Remember Paper is a blog with photos of interesting magazines, books, and other paper-based ephemera. NSFW.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy on Nov 29, 2009 - 10 comments

Historical postcards from Opava, CZ
posted by yegga on Jul 26, 2009 - 6 comments

Cute aliens invading grandpa's postcards.
posted by Brandon Blatcher on Jul 20, 2009 - 9 comments

PDX History is a veritable treasure trove of information about (and pictures and postcards of) the history of Portland (Oregon). Department stores, streetcars, long-dead amusement parks (yes, Jantzen Beach was once much more than a dying mall surrounded by big-box stores) and more. The web design leaves a bit to be desired, but the site is wonderful nonetheless.
posted by dersins on May 15, 2009 - 15 comments

Moody's Collectibles sells vintage postcards, but they also make available a huge catalogue of their stock. You can browse geographically by US State, by country, and by topic. Or, you can search for anything from alligators to the California Zephyr. They also have a blog. [more inside]
posted by Rumple on Apr 26, 2009 - 8 comments

The Motel in America. In a different America, where the novelty of driving cross-country and the charm of the highway strip drew droves of tourists--and their automobiles--from coast to coast in the name of exploration and recreation, motels provided a home away from home for weary travelers. While many of the great motels of the mid-twentieth century have disappeared from the national landscape, the linen postcards left behind in the Motel Morgue can give us a glimpse into what this era of American tourism and leisure looked like.
posted by sarabeth on Feb 7, 2009 - 24 comments

A glance will show / Why Phoebe Snow / Prefers this route / To Buffalo.
And Phoebe's right / No route is quite / As short as Road / of Anthracite.

In 1908 the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad began work on the New Jersey Cut-Off to make its New York to Buffalo mainline (the Road of Anthracite so liked by Phoebe Snow) even shorter and faster. It was to have no grade crossings, and was to be as straight and level as possible — through hilly terrain. The 28-mile Lackawanna Cut-Off, as it is now known, was built over three years, cost $11 million, and was an engineering marvel of massive reinforced concrete bridges, enormous cuts, and the largest railroad embankment in the world. All of this has been abandoned for years, though there are plans afoot to restore the Cut-Off for commuter rail. [more inside]
posted by parudox on Dec 24, 2008 - 17 comments

ROMANO-Archives has a YouTube channel with over 270 color film clips, called Unknown WWII In Color. "World War ll has usually been seen in black and white, but our recent research has unearthed an abundance of superb color film that shows what it really looked like to those who were there. The Author presents mainly WW2 recently declassified and other previously unavailable material, exclusively filmed in color." They also have over 900 videos of Automobile History USA l lots of pages of images with history, like Jammin' with Betty Boop. [In English and Italian] [more inside]
posted by nickyskye on Nov 24, 2008 - 18 comments

Meet Chikan. He likes to touch young women in the crowded subway of Tokyo. Meet Chikan, Otaku, Pachinko, Yopparai Salaryman, and yes, even Geisha at 51 Japanese Characters. [more inside]
posted by redsparkler on Nov 15, 2008 - 30 comments

Images of Asia l India then and now video l Historical Chinese Postcard Project: 1896 - 1920.
posted by nickyskye on Feb 8, 2008 - 9 comments

Popcards.fr is a collection of kitschy French postcards from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Kitschy barely does justice to this collection. Categories abound, including pets, humor (and I use the term loosely), lovers, cuisine and perhaps the two most interesting sections, guys and gals. [via I like via sit down man, you're a bloody tragedy]
posted by Kattullus on Jan 29, 2008 - 12 comments

Odyssey of State Capitols and State Suspicion. "The story behind an exhibition: postcards, designs, photography, travels, history, stamps and law enforcement." [Via BB.]
posted by homunculus on Jan 22, 2008 - 10 comments

Postcards from Our Awesome Future. [via] An art exhibition stemming from the minds of Packard Jennings (whose illustrations have appeared in Adbusters) and Steve Lambert (of Anti-Advertising Agency fame); using San Francisco's infrastructure as a model for improvement, the duo answered the siren call of Objectivism through an arcology devoid of “...budgets, beauracracy [sic], politics, or physics”. [more inside]
posted by Smart Dalek on Jan 8, 2008 - 11 comments

"Reflections on White Privilege" by Tad Lawrence, dean of faculty, Cambridge School of Weston "That white Americans would send cards such as the ones I will show you for the most ordinary of purposes indicates the frightening extent to which they had internalized, accepted and condoned the presentation of African Americans that were the public face of the cards they sent." [more inside]
posted by exlotuseater on Nov 13, 2007 - 57 comments

Northeast Historic Film is the best of quirky Maine. They archive home movies, collect postcards of New England movie houses, and study depictions of New England in major films. Browsing the list of collections is tantalizing; if only some of these were available as clips or on YouTube. They're one of many archives preserving home movies. Also.
posted by Miko on Oct 23, 2007 - 9 comments

