To Monsieur Narischkine from Nice

Yesterday's post on trams in Nice, France made me want to post another non-tram postcard of Nice. There are so many wonderful details on this card, some of them undiscovered since I do not speak Russian. If there are any Russian speakers out there who can provide a translation, I would be very grateful, because the back of this card seems to have just as much going for it as the front.

The front of the card shows the fairly typical scene of Nice, with well-dressed people out for a stroll.

 It would be easy to overlook some of the added elements, such as the man with the balloon.

There's also the woman (?) on the left-hand side of the card with the umbrella.

And then there's the kiosk, selling magazines and newspapers from all over the world.

 

And finally, there's the back of the card. The message is written in Russian, so I can't begin to decipher it, but it is addressed to Mr. Narischkine at Palazzo Galitzine in Rome. Who is this Mr. Narischkine and what is Palazzo Galitzine?

I found a reference in the New York Times, February, 1918 referring to a Prince Cyril Narischkine  and his marriage to opera star Genevieve Vix. This doesn't guarantee that our postcard recipient is Cyril Narishkine, but the address of the card at Palazzo Galitzine in Rome is another clue. The Galitzine (Golitsyn) family was also a noble family of Russia with hereditary connections to the Narishkine family. It's also possible that our recipient was M.B. Narischkine, who liquidated an extensive art collection in 1883. That's where that Russian translation might help.

Ham Radio QSL Card

Ham radio operators send QSL cards to each other as a way of verifying contact between stations. QSL is what's known as a Q code used in radio communication. As far as I know, it stands for Query Station Location.  The cards would include the call signs of both stations as well as other information, including the date, time, mode of transmission, frequency and a signal report. Occasionally, they also include information on the equipment used. Although some cards are very simple, others are very creative and colorful, like this one.

This operator sent his card from Moscow, USSR in 1959.

The cards are sent in envelopes, either directly to the recipient or through QSL bureaus, which forward them on to recipients. Use of the QSL bureaus cuts down on postage costs, but delivery time is longer. Nowadays, people can also send the QSL cards electronically as .jpg files.  While there is no postage cost with this, and the confirmation is very quick, it lacks the quality of a paper card that has traveled across the country or around the world.

Many ham radio operators have large collections of QSL cards. I think the hobby is not as widespread as it used to be though. Sadly, technology has diminished the role of the ham radio for communication in emergency situations as well as for recreation.
Here's a link to a website that highlights old QSL  cards.