There are quite a few readily available old postcards of Gibraltar – more than enough to satisfy the avid collector. During the late 19th century tourism was becoming commonplace as ships used the Rock as a stepping stone for the Far East and elsewhere. Gibraltar’s status as a fortress with a constantly changing garrison also ensured a steady source of buyers – as did a largish middle-class civilian population who would often use postcards to communicate with their local friends in much the same as we text each other today using our mobile phones.
Postcard sent by a local friend to my grandmother Mrs G. Letts in 1906
Little wonder then that several local photographers such as Beanland Malin and Co., (see LINK) Gustav Dautez, (see LINK) V. B. Cumbo, (see LINK) and others thought it worthwhile to include the publication of postcards and souvenir photo booklets as an economically useful side-line.
One of these was A. Benzaquen of whom I know very little. He - or his company – probably set up their original business in Tangier where they seem to have published postcards not just of Tangier but also of Gibraltar. They must have eventually opened up some sort of outlet on the Rock as their postcards show one or the other of the two identifiers as shown below.
The following are a selection of digital copies of the postcards produced Benzaquen. The photographs used were rarely original and can also be found on postcards produced by other publishers on the Rock. The dates of publication probably range from the very early 20th century to a few from the 1930s which use photos taken by Lucien Roisin. (See LINK)
Postcards with red text
Postcards with black text
