Talk ‘John Hinde and his Colour County Wicklow Postcards’ with James Scannell

Wicklow Library, Thursday 27th October

In the 1950s, the quality of colour picture postcards left a lot to be desired.  One man, John Hinde, had a clear vision of what a colour picture postcard should look like, from image composition to colour reproduction and finish. He successfully achieved this vision in his famous ‘Beautiful Ireland’ series of postcard.  After setting up his company in Cabinteely, County Dublin, Hinde went on to be one of the largest and most successful publishers of colour picture postcards in the world.

In his talk,  ‘John Hinde and his Colour County Wicklow Postcards’, local historian James Scannell will trace the origin of the picture postcard, providing examples of the types of colour picture postcards circulating in County Wicklow in the 1950s prior to the arrival of John Hinde on the scene. He will discuss the John Hinde technique which revolutionised how colour picture postcards looked and were produced, and the effect that that technique had on his competitors in an era when modern day computer technology did not exist.

The talk will conclude with a selection of John Hinde colour picture postcard views of various County Wicklow locations as they looked like some 60 years ago and, using more modern images of these locations, he will show how these places have changed in appearance over this passage of time.

The talk will take place at Wicklow Library, in the exhibition space on the third floor on Thursday, October 27th at 7pm.

Contact Wicklow Library on 040467025 or email Wicklowlocalstudies@wicklowcoco.ie to book your place.