A Look at the bag of thriftshop postcards

I have chosen approximately twenty five cards to examine to develop content for my own body of work. I set forth three criteria in the preceding post and have made a decision to add a fourth. I will look at the cards in terms of 1. subject matter, 2. framing of the image, 3. intent and 4. how the image impacts me. The numbered category will correspond to numbered statements below each card or group of cards. All the cards were purchased in a plastic bag as a group so the ones represented here constitute a edit only to minimize thematic duplication. I believe this bag of cards was a part or entire collection of cards which frees me of the task of buying individual cards to look at, thereby making this study a bit more even handed investigation.

Top; "New Orleans Custom House" Linen Card 1930-1944, center and bottom; "The Government Printing Office" Washington D.C. Oldest card in set, Divided Black Era 1907-1915


1, note worthy buildings, most likely open for public touring
2. perspective view, no surrounding environment

3. souvenir showcasing government facilities, not post marked
4. I respond to thing with age and particular like the color and dynamics of the "Printing Office"
*  Besides showing the back of the card for dating clues I like the words "Choicest Views" and plan to use this to entitle my book and body of work.

Top; "Monument of the French Occupation at Fort Ticonderoga 1755-1759" Linen Card
Bottom: "Minnesota and Pennsylvania Monuments, Hancock Ave., Gettysburg, Pa."

1. public monuments to an important event, and to the soldiers who fought and died there
2. views are presented as you might approach the monuments, some environment
3. souvenir of public park, not post marked
4. informative to a degree, no cars or people interacting with in frame, sterile

Front / back; "Whaleship, Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Sea Port, Mystic, Conn."
Card postmarked 1955, Modern Photochrome Era, 1939-present

1. show case of historical nautical items
2. use of foreground / background areas of interest, use of scale
3. souvenir for tourist attraction, family friendly, educational
4. even with the classic triangle composition, this post card is entirely boring, possibly due to the jumble of dock-boat-anchor, no clear center of interest.
*What made this card for me is the message, "It's a nice place to look around". Helen you should have been a politician.

"Carl Hoppl's" in Baldwin N.Y. Writing on the back; "Had dinner here with the girls from bank on our annual outing 8/63. Then went to Jones Beach to see "Around the World in Eighty Days". Card never sent.

1. restaurant
2. shot at dusk with lights on, perspective view
3. advertising, plenty of info about facility, open / close / dancing / private rooms
4. this is a cool picture, plenty of ambiance and style, makes me think of prime rib

"Motel Laurence Ste-Anne De Beaupre, P.Q." (Provence of Quebec) no date, but the car in the photo looks to be a station wagon, the small taillights and T.V. antenna would indicate the 1950s 

1. motel
2. centered in frame showing the road and motel sign, seven units are clearly visible
3. low cost advertising, with address on white boarder front of card
4. the fact that the card is black and white provides ideas, this is a truly mundane image

Top; "Dunes Motel, Bend Ore., 30 air conditioned units all will dial phones and color T.V."
Center and bottom; "T.V. Motel, Banlieu Canada"

1. motels
2. perspective views, frame divided close to half
3. motel advertising, most likely free giveaways, convenience item
4. vintage motel cards are a pure joy to view. The motel was once the domain of mom and pop operations and the post card was an effective cheap form of advertising that they all handed out.
*The center view is my favorite postcard from the bunch. I squealed with delight when I saw what to me looked like the shadow of the photographer in the lower right. The other shadow of a pole and the warm tone of the building allows me to see that the picture was taken late in the afternoon with the tip of the pole shadow pointing E.N.E., this is summer by the foliage. The road sign in the upper left expands the dimensional space in an odd way but shows what you need to look for along the highway. Finally I just love the statement "Where the most important people like to stay", that is when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere!