Photo: tongue in cheek postcards have always been a bit of a seaside favourite. © Kirklees Community History Service.

With its innuendo blatant and tongue stuck firmly in its cheek, the British saucy postcard was as much a part of our seaside holiday tradition as candyfloss, deckchairs and fish and chips.

Secrets of the Saucy Seaside Postcard, which opens at Huddersfield Art Gallery on January 24, takes a long, hard look at this peculiarly British tradition and the firm behind some of its most famous examples, Bamforth.

Based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, Bamforth and Co began manufacturing postcards in around 1904 and quickly became synonymous with the saucy seaside tradition.

Photo: Bamforth's of Holmfirth were one of the most prolific producers of saucy postcards. © Kirklees Community History Service.

For 85 years they were one of the largest producers of the once ubiquitous cards, before a Scarborough-based publisher bought them in 1990 and production ceased a few years ago.

"They’re cheeky, a little naughty but a lot of fun - and the artwork is fantastic," explained Katina Bill, Collection Assistant with the Kirklees Community History Service.

After closing in Huddersfield on April 3 the exhibition will go on tour, moving to Dewsbury Museum for five months and then to Holmfirth Civic Hall until the end of August.

"There is still a great fascination with the saucy seaside postcards produced by Bamforth and we have already had enquiries about this exhibition from Blackpool, South Shields and Sunderland," added Katina.

Photo: Fallen Trousers by Kate Eggleston-Wirtz. © The artist.

Drawn from the Kirklees Community History Service’s Bamforth collection of over 20,000 postcards and 1,500 pieces of art, the exhibition is a celebration of the artform that is the comic postcard.

With 300 examples of original artwork and a selection of original postcards on display, it follows postcard production from the artist’s first rough sketch through to the final printed version.

While other printed items produced by Bamforth and Co, such as calendars, valentines and birthday cards, will also be on show, the exhibition will offer a modern twist to this old tradition with specially commissioned work by three northern artists.

Funded by the Arts Council, the artists have used the postcards as inspiration for new works in textiles, ceramics and sculpture.

Photo: © Kirklees Community History Service.

Paddy Killer’s giant textile postcard from Benidorm puts the faces of the likes of Posh and Becks and George Bush and Tony Blair onto figures from the original Bamforth classics. While Olivia Brown subverts another seaside tradition by inhabiting her pier installation with dogs.

The eight-foot square Bonemouth Pier has dogs sitting in deck chairs, having silly seaside pictures taken by a dog photographer and, in the Bamforth tradition, getting on with their 'business'.

Kate Eggleston-Wirtz has produced three mixed media works, reacting to the different facets of the postcards. Beach Ball is inspired by the 'large round body bits' - bottoms, bellies and boobs - that featured heavily in Bamforth’s postcards, while Fallen Trousers takes a wry look at their so-called 'naughtiness'.

Lastly, Chocolate Box, a box containing chocolates with black faces attached, looks at the racial stereotyping and censorship issues surrounding the postcards.