Interactive Design: Online Exhibition: History of Postcards

Summary and Review

For the online exhibit, I decided to look at one that discusses the history and use of postcards in the late 19th and early 20th century, particularly in Brittany. Prior to the exhibit, the only real knowledge I had on postcards was that people would sometimes use them while on vacation to show their loved ones some of the sights they had seen. However, after viewing this exhibit, I discovered that postcards had a variety of uses that would only be about as comparable to that of the modern uses of the internet.

Postcards were first created in 1869 in Germany but soon caught on around the world as an easy way to communicate with friends and family. Not only did postcards often depict art and scenic photos, but they also were some of the easiest ways to share the latest news within hours of it happening. The cards varied from commercial to comical to even pornographic. The messages on these cards were often not long, possibly due to the fact that (at least in Brittany) too long of messages would be taxed and the receiver would have to pay it. Speaking of taxation, certain words and phrases were even taxed!

Though it can be seen as odd for me to have chosen an exhibit about post-cards for an interactive design class, I found that post-cards were the pre-internet internet. These cards were fairly cheap and easy ways of communicating with one another (often used similarly as a slow version of texting) where they could share photos and memes and even advertisements. Their designs were just as important back then as web design is now because if the card did not read well, people were less likely to purchase or use those cards.

Based on some of the cards I saw at the exhibit, these were some of my favorite.

MOET ET CHANDON , CHAMPAGNE

Alphonse Mucha

D’une filial amour, la guirlande fleurie, , Unit, dans cet emblème, un père et la patrie !

Kitsch

I believe the reason why I particularly like these cards so much is that they show different types of creativity and purposes. The first one appears to be in art nouveau and is advertising some kind of champagne. The second one is some kind of painted film and has something to do with the Great War, possibly to build up morale for the troops. The third is crafted, which in the exhibit was mentioned that crafted cards were often made for special occasions and holidays, and I believe it has something to do with the celebration of this couple like an anniversary.

Link for Online Exhibit: https://artsandculture.google.com/project/postcards?hl=en