Dutch term – Prentbriefkaart

A prentbriefkaart or ansichtkaart is a postcard. Postcards became popular in the early 1900s. Old postcards can give you a good idea of what the town looked like when your ancestors were living there.

It’s also worth asking family members if any of them have old postcards. Among the papers I inherited from my grandfather and grandmother were postcards they sent each other when they were engaged and he was serving in the military.

Digitized postcards can often be found on websites of archives or historical societies. This will only include older postcards because more recent ones will be protected by copyright. You can also try auction sites like EBay Delcampe, or Ansichtkaartenbeurs to buy originals.

postcard

Postcard of Marken, early 1900s. Source: Wikimedia (public domain)

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands. She holds the Certified Genealogist credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists and has a post-graduate diploma in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee. She has been doing genealogy for over 30 years and helps people from across the world find their ancestors in the Netherlands. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Erik Schmidt says

    Een goede site is ook delcampe,net.

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