Last week I went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see the Mario Testino exhibit and found myself incredibly disappointed. Determined to redeem the visit, I headed towards another exhibit I was interested in called "The Postcard Age."
The Postcard Age features 400 postcards from the collection of Leonard A. Lauder.
What I never realized was that in the early 1900s postcards were sent by companies as a method of advertising. My dad (who was with me) said, "Oh yeah, I remember seeing these for steam ships when I was little." Who knew!
There was one collection of cards used the promote women's sportswear that reminded me of the present day illustrations on the site Daily Candy.
I loved this next set of cards. They reminded me of posters I saw on the streets of Paris.
This next set felt very mod with its bold blocks of color.
Today we send postcards to family and friends from trips, but in the 1900s countries and cities created postcards as a way to boost tourism. I love every single one of these.
I have a Moulin Rouge poster that looks exactly like this next set of cards. I love the wild kicking of the dancer's legs and the bright reds, yellows and oranges in the color palette.
I was surprised and delighted by "The Postcard Age." I skipped to the gift shop ready to purchase many of my favorites and was sad to see the cards they selected to sell did not include any of my top picks!
No matter, on your next MFA trip, be sure to stop into "The Postcard Age." The exhibit runs through April 14, 2013.
