Gertrud's Postcard Project

What began as a simple act of kindness to preserve my grandmother’s cherished postcard albums developed into a web-based archive to organize and document a complete family collection. Few such collections remain intact; too many go to flea markets or to postcard dealers, to be split up and sold as individual postcards.

Once I had organized all 1274 postcards chronologically and had them transcribed from Sütterlin-script to modern text, it became very clear that they formed a snapshot of family life around the time of the First World War in Germany. They speak of run-away inflation, food shortages, and the Great Pandemic; also romance, courtship, daily work, and visits among friends and family. I believe the story they tell both individually and as a collection should be shared beyond my family.

Although postcard messages are brief compared to letters, when  read in a collection they build a thread of thought that can be viewed as the text messages of the early 1900s. Unlike the text messages in use today, for which there is no established form of archiving, postcards can be saved as cherished keepsakes or souvenirs archived for or by future generations.

Phase 1 of the project created a website to compile the postcards’ transcriptions and translations, and encourage viewers to post comments or corrections.  Phase 2 is now underway, to design and build this website, presenting the collection with new detail and interactive features.  The final phase will be for this new website to  serve as both an online academic and artistic resource, and for it to be housed in historical institutions in Germany and America as a stand-alone interactive exhibit.

I currently seek sponsorship and partnerships with museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions in order to complete and exhibit this work as part of the 100th anniversary of the end of First World War in 2018.

Sincere thanks for your assistance and donations,

Daniel Thomas Nauke