Hands Across the Sea Postcard

This is a woven silk postcard made by Thomas Stevens in Coventry and called a Stevengraph. The company invented this maunfacturing process. Some researchers claim the company produced their first woven silk postcard in July 1903 but this is not correct. From examples in the White Star Line collection this date could be as early as 1900. The cards were typically sold on board, in the barber's shop. The sentimental nature of the design - the clasped hands and the crossed flags - appealed to emigrants in particular. This example was posted from the Anchor Line steamer Caledonia, which entered service in 1905. Later, in 1916, the vessel was later torpedoed and sunk off Malta.