While not exactly mainstream, there are a few intriguing pockets of Victorian postcards featuring rats. Illustrators sometimes took liberties, depicting rats dressed in human clothing, engaging in human activities like tea parties, picnics, or even playing musical instruments. These cards often aimed for humour or novelty, but a smaller category portrays rats as the Victorian era's public enemy, highlighting their destructive nature and association with disease. Rats, despite their negative connotations, could also symbolise resilience and adaptability. Some postcards might have used them as a metaphor for overcoming challenges, making them sentimental keepsakes. Victorian humour had a dark edge, and rat-themed postcards could be seen as a way to laugh at taboo subjects or surprise the recipient.