Poisson d’Avril Cartes Postales (April 1st Fish Postcards)

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The postcard that started my collection (postmarked 1911)

The postcard that started my collection (postmarked 1911)

Approximately five years ago, while shopping at a “Marché aux Vieux Papiers” (antique paper market) in Paris, France, I purchased a postcard which I found quite amusing. It was a hand-tinted photo card of a gentleman holding a large fish and in the corner it said 1er Avril [April 1st]. There was a goofy romantic feel to the pose, which is what caught my eye.

More romantic than childhood prank (postmarked 1907)

More romantic than childhood prank (postmarked 1907)

I was familiar with the French tradition of Poisson d’ Avril [April Fish] in which children tape paper fish cut-outs secretively to friends and family member’s backs as a “prank”. The “fish” is synonymous with our “fool” on April 1st, although without malice. School children will even try to sneak a fish onto their teacher’s back during school day. However, the postcard I purchased clearly had a romantic bent and was hardly the childhood prank of today.

After much research (which is still incomplete), I believe I have uncovered the correlation between romance and Poisson d’Avril. Maquereau in French means “mackerel” – the fish depicted on the postcards and probably the true origin of Poisson d’Avril. It also has another meaning in slang – “matchmaker” or “pimp”. This may be attributed to the unique breeding behavior of the male maquereau in spring.

A woman with a basket full of chocolate fish (postmarked 1912)

A woman with a basket full of chocolate fish (postmarked 1912)

As early the 16th century, when a new calendar was adopted starting the new year on January 1st instead of April 1st [a topic for another day], there was a tradition of giving small gifts on April 1st. Around the turn-of-the-20th-century, shops carried decorated papier mâché fish boxes from small sizes (for jewelry and candies) to large sizes (for umbrellas, etc.). Chocolatiers made molded chocolate fish wrapped in fancy foil. You will still find fish candies for sale at all of the chocolatiers around April 1st in France.

Example of an illustrated Poisson d'Avril postcard (postmarked 1934)

Example of an illustrated Poisson d’Avril postcard (postmarked 1934)

From my research and collecting of April 1st postcards, French Poisson d’Avril cartes postales lost popularity prior to WWII and contemporary April 1st postcards are hard to find. After World War I, the tinted photo postcards slowly were replaced with illustrated fish postcards.  April 1st postcards were far more popular in France than any other country. Those depicting fish and/or having a romantic theme seem to be restricted to France.

I currently own over 400 Poisson d’Avril postcards. If you are interested, they are all uploaded to my Flickr account. My research is far from complete and I would love to hear your ideas about April 1st postcards from any country

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About the author

Heidi
I started collecting postcards when I was about 5 years old. My only Grandfather lived in Germany, and it was a fun way for us to correspond and have some sort of relationship. I adored the "Hilde" postcards, and he soon started sending me a different one each time he wrote. I had a special bond with my paternal Grandfather, although I only met him a few times. A few years later my adopted Grandparents in Denver started sending me postcards from their vacations, which were mostly road-trips around the USA. My collection continued to grow and eventually filled two binders. As my collection grew, my mother, who also collected postcards when she was young, started adding postcards to my binders from her collection. I had so much fun dreaming of traveling to exotic places! I would sort and re-sort the postcards by type, location, like/dislike, etc. It wasn't until I was in my 20's, when I sorted the postcards chronologically by sender, that I realized there were a few postcards from my maternal grandmother to my mother. One such postcard was sent to my mother as a teenager who was visiting family in Berlin. My Grandmother wrote and asked her to come home early because my Grandfather's illness had taken a turn for the worse. My Grandmother died a few months later of an unrelated disease, and my Grandfather several weeks after that. I also found a postcard from a ship that my paternal Grandfather sailed on to immigrate to the USA. He sent it to his parents and explains that when he got seasick, the crew told him to eat rollmops and drink beer and hot cocoa (yes, pickled herring + beer + chocolate). My current postcard collection is divided into two sets. One set is the pictures I like sorted by theme - exotic places, animals that make me smile, costumes that I dream of making. The other set is from family and pieces together our story. I still send postcards when I travel and am an active trader.

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