Open Letters
Russian Popular Culture and the Picture Postcard, 1880-1922
Published on 20. October 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-4875-4528-4 (ISBN)
Description
During the fin-de-siecle and early revolutionary eras, picture postcards were an important medium of communication for Russians of all backgrounds. In Open Letters, the most comprehensive study of Russian picture postcards to date, Alison Rowley uses this medium to explore a variety of aspects of Russian popular culture. The book is lavishly illustrated with more than 130 images, most of which have never been published before.
Through her examinations of postcards, Rowley addresses a diverse range of topics: how landscape postcards conveyed notions of imperialism; the role of postcards in the rise of celebrity culture; depictions of the body on erotic and pornographic postcards; how postcards were employed to promote differing interpretations of the First World War; and the use of postcards by revolutionary groups seeking to overthrow the Tsarist government. Rowley determines the extent to which Russia was embedded in Europe-wide cultural trends by situating the Russian case within a larger European context.
Through her examinations of postcards, Rowley addresses a diverse range of topics: how landscape postcards conveyed notions of imperialism; the role of postcards in the rise of celebrity culture; depictions of the body on erotic and pornographic postcards; how postcards were employed to promote differing interpretations of the First World War; and the use of postcards by revolutionary groups seeking to overthrow the Tsarist government. Rowley determines the extent to which Russia was embedded in Europe-wide cultural trends by situating the Russian case within a larger European context.
Reviews / Votes
"Entering the world of Russian postcards allows one to savor something of the times in which they circulated and to sample an occasional message from one person to another... This book will be warmly welcomed by historians and students interested in Russia."- Jeffrey Brooks (The Journal of Modern History) "Intriguing and beautifully produced."
- Alice Nakhimovsky (Slavic Review ) "This is an important and fascinating glimpse into the complementary construction of private lives and public assumption in late imperial Russia."
- Louise McReynolds (Revolutionary Russia ) "Open Letters is undoubtedly a valuable addition to the historiography of Russian popular culture of early twentieth century, which goes some way towards confirming the postcard as a significant cultural artifact both with and of history."
- Andy Byford (Slavonic & East European Review ) "What Alison Rowley in Open Letters does well is provide a welcome overview of the postcard industry and introduce a new visual source to Russian scholars as well as ways to interpret these images. For that we are all in her debt."
- Christine Ruane (The Russian Review )
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
138 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-4528-4 (9781487545284)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Alison Rowley is a professor in the Department of History at Concordia University
Content
Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: More than "Wish You Were Here"
1. The Market for Picture Postcards in Russia
2. The Landscapes of Russian Imperialism
3. Gender and Celebrity Culture via the Lens of the Picture Postcard: The Case of Vera Kholodnaia, the "Queen of the Russian Screen"
4. Bodies on Display: Romantic and Erotic Postcards in Fin-de-Siecle Russia
5. Monarchy and the Mundane: Picture Postcards and Images of the Romanovs
6. Beyond Patriotic Discourse: Picture Postcards and Russia's First World War
7. Picture Postcards and the Russian Revolution, 1905-1922
Epilogue: Picture Postcards across the Revolutionary Divide
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction: More than "Wish You Were Here"
1. The Market for Picture Postcards in Russia
2. The Landscapes of Russian Imperialism
3. Gender and Celebrity Culture via the Lens of the Picture Postcard: The Case of Vera Kholodnaia, the "Queen of the Russian Screen"
4. Bodies on Display: Romantic and Erotic Postcards in Fin-de-Siecle Russia
5. Monarchy and the Mundane: Picture Postcards and Images of the Romanovs
6. Beyond Patriotic Discourse: Picture Postcards and Russia's First World War
7. Picture Postcards and the Russian Revolution, 1905-1922
Epilogue: Picture Postcards across the Revolutionary Divide
Notes
Bibliography
Index