Barbara Jones, 1912-1978

‘Remember – Inland Postcards need a 2d stamp’ by Barbara Jones, 1956 (POST 110/2524).

This poster, designed by Barbara Jones, is a friendly reminder to you. If you’re sending an ‘inland postcard’ (postcard to someone else in the UK) make sure you use the correct amount of postage.

Why did this matter? Well, from 1870 to 1968 the Post Office handled inland postcards as a separate type of mail. They had their own postcard rate, cheaper than ordinary letters.

In 1956, the year of this poster, it cost 2d (two pence) to send a postcard to someone else in the UK. The cheapest rate for a letter was 2½d.

Barbara Jones was an English artist, writer and mural painter. She attended Croydon Art School and then the Royal College of Art where she was taught by Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden amongst others. Jones created murals for the 1946 ‘Britain Can Make It’ exhibition and for P&O passenger liner ships as well as working on the children’s television series The Woodentops. She produced two posters for the General Post Office in the mid-1950s and submitted artwork for stamp designs in 1952 and 1965. She also edited a book on erotic postcards which can be found in our Archive library.

More by Barbara Jones

Barbara’s Post Office design submissions weren’t limited to posters.

  • Post Office Guide gives all the answers

    ‘Post Office Guide gives all the answers’. Poster, 1954 (POST 110/3221).

  • Greetings Telegram

    Greetings telegram design. Issued 1 April 1957, included in POST 104/10.

  • QEII Coronation: Submitted stamp design by Barbara Jones

    Submitted design for the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation 2½d commemorative stamp (rejected). 28 August 1952 (POST 150/QEII/2/22A).

  • QEII Coronation: Submitted design by Barbara Jones

    Submitted design for the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation 2½d commemorative stamp (rejected). 28 August 1952 (POST 150/QEII/2/22B).

Posters by other artists on the same theme

More posters from the 1950s and 1960s advertising the correct inland postcard postage rates.

Inland post cards need a 2d stamp
Inland postcards 2d, letters 2½d, newspapers 2d, correct postage please
'Inland postcards 2d, letters 2½d, newspapers 2d, correct postage please'. Poster designed by Pieter Huveneers, PRD 838, 1956, POST 110/2331a
Remember inland postcards need a 2½d stamp
'Remember inland postcards need a 2½d stamp'. Poster designed by John Gilroy, PRD 1010, 1959, POST 110/2540.
Postcards 2½d, giant postcards 3d
'Postcards 2½d, giant postcards 3d'. Poster designed by Lamos, PRD 1184, 1961, POST 110/2554.
Remember 2½d for inland postcards
'Remember 2½d for inland postcards'. Poster designed by André François, PRD 1085, 1960, POST 110/4246.
Remember - inland postcards need a 2½d stamp
'Remember - inland postcards need a 2½d stamp'. Poster designed by Probyn, PRD 890, 1958, POST 110/2528.
Stamp your postcards correctly
'Stamp your postcards correctly'. Poster designed by Craig, PRD 1143, 1961, POST 110/1414.
Postage on all inland postcards
'Postage on all inland postcards. Poster designed by unknown artist, PRD 1308A, 1962, POST 110/4251.
Postage on all inland postcards 2½d
'Postage on all inland postcards 2½d'. Poster designed by unknown artist, PRD 1485, 1964, POST 110/3950.
3d or 4d?
'3d or 4d?'. Poster designed by unknown artist, PRD 1704, 1966, POST 110/3996.