From Mystic Tea Room
The series of fortune teller cards titled "Your Fortune" all bear the publisher's initials "JWS" on the front, followed by a number. JWS stood for Joseph Welch and Sons, a photographic publisher in Portsmouth, England, from from 1864 to 1936. Joseph and his three sons, Horace, Ernest, and Claude, published nearly 4,000 postcards. Most of these were view cards depicting scenic locations in the south of England and the Channel Islands.
When the postcard craze took hold, around 1905, Joseph Welch and Sons entered the field and added a limited range of topical cards, such as "Proverbs" (very similar to modern memes) and fortune telling cards. The company's early coloured cards were produced in Belgium and in Germany, utilizing a "Trichromatic" process that resulted in a limited pallet of pastel tones.
The numbering system on JWS cards was illogical and chaotic, with some cards double-numbered. For the collectors among us, i have included the numbers here, but they are displayed according to the method of divination employed.
Due to the rarity of these cards, i do not own and cannot scan a complete set. Some of the images here were blown up from tiny thumbnails found on the web 10 to 15 years ago. I am actively buying these cards, so if you have any for sale, or have better scans to share, please contact me.
Tea Leaf Reading
Your Fortune postcard by Joseph Welch and Sons, circa 1906, series JWS-5, tea leaf reading. The caption reads, "A new lover now I see / A jealous lover, seems to me / At odds he'll quickly be with three."
Your Fortune postcard by Joseph Welch and Sons, circa 1906, series JWS-22, tea leaf reading. The caption reads, "Foretells a letter which contains a proposal; you will accept & good fortune will follow you."
Your Fortune postcard by Joseph Welch and Sons, circa 1906, series JWS-23, tea leaf reading. The caption reads, "Beware of a most formidable rival who will cause strife; fear not, all will come right, good luck will follow you."
Your Fortune postcard by Joseph Welch and Sons, circa 1906, series JWS-25, tea leaf reading. The caption reads, "A disappointment in love."
The Wheel of Fortune
Your-Fortune-Wheel-of-Fortune-Tonight-If-You-Are-Asked-JWS-10. "Tonight is you are asked"
To-get-a-husband-A-Happy-New-Year-JWS-18
Your Lover's Feelings-JWS-19
Your-Fortune-Wheel-of-Fortune-If-To-Say-Yes-JWS-20
Card Reading
Your Fortune postcard by Joseph Welch and Sons, circa 1906, series JWS-3, cartomancy. The caption reads, "You will marry a partner of fair complexion and good temper. You will find happiness in wedlock, but will marry more than once."
Your Fortune postcard by Joseph Welch and Sons, circa 1906, series JWS-22, cartomancy. The caption reads, "Yes! Marry him and have no fear / For you'll live happy many a year."
Palm Reading
Your-Fortune-Palmistry-This crooked-line-tells-you-true-JWS-9 "This crooked line tells you true / there's happy days in store for you."
Your-Fortune-Palmistry-What-You-Desire-JWS-4 "What-you-desire-you-will-shortly-obtain. Do not woo at present, but keep an aye on the loved one"
