‘Forgotten Images' brings history to life

Express Tribune

27-04-2025

SNIPPETS FROM THE PAST: Images of old Murree painted on vintage postcards show sceneries of the hilltop city from Pre-Partition Pakistan. The postcards were showcased at the 'Forgotten Images' session hosted at a private hotel in the federal capital. PHOTO: ZUNAIRAH QURESHI/EXPRESS
Collecting stamps, coins, postcards and the like may appear to be a hobby of the past, but as the layer of dust upon them thickens, these tokens only continue to amass greater value as historic artefacts.
This was fascinatingly exemplified at the presentation of a collection of postcards from across Pre-Partition Pakistan by legendary art historian and author Fakir Syed Aijazuddin, OBE, which was based on his latest book, 'Forgotten Images: Postcards of Pre-Pakistan, 1890-1947'. The session was hosted by the Asian Study Group and attended by a packed audience of diplomats and citizens keen on the subject.
Aijazuddin opened the session by introducing his interest in deltiology, the study and collection of postcards. A flip-through across postcards through the decades, each boasting images of scenic landscapes, iconic architectural structures and cultural moments depicted how the old medium of communication held more than just the senders' heartfelt messages.
Each postcard had a unique story to tell, not just through its image, but also through the words scrawled upon it, and even through its form – the kind of paper the card was made from and whether it was hand-painted or carried a black and white photograph told of its origins and the trajectory it took as it traversed continents.
The presenter displayed a scanned copy of a postcard sent in 1905 by Alexandra Feodorovna, to-be Russian Empress, to her cousin Goerge, later King Geroge V, in which she writes to him fondly, thanking him for the books he had sent and lamenting about how they did not meet anymore. The message, preserved in time by way of the postcard, provides historians with a window into the royals' casual and intimate lives, allowing them to gain greater insight into the lives of the historic figures and the development of their future political relations.
'While today, postcards have been replaced by digital messaging, at one point in time, they were themselves adopted as a more efficient means of communication, replacing letters. Postcards did not only require less words but were visual mementos that could be sent back to family and friends during one's travels,' explained Aijazuddin.
He took the audience through postcards from different regions of Pakistan, starting from Karachi and going through the major cities, marking iconic landmarks such as the Mall Road of Murree, Frere Hall in Karachi, Aitchson College in Lahore and others, each of which served as snapshots of familiar areas in the time of the British Raj.
Other cards carried advertisements by beverage companies, images of influential figures, regional communities and illustrations depicting local culture that foreigners in Pre-Partition Pakistan found particularly amusing. The presenter added that the most popular scenic postcards belonged to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region as they depicted the area's mountainous beauty, which appealed to many.
'In present day, postcards are considered valuable antiques and artefacts which are traded between collectors for large sums of money. So, if you happen to have any postcards or similar pieces of history, I suggest you hold onto it,' said Aijazuddin, concluding his presentation.
Towards the end, audience members were able to purchase the book, 'Forgotten Images', which contains the full stories and images of Aijazuddin's vast collection, and get it signed by the author.