Picture postcards are history. It is possible to find on them every aspect of life, and a century ago they had just peaked at the height of their popularity as a medium for sending cheap and reliably quick messages.

Picture postcards had been introduced into Britain as a commercial proposition in 1894, but it was not until the dawn of the 20th century that they began to capture the public imagination.

The exhibition at this year’s Picture Postcard Show is intended to give visitors a taste of what it was like to live a century ago.

Two of the biggest events of 1908 were the Olympic Games and the Franco-British Exhibition, held at the newly built White City. These will form the basis of the most comprehensive displays, put together by three experts in their field with substantial postcard collections on these subjects.

Many other leading collectors and postcard clubs, however, have contributed to this event’s exhibition, the biggest at the Picture Postcard Show since the Centenary Exhibition of 1994.

Boards include topographical cards from many towns and cities, showing life in and events of 1908, and there will be a wealth of subject material comprising the theatre, transport, politics, sport, fashion and rural life.

Also included will be a selection of fascinating postcards enlarged to an impressive A3 size to make stunning viewing.

1908 - Taking you back a century - will only be on display for the three days of the Show, and this is a one-off chance to see a spectacular array of postcard images.