c.1908 Cuba Avenue of Royal Palms Postcard No. 12 – Harris Bros. Havana

Original early 20th-century Cuban postcard featuring the celebrated “Avenue of Royal Palms,” published by Harris Bros. Co. of Havana, Cuba.

Dating to approximately 1908, this evocative image depicts a long Cuban roadway dramatically lined on both sides with towering royal palms, with a lone horseback rider traveling along the avenue.

Captioned “12 – Avenue of Royal Palms, Cuba,” the postcard belongs to an early series published by Harris Bros. Co., one of the publishers responsible for documenting Cuban cities, landscapes and everyday life through postcards during the early decades of the Republic.

The royal palm became one of the most recognizable symbols of the Cuban landscape, and palm-lined roads such as this were popular subjects for early photographs and postcards produced for visitors to the island.

The reverse bears the period heading “República de Cuba – Tarjeta Postal – Union Postale Universelle” and the publisher identification “Published by Harris Bros. Co., Habana.”

The card contains an original handwritten message in English addressed to “Laura,” but appears to have never been mailed, with no postage stamp or postal cancellation present.

A particularly attractive surviving example of early Republican-era Cuban photographic ephemera, combining Cuban landscape, transportation and social history.

Date: Circa 1908
Publisher: Harris Bros. Co., Habana
Card No.: 12
Subject: Avenue of Royal Palms, Cuba
Format: Tinted photomechanical postcard
Postally used: No; handwritten but apparently unmailed

Condition: Antique condition with expected age toning, scattered surface marks and light staining, and wear to edges and corners. Handwritten correspondence on reverse. No postage stamp or cancellation. Please review photographs for exact condition.