest philatelic interest. Aïn N'Sour was a beloved weekend escape for Algerians and settlers alike before independence in 1962.