MM Park Bulgaria

Description

Bulgarian postcard of Prince Boris

Manufacturer / main description

Bulgarian postcard for the baptism of Prince Boris.

2/14 February 1896

The two dates indicate different calendars:
2 February 1896 (Julian calendar, then used in Bulgaria)
14 February 1896 (Gregorian calendar, used in Western Europe)
The date therefore corresponds to:
2/14 February 1896 (official double dating)

Dimensions: 9 cm x 14 cm

Research and descriptions prepared with the help of an AI assistant (ChatGPT-5). Typological inaccuracies or errors may remain.

Title: Portrait of Crown Prince Boris (future Boris III) – Commemorative card of 2/14 February 1896
Country: Bulgaria
Date: 1896 (double dating: 2/14 February)
Technique: illustrated postcard, monochrome printing (violet tone), printed text in Bulgarian (old orthography)
Description:
Commemorative postcard presenting the portrait of the young Prince Boris, heir of sovereign Ferdinand. At the top appears the postal notice: “Only the address should be written on this side”. The date 2/14 February 1896 is indicated according to a practice common in Bulgaria at the time: Julian/Gregorian double dating (2 February according to the Julian calendar then used in the country, corresponding to 14 February in the Gregorian calendar).
Historical context:
This date refers to a major event for the Bulgarian monarchy: Boris’s baptism / reception into the Orthodox Church. This highly political and dynastic act aimed to strengthen the heir’s legitimacy in a predominantly Orthodox kingdom and to place the dynasty within the national religious tradition.
Heritage interest:
As an object of visual culture and dynastic propaganda, this card illustrates the use of imagery of the crown prince in the construction of national and monarchic identity at the end of the 19th century.