Series: N/A
Catalogue: 1933
Type: Real Photo
Date of Issue: Late 1933
Artist: Unknown
Usage: 19 January 1934, Windermere West Morland
Since 2006, reports have circulated in the British press of the presence of a monster in Lake Windermere, the largest natural lake in England, and the major tourist attraction of the famous Lakes District . In 2011, a series of ridiculous photos allegedly documented the presence of the creature, which has been dubbed "Bownessie" or "Winnie." The former name is not only drawn from the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, but also puns on "Nessie" of Loch Ness.
While the reports of 2011 caused a media sensation, and a faux-tradition emerged claiming that sightings have gone back to the 1950s, rather less well-known is that the alleged presence of a lake monster in Windermere has been "documented" as far back as 1933. The earliest example that I have come across is this postcard, an early attempt to capitalise on the popularity and novelty of the Loch Ness Monster.
It was produced by the Kendal firm of Atkinson and Pollitt, who were responsible for a number of other Lake Windermere postcards and local scenes. The main image of the card is a view of Windermere. Superimposed onto it, however, is a small image of the Loch Ness Monster. The caption, "Who said I was at Loch Ness?" is accompanied by what appears to be the date of manufacture, namely 1933. Windermere Lake is also prominently named.
The image of the monster itself is not an original composition, but a touched-up reproduction of Nessie as she appears on the popular "The Haunts of the Monster" postcard, a multi-scene card issued by Valentines of Dundee in late 1933, which is depicted below.
This card of "Bownessie" is an early example of the "Monsters elsewhere" phenomenon, where postcard manufacturers, in locations from Barbados to Berlin, would issue postcards in 1933/1934 depicting Nessie or some local variant to sell to tourists and collectors. There are likely many cards of such faux-Nessie than cards of the Loch Ness Monster itself!
Is there a monster in Windermere Lake? I don't know. But this vintage postcard provides a strange preview of a belief today held by many.
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