Date of use : 1903 Spain

1903 Postcard to Photographer Bougault

This postcard was sent from Tarragona, Spain, on November 27, 1903, to Toulon, France, and arrived three days later on November 30, 1903. The recipient was French photographer Alexandre Bougault (1851–1911).

Bougault participated in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, and after the war, he turned to photography. In 1893, he established his own studio in Toulon at 3 Place de la Liberté, where he worked on various photographic projects for L'Illustration magazine and the French Navy. His work made significant contributions to the visual memory of the era.

Around 1907, he moved his studio to Biskra, Algeria, where he produced one of the earliest photographic reports documenting the region's natural landscapes, daily life, and local culture. Bougault passed away on September 4, 1911. After his death, his son continued the work, and the family studio remained active until 1940.

Bougault and his son produced high-quality postcards and album prints using the phototypie (collotype) process—a halftone-free printing technique using bichromated gelatin on a glass surface. These postcards were generally printed by Bergeret & Cie in Nancy or by the Lévy brothers in Paris. Bougault's photographs often depicted French naval ships, harbor scenes, and moments from the North African campaigns. Today, many of these images are preserved in institutional collections, especially in the catalog of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF).

On the reverse side of the postcard, there is a short message written in Spanish by a woman named Josefa Tayol. The message reads:

Dear Sir,

I kindly ask you to confirm the receipt of my registered letter. I am surprised that you did not receive the postcards. Please let me know whether you received them.

With sincere regards,

Josefa Tayol

Tarragona, November 27, 1903

This brief correspondence not only reflects the communication between two individuals but also illustrates the speed of postal services of the time, the professional network among photographers, and the widespread use of the phototypie printing technique.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
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