CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 7/4/2022

The great American journey, captured in 'Real Photo Postcards'

Featured postcards—captioned “Seen in Chinatown, 1912 or later,” “Swimmers at Saltair, 1918” and “Man and woman in an automobile, 1918”—are reproduced from Real Photo Postcards: Pictures from a Changing Nation, published to accompany the exhibition of early twentieth-century American postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Postcard Archive currently on view at MFA Boston. “What attracted me most to U.S. real photos, and changed my collecting journey forever, was the thrill I got that realizing that everyone who had their picture taken for a postcard became a part of the great American journey,” Lauder writes. “Yes, these cards witness patriotism in times of war and exhilarating phases of the nation’s growth. But just as important for me, they reveal quieter daily moments that, without these cards, would have been lost to history, like parades and union picnics; the pride many individuals took in their work tools and in the new uniforms worn as a fireman or policeman; the economic mobility shown in someone’s crisp and stylish new Sunday best; and the heroic efforts of a community coming together to clean up after a flood or tornado.”