J.C. Wilson & Co. | Postcards with Song Backs

This copy of a J.C. Wilson patriotic postcard is the latest use of the cards of this variety that I have encountered thusfar, among uses that have generally been late in the period of use of the postcards, suggesting to me that these varieties may have been an experiment towards the end of the time that J.C. Wilson was producing these cards.

Above, the front of the card, and below, a detail of the printed song. This song was catalogued by Henry Gates as Song Type 2.

This example of the “Anglo-Saxon” design, WLS-P06 Type I, shows a pair of songs, The Star-Spangled Banner, and The Old Union Jack, corresponding to the theme of the “One Aim, One Goal” of the USA & Canada that the card’s message conveyed.

Below, a detail of the songs:

Below, a copy of the front of the postcard, stamped but not mailed.

A second example of the “Anglo-Saxon” design, WLS-P06 Type I, shows a pair of songs, The Star-Spangled Banner, and The Old Union Jack, corresponding to the theme of the “One Aim, One Goal” of the USA & Canada that the card’s message conveyed. This copy has been postally used July 13, 1900, from Wolfeville NS to Schenectady, NY.

Below, an image of the card front.

While Gates listed a single variety of this card, a second, rare, variation has since been found which provides Song Back 15, “When Johnny Canuck Comes Home”, on the reverse of the card, and is designated P-2.

Below, the front of the card, mailed from Sarnia in 1903.

A second copy has also been found, postally used earlier than the first copy, being sent by J.W. Lambly of the Equitable Life Assurance Society in Montreal to R.W. Williams in Three Rivers Quebec on July 30, 1900. The card bears a 1¢ QV Numeral with a Montreal Flag “A” cancel and a Three Rivers receiving cancellation of the same date.

Henry Gates, in his work "Canada: Patriotics, The Wilson Series" refers to a single variation of this postcard, in the series he designated as ”Soldiers of the Queen—Type I”. He denoted this card as P-1. A second very rare variation has been added, which includes patriotic Song Back 13, “Soldiers of the Queen”, on the reverse.

Above, the full card back, below, the detail of the song, "The Soldiers of the Queen", known to Gates as No. 13. The text at the bottom of the song notes "[By Pe]rmission of The Anglo-Canadian Music Publisher Assoc'n Limited, Toronto". Unfortunately, the left margin of the song has been trimmed in what appears to be an effort to fit the card into a photo album.

The bottom image shows the front of the card.

Postcard Song Backs

Henry Gates was not familiar with the variation of J.C. Wilson’s series of patriotic postcards that included a scaled down version of patriotic song backs, similar to that printed on the company’s patriotic envelopes. Kenneth Rowe noted in his The Postal History of the Canadian Contingents, Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902, that he knew of a single example of “When Johnny Canuck Comes Home” being printed on the back of a postcard, but no other instance.

While 18 different versions of patriotic songs have been found on the backs of J.C. Wilson envelopes, a much lesser number are known to have occurred on patriotic postcards.

Click on the images at left for examples of several patriotic postcard designs incorporating song backs.

J.C. Wilson & Co.

Postcards with Patriotic Song Backs