The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection [Paperback]

There's something cumbersome about how the book reads. So much copy and so little to commend reading it, but the postcards are pretty cool.

Once upon a time postcard art was a prized art, and people collected a wide variety of postcards portraying art, fashion, historical events, everyday scenes and more either to keep and/or send.

I first saw this book when attending (twice - because there was so much to see) the recent exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston exhibiting these postcards. Not only did I find the postcards eye-catching -- the informative text accompanying them is also fascinating. Since the wording on many of the postcards is in French, German or another language, identifying information and captions are quite helpful. It is therefore delightful to have the complete 300 page book brimming with color reproductions and text to peruse at leisure.

The illustrated chapters of the book are titled: Paris, The Craze, Style, About Town, Women, Famous and Familiar, Power Speed and Flight, Making the Sale, Healthy Bodies, Around the World, and The Great War. Included is an article by leonard A. Lauder entitled "Messages from the Postcard Age," and a full list of illustrations indicating the source, reproduction date, paper etc.

Here you will see marvelous images of The Moulin Rouge, A Knight on a White Horse, Broadway in the 20s, a Cuban Dancer, early aeronautics, the beach at Nice, the Zeppelin, the Hindenburg disaster (actual photo), the Union Pacific railroad, a Viennese exhibition, early 20th century car racing, Central Park, Russian epic poetry, Boris Godunov costumes, A Japanese hotel, military recruitment, the Bauhaus, bathing beauties by bathing rooms, bicyclists, Michelin Tires, Rochefort wallpapers, Emperor Wilhelm II, the Shah of Persia, war cartoons, the Olympics, and so much more. The quality of both the art and the color reproductions is superb.

The exhibit has left the MFA in Boston, but you can view some of the postcards from the exhibit and from this remarkable book on the MFA web site, in the past exhibit section. Once you see a few of them, you will want this book!

This book contains a wonderful collection of interesting and colorful postcards from the golden age of this medium. This period produced so many beautiful cards there could easily be several follow up volumes (and I hope there are!). For anyone still possessing 20/20 vision this offering should whet your appetite for more. I am not a real serious postcard collector but I have accumulated a rather nice stack from visits to European and local flea markets. I am constantly bowled over by the stunning color and graphics these miniature works of art present. MFA has done a great job on this publication. The dust jacket is a real eye-catcher, the binding - nice and sturdy, the paper is well suited to the subject matter, the images are clear and the colors really pop off the page. I had not seen a copy of this book before ordering and just hoped the contents lived up to its enticing cover. I was not disappointed. You don't have to collect these little gems to enjoy this book but you might end up with a new hobby by the time you finish.
Don't let this one slip by - its a keeper!