"Spicy" entertainment in pre-revolutionary Russia: What jokes were exchanged by high society

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Postcards appeared in Russia in the 1870s, and after a few years one of the most "piquant" entertainments of high society was the gentle but sarcastic teasing each other with the help of a fashionable novelty - postcards with pictures. In addition to children and flowers, they very quickly thought of printing very ambiguous wishes and illustrations for them. Having received some of these "congratulations" one could seriously think about it.

Interestingly, the world's oldest postcard, sent in England on July 14, 1840, was also humorous. It was discovered only in 2001, but its authenticity is beyond doubt. On an open postcard, a hand-drawn watercolor caricature of the postal workers is shown sitting with huge feathers around one inkwell, and at the bottom is the inscription: "Penny Penates".

The author of this cartoon is the English writer and famous joker Theodore Hook. He made the drawing himself and sent it to himself, although, probably, at the same time, he was "tagged" at the very postal workers who, on duty, were supposed to see the drawing. The joke card was auctioned off in 2002 for £ 31,750 ($ 44,300), the largest amount ever paid for a card.

Penny Penates was ahead of its time by several decades: 25 years later, in 1865, a proposal to send postcards was considered at the German-Austrian Congress, but the project was rejected due to the "indecent form of sending messages on an open mailing list." However, after a few years, questions of decency ceased to confuse everyone and postcards became one of the most popular ways of communication, and the idea of decorating them with drawings quickly turned into a great way to sell them at a higher price.

The first postcard in Russia appeared in 1872. The most common subjects at the end of the 19th century were, as today, congratulations on the holidays, religious subjects, children, cats, etc. Postcards printed on thick paper were considered quite expensive in the old days. Only wealthy people could afford it. It is interesting that at the same time they sometimes spent money in order not to please their acquaintances, but to play a trick on them.

The humor of pre-revolutionary postcards today is a separate topic for discussion. Such examples of ancient humor are today even called "royal memes" - because of the brevity and brightness of the images. It is surprising that for more than a hundred years, the topics for "jokes" have practically not changed. The postcards are still pretty self-explanatory and smiley, although some of the jokes may seem pretty daring.

Of course, one of the popular topics was ladies: their beauty (sometimes excessive), coquetry, marriage and family - all this remains relevant today.

Another "eternal theme" can be considered youth, which at all times behaves somehow differently:

As relevant as a hundred years ago, the postcard “I don’t take bribes and I despise, but I accept a monetary gift”:

Surprisingly, even jokes about vegetarianism, it turns out, are not a sign of our time:

And two more ageless themes: vocals and the weight of beautiful ladies:

Postcards are today not only a collectible, but also a rich material for historians. They very subtly at times reflect their era with all its "excesses": 20 ridiculous retro postcards issued in the 1950-1970s