Postcards were an innovative form of communication around 1900 that transcended dividing lines between producer and consumer; creating local and global networks; and transfiguring photographic images in ways both public and private.

Postcards in the early twentieth century depicted devastating disasters from across the globe in postcard form, using an analytical methodology which emphasizes their material and discursive processes that stitched them into cultures of circulation. This article looks closely at these postcards with particular regard to materiality and discursivity processes which stitch them into cultures of circulation.

A Postcard from Everywhere

Postcards in today’s digital era may seem like cheap souvenirs of travel, purchased by tourists to send back home or keep as collectors’ items. Yet postcards provide a fascinating window into cultural life at specific moments in history, illuminating ideas, images and emotions projected from those producing and using them.

In this exhibition, postcards from a century of global exploration showcase some of the most significant social and cultural themes of contemporary life. Drawing upon Lauder Archive material, this exhibit includes postcards from Timbuktu – an obscure trading city located deep within Africa – to Paris with its bustling metropolitan life.

Studies of postcards as artifacts have long proven useful to scholars for studying cultural context in which certain periods occurred. By analyzing data found on such objects (postal codes, printing styles, dates, messages, documentary images, correspondence and other ephemera), biographers can construct both individual biographies as well as cultural ones that outline how societies evolved during particular time periods.

Postcards have historically been an invaluable medium for studying disasters. Since disasters often strike at specific moments in time and space, postcards offer the ideal means of studying how humans react to extraordinary events like mass carnage or natural disasters – often depicting scenes of mass carnage and destruction as well as whole neighborhoods or cities lying in ruin.

This exhibition draws upon MFA’s immense collection of postcards – both by famous and lesser-known artists – as part of The Postcard Age to demonstrate how historical and cultural themes such as urbanization, immigration, changing views about women’s roles in society, technological innovation and fashion trends were captured through billions of cards that were produced, sent out and collected during this era.

A Postcard to Everywhere

Postcards allow travelers to share their adventures and discoveries with those unable to attend directly, like friends and family members who couldn’t be present in person. Postcards serve as a sort of travel journal or scrapbook with more space available for text than photos alone can offer. Their small size also makes experimentation with image and text possible to convey their unique perspective of their sender’s trip.

This exhibition delves into the global history of postcards as artifacts at the intersection of science, technology, history, culture and art. Postcards represent one of the first global social networks and this exhibit shows how they’ve been used to connect people, places and ideas around the globe.

Many artists find postcards an appealing medium for creative expression. Postcards combine sketch and message, semi-intimacy and public audience in one image; their formats feature distinct formal restrictions while remaining playful. Ellsworth Kelly used postcard-sized compositions as an outlet to work out ideas or take a break from studio life; some featured wildly inaccurate scales, tactile elements and purposefully humorous ambiguities that played on tourist views’ unique characteristics.

At the height of postcard mania in 1900, major historical and cultural themes were explored on such a tiny canvas: urban life as depicted by Emile Combaz; changing roles for women; sports; celebrity culture; new technologies; and World War I were among these topics explored on postcards. Publishers designed their images so as to be both aesthetically pleasing and souvenir marketed, using special printing techniques that created illusions of paintings or photographs; some included captions, postal stamps, hand-tinted images, written messages from correspondents advertising ephemera among other details that appeared.

The exhibition also showcases postcards documenting some of the world’s worst disasters. While academic research on postcards has mostly focused on their visual content, these examples demonstrate how this ephemeral medium can capture data that would otherwise be difficult to collect through other sources.

A Postcard for Everywhere

Postcards offer more than just simple correspondence; they’re also an incredible medium for promotional and marketing use. From event handouts and menus to product info sheets and artwork prints, postcards provide an affordable option in multiple sizes and finishes for promotion or marketing.

Postcard images capture people’s imagination, leading them to reflect deeply and dialogue meaningfully about them, making them a popular tool among teachers, counselors, trainers, group facilitators and group facilitation professionals. Postcards can be used as conversation starters during restorative justice circles or journal prompts for self-reflection purposes.

This collection of postcards provides an insightful view into how diverse cultures express themselves through this ubiquitous medium. Be it to share a sense of place, promote a business, engage in social activism or commemorate and remember, these postcards serve as an invaluable record of visual histories from around our planet.

At its height in 1900, postcards became an expressive vehicle for historical and cultural themes: New York skylines evoking ambition and excitement; photomontage cards depicting changing gender roles; and all the different ways people celebrated, mourned, and engaged with one another and the world at that time.

Postcards are the perfect way to preserve memories from your travels and share them with those closest to you. Similar to family albums, postcards allow interested individuals to flip through them at their leisure and become immersed in the story of your adventures – it could even be passed along for future generations!