He probably did so as a practical joke on the postal service, since the image is a caricature of workers in the post office.

Hook posted the card, which bears a penny black stamp, to himself in 1840 from Fulham (part of London).

The earliest known picture postcard was a hand-painted design on card created by the writer Theodore Hook. Д¬ards with messages have been sporadically created and posted by individuals since the beginning of postal services. The study and collecting of postcards is termed deltiology (from Greek deltion, small writing tablet, and English -logy, the study of). As an easy and quick way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular. Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While a postcard is usually printed and sold by a private company, individual or organization, a postal card is issued by the relevant postal authority (often with pre-printed postage). Stamp collectors distinguish between postcards (which require a postage stamp) and postal cards (which have the postage pre-printed on them). In some places, one can send a postcard for a lower fee than a letter. state of Michigan, and coconut 'postcards' from tropical islands. There are novelty exceptions, such as wooden postcards, copper postcards sold in the Copper Country of the U.S. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. Example of a court card, postmarked 1899, showing Robert Burns and his cottage and monument in AyrДЄ postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope.

Staples postcard