Flea Market Ephemera

I uncovered these three postcards at the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen in Paris last year, and just now remembered that I had them! They were hiding away in a nondescript white envelope under my bed in a box of memorabilia. (Is it just me who keeps boxes of random sentimental crap under the bed??)

I remember rifling through rows and rows of old postcards, and something about the design or handwritten letters on the back caught my eye. I think what really takes it up a notch is the presence of an actual stamp and a somewhat legible message. I can only read one of these, but isn’t vintage cursive handwriting beautiful? It makes me a little bit sad that cursive is on its way out of public school education. Imagine, in 500 years, people might not be able to decipher cursive at all!

Postcards, or even old photographs, are such a budget-friendly souvenir to take home from a flea market. They take up virtually no space in suitcases and the experience of searching for the most beautiful is really satisfying.


{rough translation: “My dear Papa, I am late in writing but it has been beautiful and … I am happy to see you Saturday at 4 o’clock at Printemps.”}

P.S.: I’m going to be writing a post on the Marché at Saint-Ouen sometime soon, complete with photos, directions, and advice.

Do you write in cursive still? and also, let me know if you keep boxes of nostalgia under your bed or in your closet :)

I'm a Californian in my mid-twenties who studied Art History and lived in France for 3 years. I blog honestly about my travels, share my thoughts on life, and get poetic about art and photography. I also sell prints of my photographs on Etsy.

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