Lot #825: Vintage 1900s "Enniskillen" Ireland (UK) Postcard (Evelyn Wrench, London) - High Street Enniskillen - Horse Era - "Printed in Saxony"

Vintage 1900s "Enniskillen" UK Postcard, used, showing the high street in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland (UK at the time), showing at least five cart- or dray-horses (and no motor cars) with the caption "Enniskillen" and the publisher indicated as "The Wrench series" and place of manufacture as "Printed in Saxony". Also instruction: "This space may be used for communications in the British Isles only (Post Office Regulations" No Stamp. Never postally used, but bears the ink message on reverse: "Dear Alice, You shall have two p.C.s this time s I didn't send you one for your birthday. I suppose this is the place where the Enniskillen Dragoons grow. Dumps." The Publisher, Evelyn Wrench, with his "Wrench Series" was one of the most aggressive and successful postcard publishers in London at the turn of the century. Before WWI, Germany (specifically Saxony) led the world in Chromolithography and Collotype technology. Wrench, like many top-tier British publishers, outsourced his printing to Saxony (thus, "Printed in Saxony") to achieve a level of detail that British presses couldn't yet match. The "British Isles Only" Instruction is a vital diagnostic for dating. This specific wording appeared between only 1902 and 1904. Prior to 1902, the back was for the address only; after 1904, the "divided back" was standardized for all international destinations. This places the card almost certainly in the 1902–1904 window. The Subject of Enniskillen High Street in the Horse Era provides a "Baseline" for pre-motorized urban transport. The presence of five carts or dray-horses—and the absolute absence of motor cars—documents a 19th-century logistics model. These horses were the "engines" of Enniskillen’s commerce, hauling goods from the Lough Erne steamers or the railway station to the local shops. The message from "Dumps" to "Alice" adds a layer of dry, Edwardian wit to the card. Dumps is referencing the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, a famous cavalry regiment of the British Army. The joke that this is where they "grow" (like a crop) is a nod to the town's deep military identity as a "Garrison Town." In addition, the "Two P.C.s" apology reflects the social etiquette of the era, where missing a birthday required a "double-up" of postcards as a form of social penance. This card thus dates from the Early Divided Back era (c. 1902–1904) Dimensions: 9 mm x 14 mm Pickup category timeslot {A}