A sun-shaded, cosmopolitan lifestyle…
I just love this Prestwick print – the postmark it features is so brilliantly aspirational and must have summed up what it meant to be a stylish young adult in the sixties.
The scene is a swimming pool outdoors. It’s a beautifully simple design, with a regular row of pillars in the background, quite Roman.
The water is clear, with not a screaming child in sight. Some delicate shading hints that the sun’s shining strongly. Not to worry, though – this pool has the latest European holiday equipment that would soon take Britain by storm… the beach umbrella.
Brightness and a sense of adventure under the sun umbrellas – Costa Brava, 1960s.
I don’t know exactly when beach-size sun umbrellas became popular in the UK; they were certainly very well established at the seaside resorts on the continent during the 60s and feature prominently and colourfully on many postcards of the time from beaches in Spain, Italy and France. On UK seaside postcards of the time there are not so many… and the colours are typically much less vibrant.
Less colour, please; not too much excitement, thank you – Folkestone, 1960s.
Choose your equipment carefully
What was the more usual piece of gear for a UK seaside holiday? Yes, a wind-break. These portable fabric walls were held in place by poles driven into the sand and were essential for keeping the breeze at bay. Once your beach encampment was fortified in this way, you could shelter within and allow the sun to warm you up a bit.
Back to Prestwick, though. Here at the swimming pool a continental-style parasol gives just the right impression. A large straw hat is also required to keep off the sun.
Cannes in Ayrshire?
Could this almost be Audrey Hepburn turning to talk to Albert Finney in Two For The Road, or Grace Kelly with Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief? That seems to be the vibe… these were not the type of folk who’d packed the Morris with blankets, flasks or sandwiches; rather they were people who’d arrive in a red Alfa Romeo with the soft roof down.
Or had they even come to the pool together? Was she not perhaps turning round as he called over to introduce himself and offer her a frothy coffee at the pool café?
I don’t know whether this postmark attracted hordes of visitors; it must have worked, though, as it was repeated every year between 1965 and 1969. Such a simple and strong image to prompt you that it was time to head back to the pool… or to Prestwick in general.
Among Scottish postmark art, this has to be the most achingly sophisticated.. and the most continental.
