Petercsák Tivadar: A képes levelezőlap története (Miskolc, 1994)

HISTORY OF PICTURE POSTCARDS

At the beginning of our century a frequent subject was the Zeppelin and Louis Blériot's aeroplane. These were montaged into the sights of cities as if they were flying there. The various aircraft types and the events relating to space travel are often shown nowadays, too. Everyday life, folk art Picture postcards of folk art were published for touristic purposes to show the local customs. From the 1890's the costumes of the ethnic groups and nationalities appeared on postcards. On these cards the pose is generally unnatural. The cards showing the traditional professions are now historical documents. Eventually folk customs and the heroes of folkloristic literature appeared on postcards. History, propaganda, local events Historical eras, great events and outstanding personalities can be seen on picture postcards. The themes of the individual eras reflect the historical attitude of the given political system. Historical pictures of the millenium series recall the spirit of the balmy days of peace and glorious national events. In the years at the turn of the century picture postcards were published in connection with historical anniversaries. The cards relating to the jubilees of Kaiser Franz Josef reflect the idea of the unity of the monarchy and that of the kind-hearted king. The postcard became a means of agitation and election propaganda. During World War I the postcard served the causes of warmongering and agitation. Between the World Wars it served the aims of the irredentist and revisionist foreign policy. During World War H the role of the picture card faded, after the War, however it had a considerable mobilizing effect. The Communist Party used postcards in the electoral campaign, of 1948 and in the 1950's it served the propaganda of compulsory production targets and the fight against the kulaks. At the turn of the century postcard publishers recorded almost all the national and local events, the personalities and disasters. Already at the end of the XTXth century series were published on the great industrial fairs of the world and the national exhibitions. The pavilions and the general view of the fair were shown on prints and photos. The exhibition's special feature or the arms of the city was often drawn into the picture. From 1910 the products exhibited are shown too. Arts The picture post-card is a means of propagating artistic knowledge. Being cheap it brings to the masses the works of the old masters and modern artists. The activity of the private publishers was concentrated on business interests, so there was art of dubious merit besides works of artistic worth. The art nouveau picture post of the Wiener Werkstätte are much prized even today. In the first half of the XXth century the picture postcards of the great artistic publishers reproducing the paintings and sculptures of the Louvre, British Museum, Prado and Escortai also appeared in Hungary. The importance of the postcards in introducing the masterpieces of Hungarian art, however, had not diminished. Postcards showing actors and theatre scenes always provoked interest. The portraits of famous actors, the scenes of a successful production were bought by the collectors, but average people often sent such cards to their friends. The subject of the cards generally reflected the taste of the masses (music hall, operetta), dramatic productions are shown less frequently.