This picture postcard has several
interesting features.
First, it was mailed from Peking in the Russian Post Office.
The stamp is a Russian 4k carmine with numerals at the sides
overprinted in 1910
with a black China overprint for use in Russian Offices in China
(Scott 31).
There is a faint boxed handstamp on the front in Russian.
I'm not sure what it was - possibly a censor's mark?
Any suggestions?
The card is addressed to Copenhagen via Siberia and is, I believe, in
Danish.
The route would have made use of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The illustration portrays a group of soldiers riding in a
two wheeled donkey cart shepherded by a crew of three.
It looks as though one or two of the passengers had just decided to
bail out.
The card is titled L'Omnibus.
Undoubtedly, the Trans-Siberian was a faster mode of transportation.
Another item to note was the script date at the bottom of the
illustration - 5/1-16.
This card had been written by someone who dated the card using the Gregorian
calendar and the card was cancelled using the Julian calendar still
in use in Russia.
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