In the early 20th century, postcards were one of the most important and popular expressions of holiday sentiment in American culture. Millions of such postcards circulated among networks of community and kin as part of a larger American postcard craze. However, their uses and meanings were far from universal.

This book argues that holiday postcards circulated primarily among rural and small town, Northern, white women with Anglo-Saxon and Germanic heritages. Through analysis of a broad range of sources, Daniel Gifford recreates the history of postcards to account for these specific audiences, and reconsiders the postcard phenomenon as an image-based conversation among exclusive groups of Americans. A variety of narratives are thus revealed: the debates generated by the Country Life Movement; the empowering manifestations of the New Woman; the civic privileges of whiteness; and the role of emerging technologies.

From Santa Claus to Easter bunnies, flag-waving turkeys to gun-toting cupids, holiday postcards at first seem to be amusing expressions of a halcyon past. Yet with knowledge of audience and historical conflicts, this book demonstrates how the postcard images reveal deep divides at the height of the Progressive Era.

About the Author
Daniel Gifford, Ph.D.'s career spans academia and public history, including George Mason University, George Washington University, and the Smithsonian Institution. A scholar of American popular culture and museums studies, he currently teaches at several universities near his home in Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews
"a wonderful addition to the popular culture scholarship"-Journal of American Culture; "a serious cultural study of 2,000 postcards, analyzing them in as many statistical ways as possible"-eNews The Ephemera Society of America.



Book Information
ISBN 9780786478170
Author Daniel Gifford
Format Paperback
Page Count 244
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 435g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 12mm