As at Jan 2009, The Women's Library held approximately 1,144 postcards in the Museum Collection, with 211 postcards identified in the archives.
The earliest postcards held result from suffrage campaigning and include: documentary photographs of suffrage activities and events, and portraits of activists produced by the Women's Social & Political Union, the Women's Freedom League, and illustrated propaganda cards produced by the Artists' Suffrage League and the Suffrage Atelier. The collection also includes a significant number of anti-suffrage comic cards produced by commercial printers. There is a range of cards illustrating the campaigns for women's enfranchisement in Holland, Sweden, France and USA amongst other countries. Women's contribution to the First World War is documented in a number of postcards that represent the Scottish Women's Hospitals and other hospitals.
In addition, the collection contains contemporary postcards dating from the late 1970s to the present day. It includes a selection of satirical cartoons concerned with female characteristics and roles, a range of cards produced by women's organisations and campaign groups, particularly peace groups, cards representing campaigning on issues internationally.
Most postcards in the collection are blank on the reverse side. There are a number, such as those sent by women on the suffrage caravan tours and during the First World War, which were sent and the text may be useful for research.
The postcards are arranged in boxes (the location codes used for ordering are in brackets) by the following subjects:
* Portraits A-Z; Funerals; Group Portraits (Postcard Box 01) [staff location code 126]
* Anti-Suffrage; Artists' Suffrage League; Miscellaneous Artists; Suffrage Atelier; Women's Freedom League; Women's Social & Political Union (Postcard Box 02) [staff location code 127]
* Suffrage Caravan Tours; Suffrage Celebrations; Suffrage Demonstrations; Suffrage Deputations; Suffrage Petitions; Suffrage Arrests; Suffrage Trials; Suffrage Fairs and Bazaars; Education; Fashion; Everyday life. (Postcard Box 03) [staff location code 128]
* International Suffrage; Suffrage Meetings; Suffrage Processions (Postcard Box 04) [staff location code 129]
* WSPU Offices; Suffrage Publicity and Propaganda; Suffrage Shops and Stalls; Suffrage Theatricals; Mrs A Broom - Photographer; Women's Service House; Women's Tax Resistance League; First World War (Postcard Box 05) [staff location code 130]
* Modern Postcards; Cartoons and Illustrations; Women's Peace Campaigning; Women's Publishing Organisations; UK Women's Organisations; UK Women's Events; UK Women's Campaigns; International Women's Campaigning; Women and Advertising; Women and the Media; Women and Education (Postcard Box 06) [staff location code 131]
* (Postcard Box 07) [staff location code 132]