The choice of the publisher to associate this card with a Scottish clan and the Royal Arms of Scotland tells us a lot about the status of the country and its clans during this time period. It is unlikely that the publisher would have made this design choice had it not made the postcard more desirable to buyers and therefore increased sales. This means that the people of Scotland took pride in their country and family history and, in turn, chose to purchase postcards which represented these values. Similar to an Instagram 'bio' today, people could send postcards to everyone in their social circle and it was important that the face of these postcards represented their background and interests. Moreover, like an Instagram post, the postcard allowed them to write a brief update on what they were doing and share it with family and friends (Gillen, 2016). At the time, there were up to six postage deliveries a day, meaning that a postcard could be sent and received very quickly and therefore allowed social networking to occur through the use of the postcard (Gillen, 2016).

In the tourist market, aesthetics were more important than broadcasting loyalty to a clan or to Scotland, and one might simply purchase a postcard because it reminded them of their time in the country. This is when the image of Loch Earn comes into play. The publisher’s use of Loch Earn in the postcard tells us that it was either a popular tourist destination at the time, or that they hoped it would become one. If I lived in London and saw a postcard with Loch Earn on it, I would be enticed to travel there and see the beautiful landscape in person. This aspect of the postcard therefore demonstrates the impact that the content of a postcard could have on the rising tourism industry, and the benefit that this had on both the publisher and the community.

See the Canadian postage stamp, postmark, and address

It is interesting to note that my postcard was sent (and likely purchased) within Canada, rather than from Scotland as one might assume. This is because the postcard is postmarked in 1914, a time when the postcard printing industry was still developing in North America. During this time, European publishers took advantage of their dominance in the industry and exported millions of postcards to Canada and the United States (“The History of,” 2011). By 1907, European publishers accounted for 75% of all postcards sold in the USA (“The History of,” 2011). So, seeing as the buyer had no known connections to Scotland or the Robertson clan, and that the card was sent on Christmas Eve, they likely simply chose this postcard for its festive message and appealing theme. 

To summarize, this postcard holds significant historical value as it helps us to understand the social/cultural norms, tourism industry, level of patriotism, and the status of the postcard industry during this time.