This offering is for 2 Different HAND-COLORED, postally used Circa 1927 POSTCARD VIEWS OF HONG KONG, including the FLOWER MARKET and a RESEVOIR. These postcards were removed from a large album of postcards assembled by Montessori Teacher Caryl Keating from Clinton, CT, who went on a cruise to Asia in the 1920's, travelling via the Panama Canal, San Francisco & Hawaii.

Per Gemini:

These postcards were crafted through a specialized technique popular for Japanese souvenir ephemera in the early 20th century.

Material

 Real Wood Veneer (Kyōgi): The card is not made of heavy timber or oak; rather, it is a micro-thin, shaved slice of natural Japanese wood (kyōgi), typically Japanese Cedar (Sugi) or Red Pine (Akamatsu).

 Backing & Laminate: To achieve standard postcard thickness and structural stability, the paper-thin wood slice was backed onto a cardstock layer or bonded into a multi-ply wood laminate. The prominent horizontal grain running across both front and back confirms it is genuine wood rather than a printed texture.

Printing & Surface Finish

 Collotype or Offset Lithography: The image was printed directly onto the wood surface using lithography or collotype, a process that allowed fine photographic details to be reproduced sharply without bleeding into the wood fibers.

 Glossy Lacquer/Varnish Finish: After printing, a thin layer of clear varnish, shellac, or nitrocellulose lacquer was applied over the front image. This sealed the ink, protected the delicate wood fibers, enhanced color contrast, and created the glossy, reflective finish you see.

Context & Production

During the 1910s and 1920s, Tokyo souvenir publishers produced these real-wood novelty postcards (ki-no-ehagaki) specifically for Western tourists and international export. The bilingual text ("Carte Postale", "Made in Japan", and Japanese postal text) indicates it was standardized for international mailing under Universal Postal Union guidelines.

Views include:

1) Theatre Askuasa

2) Sojioli Temple

3) Uyeno Park

4) Tokyo (Train) Station

5) Teikoku Hotel

6) Kangoon Askuass

7) Meiji Shrine

8) Hibiya Park

9) Yasukuni Shrine

10) Imperial Palace & Bridge

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