Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard [Paperback]

Pamela Apkarian-Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

Before the telegraph and telephone, postcards were the primary form of social communication. Today these postcards are treasured artifacts as well as important historical documents from around the world. Author Pamela Apkarian-Russell memorializes the artists while tracking the progression of time, and the evolution of taste, through this simple and elegant form of communication. Her research on the artists and wide array of subject matter they depicted yields a compelling and unique history, told here for the first time. The entire family will enjoy the nostalgic, holiday-by-holiay visual journey; artists will find the graphic presentation informative and inspirational; and the legions of postcard collectors won’t be without it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pamila Apkarian-Russell is known as the "Queen of Halloween." Her holiday postcard collection ranks among the largest and finest in the world. She is a freelance collectibles writer and has been interviewed in countless media for over thirty years. Her stories and articles have appeared in Unravel the Gavel, New England Antiques Journal, and Picture Postcard Monthly. She has also published the Trick or Treat Trader, a subscription newsletter for Hallophyles since 1984. She is a postcard show promoter and author of several books on holiday related subjects. Apkarian-Russell is also a practicing Deltiologist. As a dedicated collector, researcher, appraiser, and consultant she is considered a preeminent authority on the subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Collectors Press (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888054549
• ISBN-13: 978-1888054545
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Postcards

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful window to the past, February 16, 2002

By 

Elwood Conway "elwoodc" (Frankfort, KY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard (Paperback)

These postcards are truly works of art. Compare these oldies to today's postcards and you will be greatly disappointed with the apparent lack of artistry and imagination that goes in to current postcard design. Each postcard is a wonderful reminder of a more intimate time, when getting a postcard was an event. Praise must go to the authors for compiling a wonderful collection and presenting it to the reader.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Postmarked Yesteryear, November 5, 2002

By 

Jos M. Hohmann (Media, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard (Paperback)

If you have any interest in vintage holiday postcards, or just an interest in "holiday history/graphic symbolism", this wonderful book is a "must-own". The examples shown, and the writing in general, could not have been better. It is NOT a book you put on the shelf and forget about. Joe Hohmann, Media, PA

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine art in 3 1/2 x 5 1/2", July 3, 2003

By 

Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard (Paperback)

The art on the postcard is the focus and this book does a great job of picturing different views of the holidays. Starting with a brief history of the post card and publishers, she then presents some common symbolism. She moves through the year, covering each of the holidays. At New Year's are images of pigs pulling a coach. On Valentines days is the "Penny Dreadful", with ill wishes from someone you may have wronged. At Christmas are Louis Wain's cats, which can be rare (and the relative prices of the cards are indicated). She includes holidays not commonly celebrated in the states today, such as Guy Fawkes Day, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and Krampus. Because of her own collection, the images of Halloween are spectacular and a highlight of the book. My only minor complaint would be that on some of the light backgrounds her annotations are hard to read.