1919–1922 Cuba Personal Postcard Archive – Ernestina & Rafael Castro – 6 Antique Handwritten Cards

A remarkable small archive of six antique postcards connected through the names Ernestina and Rafael Castro and preserved from early 20th-century Havana, Cuba.

Dating from approximately 1919 through 1922, the postcards combine hand-colored photographic imagery with handwritten personal messages, greetings and dedications. Rather than six unrelated postcards, the group preserves fragments of correspondence associated with the same people over several years.

Several cards are addressed to Ernestina, while others are addressed to Rafael Castro in Havana, creating an unusually personal surviving group.

One postcard dated 1919 bears a handwritten dedication to Ernestina from Rafael:

“Pequeño recuerdo a mi Ernestina de su Rafael.”

Another New Year postcard from the same period is also addressed to Ernestina and signed Rafael.

Other cards in the archive continue the connection with Rafael Castro, Habana, including dated examples from the early 1920s. One particularly evocative message dated June 18, 1922 addresses Rafael and refers affectionately to him as the writer's father, adding another layer to the family correspondence represented by the group.

The fronts feature the elaborate photographic and hand-colored imagery popular during the period: elegantly dressed couples, women and children, flowers, New Year greetings and sentimental family scenes.

Several retain visible publisher or series markings and numbers.

A small Cuban family story preserved on paper

Taken together, the postcards provide something that individual cards cannot: a glimpse into private life in Havana during the years following World War I.

Names repeat. Messages change. Years pass.

What began as affectionate correspondence involving Ernestina and Rafael is followed by cards addressed to Rafael and carrying family greetings. Although the complete identities and relationships of the correspondents have not been independently established, the surviving inscriptions preserve a tangible personal connection between the cards.

For collectors of Cuban social history, postal history, antique photography and personal ephemera, the handwritten correspondence is as significant as the imagery itself.

Included

6 original antique postcards, sold together as one archival group.

Dates and inscriptions represented in the collection include examples from 1919, 1921 and 1922, together with additional related period cards.

Condition

Original antique condition with expected age-related wear.

The postcards show varying degrees of edge and corner wear, surface rubbing, toning, spotting and small areas of image loss consistent with their age and handling. Several contain extensive original handwriting on the reverse.

The handwriting, dates, names and other period markings have been intentionally preserved and form an important part of the historical character of the collection.

Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition. The six postcards shown are the exact pieces offered and are sold together as one group.