SCRANTON, Pennsylvania — Several years ago the Smithsonian magazine ran an elegant story about the use of postcards in American culture as a way both to communicate to loved ones far away and to illustrate what the traveler wants you to see about where they have been.
The key phrase is “wants you to see.”
Smithsonian used as an example the work of Curt Teich, a German immigrant who in 1931 used his small printing company to introduce idyllic, brightly colored postcards that always included the familiar “Greetings from,” then inserted the name of a town or state the family member or friend was visiting.
The postcards “depicted an optimistic view of America,” and it is fair to say there were some rose-colored glasses in the effort, as postcards rarely depicted decay.
Well, President Joe Biden used a similar style this week…