A nice set of photographic glass-plate transparencies depicting life in Japan ca. 1910. These "Yokohama photographs" were sold to foreign tourists between about 1868 and 1912. I found the Crafts and Trades section most interesting.
posted by Rumple on Jun 7, 2007 - 18 comments

Sexy Witch: "This is a blog about sexy witches. Here you will find witches of all types: elegant, attractive, pretty, cute, hot, naughty or femme fatales; real life witches; people dressed up as witches: for halloween or fancy dress balls; fictional witches: witches in novels, plays and poems; movie witches; cartoon witches; witches in art: carved, painted, sketched and engraved: they are all here, or will be in time." (Some Images Not Safe For Work)
posted by LeeJay on Apr 8, 2007 - 14 comments

Easter postcards from 1898 until today. See also Russian Easter postcards and the history of the Easter postcard tradition.
posted by Effigy2000 on Apr 6, 2007 - 3 comments

Joyce Images—postcards of Ulysses. [A little backstory.]
posted by cortex on Apr 2, 2007 - 26 comments

"Tall-tale postcards emerged around the turn of the 20th century, when postcards came to function as surrogates for travel. People soon realized that postcards could be used to create or sustain a certain utopian myth about a town or region, and crafty photographers began to physically manipulate their photographs. Nowhere did these modified images, or "tall-tale postcards" as they came to be called, become more prevalent than in rural communities that hoped to forge an identity as places of agricultural abundance to encourage settlement and growth. Food sources specific to the region — vegetables, fruits, or fish — were the most common subjects."
posted by jonson on Dec 30, 2006 - 20 comments

451 Postcards from World War I. Personal notes, propaganda, battle memorials, etc.
posted by jonson on Dec 26, 2006 - 12 comments

During his downtime on early worldwide tours with DEVO, Mark Mothersbaugh began illustrating on postcards to send to his friends, which he still creates, and has been creating every day for over 30 years. It's an obsessive habit/hobby which still yields anywhere from one to a couple dozen new postcard-sized images per day.
posted by furtive on Sep 3, 2006 - 11 comments

Postcards from the Edge
posted by yerfatma on May 25, 2006 - 23 comments

Vintage postcards are pretty neat. They show us the history of local areas, the growth of nations and they provide the briefest of glimpses into the lives of the past. Oh, they even brought porn to the masses.
posted by cmonkey on Nov 25, 2005 - 9 comments

Benny's Postcards "is devoted to the postcards my grandfather collected from approximately 1906-1918. The collection is comprised of 435 postcards, most of which were produced in Russia, Poland and Germany." [coral cache]
posted by strikhedonia on Nov 3, 2005 - 5 comments

Disneyland Postcards — "I have been collecting postcards from the park since the mid 80s', but only a few here and there...since then, I have acquired over 800 postcards, dating from the first one ever printed, to the current ones sold today." Includes 50 years of Disneyland postcards, the backs of cards and Then and Now shots of some of the more scenic places.
posted by Katemonkey on Aug 16, 2005 - 12 comments

Malls of America - Gone (some of them) but not forgotten (well, maybe). Vintage photographs and postcards of malls of the 1960s and '70s. For more personal stories, check out Deadmalls.com.
posted by deborah on Aug 7, 2005 - 19 comments

This dog is made from animal pictures, this one from beer labels. Here's Nicholson in The Shining, there's Fonda in Barbarella. Kittens, Grant, Santa, and Uncle Sam: all mosaics created with Mazaika. Added bonus: Soviet postcards.
posted by breezeway on Mar 21, 2005 - 12 comments

Build Your Own Chicago. Do you marvel at the beauty of a classic building? Do you pray at a baseball shrine? Well, here is your chance to build your own version of many of Chicago's most recognizable buildings. Unlike any postcards I've been sent.
posted by FlamingBore on Feb 13, 2005 - 16 comments

OK, Seattleites, see the American flag here ? On the sidewalk below is where your 3rd & Pine McDonalds now sits. Man, I can see five buildings here that are still standing, but that red brick one at the lower right got replaced early. Now here's the Northern Life Tower. Note how the bricks lighten towards the top, so as to make it look taller from below--very subtle, that. It's one of Seattle's two Art Deco buildings, the other being the Exchange Building. You can cut through that one, coming off the ferry at First Avenue and take the elevator to walk out on Second Ave rather than climb that steep hill, you know.
     And consider on what playground equipment our grandparents got to play. Lucky stiffs--you can't even find a decent 50s era swing set in a park in this town anymore. Penny Postcards From King County, from Penny Postcards of Washington, from Penny Postcards. Man, I loves me some vintage postcards. And if you do, too, check that last link--it's got all 50 states.
posted by y2karl on Dec 19, 2004 - 17 comments

Old Istanbul Postcards. If you have any fondness for old city views, this is irresistible. Here's a look at the Old City of Istanbul a hundred years ago (Hagia Sophia is just left of center), and here's the gate of the Ottoman War Ministry, now Istanbul University (map). There's lots more where those came from. (Via Desultory Turgescence.)
posted by languagehat on Dec 3, 2004 - 14 comments

