Snapshots and Short Notes: Images and Messages of Early Twentieth-Century Photo Postcards by Kenneth Wilson is a fascinating look at a relatively short period of time when photo postcards were very popular.

This collection of images as well as the wonderful history surrounding the photo postcard (and the postcard in general) is both entertaining and eye-opening. I will touch on the entertaining part first. These cards give us a glimpse into both individual lives and the country's history, and particularly how they entwine. If you like looking at old photographs, you'll love the images reproduced here. If the history of cultural items interest you, you'll find the short history to be a great read. If you're like me you'll get a lot of enjoyment from both.

The eye-opening part is more involved. On a personal level, I had run across a few postcards when doing archival research back in the day. I never really considered them as items worthy of their own study, my interest was entirely about what, if anything, the notes and dates might tell me about the person I was researching. The study of these cards as a broader source of historical information makes perfect sense but I just did not recognize it. The other, less positive note, is how openly and willingly people would share racist and bigoted images without thinking twice. That wouldn't happen today nearly as often, except among Trump supporters, who would claim either ignorance or "culture." For the rest of us, it is a wake-up call that there has never really been a "good old days."

I would recommend this to both casual history buffs who enjoy the intersection of popular culture and history as well as those who might simply be more interested in the objects as objects. The images are wonderful and are accompanied by short explanations of what and where, at least to the extent that is known. It is also fun to just ponder the possible meanings as well.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )