In recent years I came into possession of a series of boxes belonging to my grandfather. Wills, army medical records, deeds, birth certificates, wedding telegrams, and photographs painted a vivid picture of his accomplishments, whereabouts, and frame of mind. He died years before I was born in a hospital coincidentally a mile from where I currently reside. I was fascinated to build a vivid picture of my family in adulthood. Equally impactful was the beautiful cursive, vintage letterheads, and rich sepia tones bringing the story to life.
Around this same time, I organically stumbled across some vintage postcards at a used bookstore that spoke to me in new ways. I found myself attracted to the exquisite care with which we wrote decades ago. There were color lithographs and warm tone photographs (real photographic postcards or RPPCs) that spoke to me as an artist and reminded me of the intimate yet telling views I found in my family archive. Perhaps most endearing of all I was moved by the sometimes banal, sometimes emotional, and sometimes deeply revealing messages that left me curious about both author and recipient. I couldn’t help but think of Facebook status updates but in physical manifestations and over a century its senior. Today Life360 tracks our children for us, yet here are paper receipts for one person on one day attempting connection.
If money is a barometer of inherent value, today’s online auction marketplaces sell these postcards for negligible amounts of money. As a person who places incredibly value on the personal maturity and cultural awareness that comes from the American road trip, Noble Wolf Studio diverts some of its profits to building its own collection of postcards. We specialize in stamped, postmarked, messaged postcards thematically dedicated to the American landscape and roadways.
If you’d like to donate funds towards this particular initiative please utilize the link above. If you have postcards that you’d like to donate to our collection, please email info@noblewolf.studio or call Travis Patterson at 202.412.1282 for a positive rapport building conversation.