Postcards from the attic . From our very own cedar comes this amazing collection of several hundred postcards sent between 1900 and 1910 by his family. These are quirky unsettling, and disturbingly cute. Enjoy.
posted by Grod on Oct 28, 2004 - 9 comments

Hello from Los Angeles!  A collection of Vintage postcards from L.A. and OC. Car-riffic cityscapes with brush script aplenty; your future smells like oil.
posted by planetkyoto on Oct 6, 2004 - 7 comments

Men pulling corks.
posted by adampsyche on Oct 5, 2004 - 20 comments

Big Hats and Eroticism is just one of the many features of Tallulahs.com, an excellent site dedicated to images of the vintage nude. There's also lots of wonderful trivia and commentary, such as a brief biography of the Mante sisters (immortalized in the brilliant ballerina images of painter Edgar Degas), and the story of Liane de Pougy, convent girl turned runaway wife, turned celebrated dancer of the French stage, turned Romanian Princess. Or you can read about the mystery of H. Traut, elusive photographer of "the gentle eroticism of fairyland" whose images graced hundreds of postcards for several years until he seemingly vanished from the scene some time before WWI. Interested in drawing or painting nudes yourself? Here's a page of classical nude poses - studies in various categories that you can work from, including "The beauty of butts" and "seductive smoking"! Plus, you can peruse Tallulah's own art nudes, and a fabulous links page. NSFW, obviously.
posted by taz on Aug 9, 2004 - 4 comments

This postcard (possible NSFW), likens Israel to a small penis in a speedo. If it's small on your monitor, there is a larger PDF version. Confused yet? It turns out blueStarPR produces several other curious pro-Israel postcards, including this one, featuring Ray Charles (who knew?). I have to give them props for being funny and slick. Some of their material is pretty extreme, though, such as this one, which likens the Jews to the Navajo, with the punchline: "Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism." Then there's this one, about Israel's liberal gays-in-the-military policy (I think they actually have to serve, don't they?). An interesting mix of humor, media, and politics. [warning: propaganda]
posted by scarabic on Jun 18, 2004 - 14 comments

Ilustris - delightful and whimsical works from a Polish illustrator. (flash)
posted by madamjujujive on Mar 29, 2004 - 3 comments

The Haiku Postcard Foundation exhibits a collection of anonymous hand-created postcards sent in from people around the world. It boasts a long and varied history and many interesting submissions.
posted by keef on Mar 24, 2004 - 4 comments

Postcards From The Attic - a beatiful vintage postcard collection
posted by anastasiav on Feb 25, 2004 - 3 comments

Postcards From The Road : US Route 66, as seen through vintage postcards.
posted by anastasiav on Nov 19, 2003 - 7 comments

Propaganda Postcards From World War I
posted by anastasiav on Nov 18, 2003 - 3 comments

Motel Postcards from the Era of the Open Road
posted by anastasiav on Nov 17, 2003 - 10 comments

Austin Postcard. Photographs, postcards, history and ephemera related to Austin, Texas.
posted by plep on Aug 29, 2003 - 21 comments

Victorian Visions of the Year 2000.
posted by crunchland on Jun 25, 2003 - 20 comments

Object Not Found. Lost and found photographs, postcards and letters.'The collection of postcards, photographs and letters collected here allows me to peek into a however small part of other peoples lives. '
Found via Countries of the Mind, a page about an imaginary world, and its postage stamps and postcards.
Related interest :- P22 Mail Art, and gallery.
posted by plep on May 22, 2003 - 5 comments

Ashleigh Brilliant's Pot-Shots are sometimes fun, sometimes depressing, but almost always interesting.
posted by gottabefunky on Feb 5, 2003 - 5 comments

Vintage Dog Photos & Postcards From the strange to the enigmatic, ominous to amusing, this collection puts a smile on my face.
posted by snez on Jan 6, 2003 - 10 comments

Do you know a elementary teacher? Rob from Cockeyed.com wants to create an interstate postcard exchange! If you ask me (no-one has) this is far too good an exercise to go to waste, so if you know a 3rd - 5th Grade teacher, point them in the direction of this!
posted by sycophant on Dec 11, 2002 - 6 comments

Carthalia. Andreas Praefcke's postcard collection of theatres and concert halls worldwide. I wish I had a passion for something.
posted by Catch on Oct 23, 2002 - 7 comments

Kodak Girl - Martha Cooper began her love affair with photography when her dad gave her a Kodak Baby Brownie sometime around 1946. A professional photographer, for the last 25 years she's also been an avid collector of photographica. Her focus is on images of women with cameras. Browse through more than a century of historic photos, quirky memorabilia, advertising, toys, comics, movie stills and figurines - it's a fascinating site! In her own photos, Ms. Cooper favors art, anthropology, and urban folk culture. Her colorful work can be viewed at NYCity Snaps.
posted by madamjujujive on Sep 29, 2002 - 2 comments