Antique & Vintage Postcards

A charming illustrated West Highland White Terrier dressed in a tartan tam-o'-shanter and a jaunty red-and-black checked kerchief gazes skyward amid painted Scottish heather — the cover of a Valentine's "Mail Novelty" fold-out souvenir card sent from Edinburgh with "Best Wishes," signed by Philomena in a looping copperplate hand. Lift the dog-portrait flap and a concertina of ten crisp black-and-white photographic views tumbles out: Princes Street Looking East, Princes Street Looking West, Edinburgh From the Castle, Edinburgh Castle & National Gallery, Princes Street Gardens, and more — a miniature grand tour of Edwardian and early-interwar Edinburgh captured in silvery halftone detail, including horse-drawn and early motor vehicles that date the street scenes to the 1910s–1920s. The illustrated cover was painted by Florence E. Valter, a prolific British animal artist whose dog studies for Valentine's are eagerly collected. The back is printed "Printed Paper Mailing Novelty — Shape Passed by the G.P.O. for Printed Paper Postage Rate," with the instruction "To Open Raise Flap," numbered 303 in pencil, and carries a faint addressed recipient panel (illegible). A delightful crossover piece for Scottie/Westie dog collectors, Edinburgh topography enthusiasts, and novelty postcard specialists alike.