The Newberry has launched a digital archive of over 26,000 high-quality images of picture postcards produced by pioneering British company Raphael Tuck & Sons during the first half of the 20th century. Drawing on a vast archive of postcards received by the Newberry in 2016 and developed with the support of Leonard A. Lauder, the new digital collection provides users with a comprehensive body of material for investigating the ways in which British citizens formed and disseminated their perceptions of the world 100 years ago.
A distinguishing feature of the collection is the presence of thousands of “Oilettes”—postcards displaying versions of specially commissioned oil paintings. Touted by Raphael Tuck & Sons as “veritable miniature oil paintings," the Oilettes depict landscapes, seascapes, pastoral scenes, and city streets, both in Great Britain and abroad. In addition to tourist destinations, the cards also feature scenes of domestic life, holidays, and humorous images, including a few dozen reproductions from Punch magazine.
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Originally published on newberry.org, June 2019. Click here to read full article.
