Album of postcards from travels to Eastern Asia

Inv. No.: P3679 / 4087
 

Ivan Koršič (1870 – 1941), Navy Chaplain and superior in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, was a great postcard collector. He was born in Solkan (modern-day Slovenia) and served primarily in the base of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in Pula. The postcards kept in the album were sent to him by seamens who sailed on board Austro-Hungarian Navy ships to Eastern Asia between 1904 and 1913. One of them brought him probably also the album from Japan. After Ivan Koršič's death, the album was inherited by his relatives from Solkan. In 1973, they sold it to the Maritime Museum »Sergej Mašera« Piran.

 

The album boasts an black lacquered wooden binding with the application of mother of pearl. The wooden pages inside are dressed in hand-painted fabric with Asian motifs. The album was made in Japan for foreigners. On 24 pages of the album one can admire 96 postcards from the places visited by ships on their voyages from the Adriatic Sea to Eastern Asia. The majority of postcards are from China and Japan. The postcards are equipped with postmarks, while some of them include the sender's text as well. 

 

Where it was made: Japan, Austro-Hungarian Empire …
Dated to: early 20th century
Materials:  wood, mother of pearl, silk, paper
Measurements: width 37 cm, height 27 cm, thickness 8.5 cm