A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Easter Witch
An Easter witch is a traditional character of Easter week as celebrated in Sweden. It was long believed that the power of witches was strong this time of year and it became tradition during the 19th century to leave decorated invitations to a witches’ Sabbath at the doors of friends and neighbors. By the 1890’s printed postcards had replaced the older handmade cards and they became very common. Illustrators became more creative with this genre as time went on depicting these witches in a variety of manner from old hags to pretty young girls to sexy women. Visiting homes for food and playing pranks were common activities for costumed revelers during Easter week. Children still dress up as witches on Easter Eve.

Edition
An edition is the sum total number of printed copies of one work published at a single time. Individual pieces within limited editions are numbered. On French postcards the term Edition is used as a prefix to a name denoting the publisher.

Electrography
Electrography is a form of electroplating in which a wood engraving can be cast in metal for use in xylography. A paper or plaster cast is made of the wood block, which is then coated with a very thin layer of lead. By placing the coated cast into a solution containing iron, and creating an electric circuit between them, the iron molecules slowly deposit themselves onto the lead until it forms a sturdy duplicate of the original image. While wood blocks could only be used on flatbed presses since they could not be bent, this metal replica could be made strong yet thin enough to be stereotyped onto a rotary press.

Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the arrangement of all possible forms of electromagnetic radiation in the order of their wavelengths, ranging from gamma rays, to x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves.

Electronic Separations
An electronic separation is an electronically scanned image stored as digital information, which is then easily separated into individual colors by using computer software.

Electrostatic Printing (Electron Photography)
Electrostatic printing is a plateless printing method invented by Chester F. Carlson in 1938, in which a copy of an original can be made by creating a temporary printing surface through electrostatic means. When an electrically charged selenium coated cylinder (drum) is hit with small beams of light reflecting off an image’s surface, the cylinder loses its electrical charge in those specific areas. After a powdered toner is applied, it only sticks to the non-charged parts of the cylinder. Paper is then mechanically laid against the cylinder transferring the toner to its surface where it is then bonded to it with heat. Powders in CYMK colors are used to make color copies. This technology is used in copy machines and laser printers.

Embossing
Embossing is the process of pressing a molded die form into a flat sheet of paper to create a design in relief. After a sheet of paper is printed on, it is embossed by running it through two die forms; a bas-relief die (male) which is placed on the press bed, while the mold-like die (female) applies pressure to the paper from above. The female die is sometimes heated to help recast the paper around the male die. Because it was more difficult to align paper over an irregular die, pins were often used for precise registration but they left small holes behind in the image. Paper can be embossed for affect without the need for ink and registration. Embossing was also a common feature on novelty postcards and is most often found on greeting cards. Some cards were embossed into such a high decorative relief that they required no printing on them at all, though airbrush was often employed to color them. When the uneven surface of a high relief made them too difficult to write on, they were backed by another flat sheet. The introduction of the French fold on greeting cards also solved this problem.

Emigrant Agent
A emigrant agent gives technical assistance to those wishing to immigrate to another country. They were often agents of steamship companies or large employers looking for cheap labor. They often preyed on the poor and illiterate in communities suffering from economic decline. Postcards, especially those of industrial scenes became one of their crucial tools in depicting a land where there were good jobs for all. While the services these agents provided were important to many they also played an important role in non voluntary emigration.

Emulsion
An emulsion is a combination of two immiscible liquids where the globules formed will intermix consistently. Emulsions are often made to create photosensitive coatings to be applied to film, paper, or printing plates. Albumen, collodion, and gelatin are common emulsion bases.

Engraving
An engraving is a type of intaglio print created by incising a sheet of metal with specially designed engraving burins. This tool pushes metal out from the plate leaving smooth edged lines with tapered ends. The process itself is also referred to as engraving or line engraving. A variation of this process is stipple engraving, where small holes are made by a different type of burin to create tone though an accumulating density of marks. Engraved plates are printed in a traditional intaglio manner, and tend to be very durable, suitable for large press runs. The process of engraving however is time consuming and is a highly skilled craft making it too expensive to use on postcards.

Esperanto
Esperanto is a flexible universal language developed by the Litvish Jew, Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof. The first Esperanto Grammar was published in 1887. Esperanto was intended to be a universal second language to support better understanding between nations. The first Esperanto World Congress was held in 1905 to help spread these goals. There are at least a million speakers today if not all fluently. A number of postcards were published in this language.

Etching
An etching is a type of intaglio print created by incising a sheet of metal through chemical means. The metal is first coated with an acid resist and once dry it can then be drawn upon with a metal scribe that does not disturb the metal but only removes the resist from its surface. When the plate is placed in a bath of acid, the metal devolves only where the resist was removed creating an incised surface. The lines that are formed have rough edges do to the chemical action of the acid. When washed clean the plate can be printed in a traditional intaglio manner. This entire process is also referred to as etching, as well as the specific activity of placing a plate in acid. Etchings are not as durable as engravings so they were rarely used for commercial work. A number of small European publishers used etchings to create hand printed postcards.

Ethernet
The Ethernet is a local area network (LAN) protocol developed in 1976 that allows networking over cable systems by transmitting data at high speeds.

Exaggeration Cards
An exaggeration cards is a type of humorous fantasy postcard where an element of the composition is enlarged in size beyond plausibility. The most common exaggerated objects were fruit and vegetables but small animals, fish, and insects appear on these cards as well. Most of these cards were produced in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada between 1905 and 1915 but they are not limited to this place and time. While some cards were printed the majority take the form of real photo postcards using photomontage, which played on the notion that photographs don’t lie. They were first known as freak cards and later tall tale cards.

Excelsior (Always Upward)
The term Excelsior was used as a trade name for type of gravure postcard distributed by the American News Company. It was promoted as the highest quality black & white card on the market, and most customers chose this type over their cheaper Monotone version. Almost all cards in this series are printed in black & white, but there are some examples issued in monochromes of blue and sepia as well as more rare cards that were both printed in color and hand colored.

Exotic
Exotic is a label given to a place, people, culture, or thing in order to engage interest through emphasizing differences. Artistic and literary works have long used the exotic as marketing ploy. It plays the human tendency to have a natural curiosity about the unfamiliar against our desire to remain safe from the unknown. Common traits within humanity are overlooked to exaggerate the difference that will set the exotic apart and ultimately render it inferior to the observer no matter how appealing. While outwardly the exotic is usually presented in a positive light, danger lies just beneath its surface for added excitement. Unfortunately this type of depiction can also create a rational for the exploitation or destruction of that which is different from us, and it was widely employed to further imperialist aims. Many postcards were produced with exotic themes.

Exposition Cards
An exposition card is a type of postcard issued as a souvenir for expositions and fairs. While these cards could be mailed many were collected as mementoes. Most expositions had an official set of cards made depicting its attractions that were sold on location. These sets can range from only a few cards to beyond one hundred. Other publishers often printed unofficial exposition cards as well that sold out of nearby shops. It was very common since the mid 19th century to hold regional and international expositions in order to promote trade, and postcards played an important role in this especially since 1893.