A Provenanced Edwardian & WWI-Era Collection from Bigadon House, Buckfastleigh, Devon
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To see the complete catalogue list of the contents of this remarkable album, click here: https://www.objetdart-stuff.co.uk/post/antique-postcard-album-of-miss-casley-c-1908-1923
Introduction – The Golden Age of the Postcard
Between 1902 and 1918, postcards were Britain’s social media.
Every class of society used them for affectionate greetings, travel notes, and everyday correspondence.
Publishers such as Raphael Tuck & Sons, Bamforth & Co., Beagles, Rotary Photo, and Valentine & Sons turned postcard design into an art form, producing embossed, tinted, and photographic cards that are now miniature windows into Edwardian life.
The album of Miss Elsie Elizabeth Casley represents that “Golden Age,” combining sentimental birthday cards, patriotic and comic scenes, and real photographs gathered as a cherished gift and kept through the First World War years.
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Miss Elsie Elizabeth Casley of Bigadon House
Research shows the Casley family resided near Buckfastleigh, Devon, at Bigadon House, a rural estate a short distance from Buckfast Abbey.
Parish and census references from the early 1900s list the Casleys among local farming and professional families.
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The album’s inscriptions—from “Beatie,” “Tom,” “Edith,” “Harry & Ethel and the Children”—reflect a close circle of relatives and friends across South Devon, Cardiff, Oxford, and London.
Postmarks between 1909 and 1923 confirm long-term correspondence and affection.
This provenance transforms a group of pretty cards into a tangible family archive of early-20th-century social history.
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🌸 Album Summary
Total items logged: 102 postcards
Time span: Circa 1908 – 1923
Primary publishers: Beagles, Bamforth, Valentine & Sons, Rotary Photo, Raphael Tuck & Sons, Wolineur Series, The Regent Publishing Co.
To see the full set of postcards listed in numerical order please click here.
