Postcard History

By Clarissa Ferraris & Jean-Luc Perrigault

Born in 1949 in the rear of a small general store in Châtellerault, France, a small city not far from Poitiers, Jean-Luc Perrigault spent his childhood in Tours near a museum of fine arts and a cathedral but also most importantly near spinning racks of postcards!

To describe Perrigault’s style when creating postcards, we need the word “eclectic.” It is a mild word for his style. His postcards are recognized as having several drawings in each image. Observing each of them will push you to interpret the message.

In 1966 Perrigault went to Paris for his studies and in 1996 he began working at “Institut Géographique National” where he was in a world of maps. This influence can be seen in his design of postcards like Gandhi.

During those years, inspired by the city-views, he placed his easel on the footbridge of the Pont des Arts in Paris that overlooks the River Seine. 

From maps (Cartes in French) to postcards (Cartes Postales) it was an easy leap for Jean-Luc!

France has a cult for the modern postcard, defined as one printed after 1975, the year of publication of the first Neudin catalog. Most postcard “salons,” as “postcard shows” are called there, not only publish a special postcard for advertisement, but also have tables where illustrators can meet customers.

Currently, JP Luc has created more than 600 designs. It is not easy, almost impossible to collect them all, as some are sold out because of small-run printings, often less than twenty-five copies.

Some are hand painted, like these examples: #64 of 90 (left) and #87/90 (right).

Jean-Luc’s cards are not limited to advertising postcard salons, this example (left) is for a perfume fair. While looking at this postcard you can imagine the aroma from the perfumes. 

The sample (above, right) is for a numismatic event showing a Viking ship under sail with coins. Often, information such as a date of the postcard is found on the address-side in Roman numerals.

Others of Perrigault’s postcards are more political such as these examples that celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome in 2007 and the 1992 Maastricht Treaty that established the European Union.

JP Luc has also covered some more recent events, like the war in Ukraine.

Perrigault also loves nature and is inspired by it. This last example is his attempt to celebrate butterflies or lepidopterology.

He has received numerous awards through the years, among them are: “Prix de la ville d’Enghien” in 1991, “La carte d’Argent” from the city of Nantes in 1992. He also received professional recognition by minister Francois Bayrou for “Palmares Academiques” and was promoted to the “Officier de l’Ordre.”

To receive regular information about JP Luc you can receive his monthly newsletter that announces all of his new postcards. Subscribe at: https://perigoluc.wixsite.com/jeanlucperrigault.