Set of 6 Ernest Nister Pop-Up Postcards (ca. 1900s) – Three with E.P. Dutton Imprint
Publisher: 3 cards in German marked Lith. u. Druck von E. Nister, Nürnberg. Three cards in English marked: "Ernest Nister London No. 991 / Printed in Bavaria / E.P. Dutton & Co., New York" (2 Christmas); and "Ernest Nister London No. 165 / Printed in Bavaria / E.P. Dutton & Co., New York" (Easter).
Each is 5.5" X 3.5" when closed
Condition: All five pop-up postcards are in fine condition, with no damage to the pop-up mechanisms, figures, or mounts. Four cards are unused. One (Card #5) includes the original handwritten message; another (Card #3) was addressed to a recipient in the United States but contains no message.
Collector's Note:
While other Ernest Nister postcards occasionally appear online, these six pop-up postcards are the only examples we have found featuring actual mechanical pop-up elements. Despite Nister’s known role in producing movable books and greeting cards, pop-up postcards from his press are exceptionally rare and largely undocumented in online databases or museum collections.
Card 1: Bad Kissingen Spa Promenade Pop-Up (English)
A lively pop-up postcard showing visitors in elegant dress strolling through the ornate colonnades of the Bad Kissingen spa gardens. A uniformed trumpeter pops up from the side panel.
Marked: Lith. u. Druck von E. Nister, Nürnberg
Language: English
Used: No
Card 2: Easter Pop-Up with Hymn Verse (English)
Religious Easter card with a floral-decorated panel and illustrated poem by Charlotte Murray: “Hark! the courts with triumph ring... Christ has conquered, thou art free—Saved for all eternity!” A vertical floral pop-up opens from the side.
Marked: Ernest Nister London No. 165 / Printed in Bavaria / E.P. Dutton & Co., New York
Language: English
Used: No
Card 3: View of Ruine Bodenlaube, Bad Kissingen (German)
Illustrated with a hiker and castle ruins, this card is captioned "Bad Kissingen, Ruine Bodenlaube" and includes a printed vignette of a man and dog walking uphill toward the ruins. Postmarked 1906.
Publisher: Verlag der Hofbuchhandlung Fr. Weinberger
Language: German
Used: Addressed to Miss Sadie Davidson, Kansas City, Missouri, "U.S. of 'n a" — no message written.
Card 4: Christmas Pop-Up with Angels and Madonna (English)
Beautiful double-panel card with chromolithograph cherubs and nativity star. Text reads: "May the Spirit of the sweet Christmas Child possess me, may the Star of Bethlehem shine above my dwelling place." Interior opens to reveal Madonna and child, surrounded by holly and a rising golden star with the words: "Glory to God in the Highest."
Marked: Ernest Nister London No. 991 / Printed in Bavaria / E.P. Dutton & Co., New York
Language: English
Used: No
Card 5: Pop-Up Rider Leaping Over Moat, Nürnberg Legend (German)
A dramatic pop-up scene based on the legend of Eppelein von Gailingen, who escaped execution by leaping on horseback from the castle wall. The cover features three coats of arms and the proverb: "Die Nürnberger hängen keinen – sie hätten ihn denn zuvor." Interior reveals Eppelein mid-leap over the castle moat with gallows in the background.
Language: German
Used: Contains handwritten message.
Card 6: “A Holy Happy Easter to You” Pop-Up Postcard (English)
When opened, a folded cross topped by a child’s head and surrounded by spring lilies pops up.
Publishing Info: Marked “Ernest Nister London No. 992 / Printed in Bavaria – E.P. Dutton & Co., New York.”
Language: English
Collector's Corner:
In its 1907 issue (Vols. 27–28, p. 10), Walden’s Stationer and Printer devotes a full-page feature to the innovative line of Easter cards produced by Ernest Nister and issued in the United States by E. P. Dutton & Co., New York. The article highlights Dutton’s “Mechanical Easter Postals” as among the most artistic and mechanically inventive novelties on the market, praised for their appeal to both children and adults. Several specific designs are described, including anthropomorphic animals with movable elements—a rabbit walking upright carrying eggs and a staff, a chick in bonnet and parasol, and a hinged egg that opens to reveal a scene with rabbits and chicks.
This contemporary article provides rare published documentation for Nister's U.S. postcard output and directly references cards from the very set offered here. It affirms both the popularity and production quality of these mechanical postcards, noting the “Nister–Dutton standard” for excellence in illustration and design.
