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makeshiftplant's review against another edition
5.0
not boring AT ALL! but then again, i get excited over the mundane so *shrug*
otterno11's review
4.0
As a postcard aficionado, I have long admired the art of the postcard (or at least the art of selecting the best image to represent place), so I really appreciated the quirky mix of aesthetic and pure representation of place collected in Boring Postcards USA. Originating from roughly 1950s to the 1970s, these postcards show an America celebrating the everyday life of a prosperous postwar country, acting as advertisement as much as souvenir. With subject matters that may seem frankly unexciting, i.e., stretches of anonymous highway, one indeterminable from another, shown in faded midcentury color with pale blue skies and pale green laws and trees, they can hide deceptive insights. These cards, were, after all, created to advertise the existence or place of something, whether seedy looking truck stops, fortress-like college dormitories, or vast airport parking lots, these images provide a glimpse of how mid-twentieth century America wanted itself to be seen.
I enjoyed thinking about some of the stories behind a few of the cards and wondering what they are like today, if they still exist; See the site of the proposed larger taconite plant in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (no doubt now entirely deforested). Witness the roomy storage capacity of the 1974 Ford Econoline. Check out the Northway Mall Shopping Center in Pittsburgh (it has a Woolworths!).
Boring postcards do still turn up today, they still do print “Traveling on Beautiful 1-84” and I am not ashamed to admit I picked one up. In any case, a fun, quickly absorbed coffee table book, perfect for fans of Americana and postcards.
I enjoyed thinking about some of the stories behind a few of the cards and wondering what they are like today, if they still exist; See the site of the proposed larger taconite plant in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (no doubt now entirely deforested). Witness the roomy storage capacity of the 1974 Ford Econoline. Check out the Northway Mall Shopping Center in Pittsburgh (it has a Woolworths!).
Boring postcards do still turn up today, they still do print “Traveling on Beautiful 1-84” and I am not ashamed to admit I picked one up. In any case, a fun, quickly absorbed coffee table book, perfect for fans of Americana and postcards.
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