A postcard is a small, sturdy card with a picture on one side and space for a message and address on the other, designed to be sent through the mail without an envelope. When your family visits the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls, they might send you a postcard showing a photograph of the place they're visiting, with a short note on the back saying, “Wish you were here!”

Postcards became popular in the late 1800s as a quick, inexpensive way to stay in touch. Before phones and the internet, a postcard was a fast way to send someone a brief message and let them know you were thinking of them. People collected postcards from different places, building albums full of images from around the world.

The word can also describe something very scenic, like when someone says a village looks like a postcard because it's so perfectly picturesque it could be photographed for a card. Today, even though we can text photos instantly, many people still send postcards when traveling because there's something special about receiving a real card in the mail, knowing someone took the time to write and send it just for you.